The modern marriage ideology

Posted on June 7, 2012 
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“Marriage has always been ‘discriminatory’. Not everyone can have it: children, siblings, those already married, those with no-one offering to marry them, and so on. But three ‘marriage equality’ bills now before our Federal Parliament seek to leverage a good thing, equality, in a new direction.

I find it sad to write about this matter just as you might find it hard to read about it, for this dispute has become personal. I am acutely aware of those I know with same-sex partners. I don’t want to lose their friendship. On other days, I get angry at how disagreeing with same-sex marriage is portrayed as discrimination, homophobia and hate…”

– Dr Andrew Cameron writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.

The heavens still declare

Posted on June 7, 2012 
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The heavens still declare God’s glory. (Psalm 19)

This spectacular image of the planet Venus sihouetted against the Sun yesterday was taken by the Hinode/Solar B orbiting observatory.

(update: see the video produced from Solar Dynamics Observatory images.)

Bishops publish protocols

Posted on June 6, 2012 
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“Australia’s Anglican bishops have published 17 protocols for their ministry, three of which they approved at their meeting in Melbourne in March, and have agreed to abide by them and renew them annually by consensus.

The protocols, which may be found [here] cover issues including pastoral guidelines for private confession especially relating to child sexual abuse, Eucharistic hospitality, women in the episcopate, approaching clergy in another diocese, receiving clergy from other churches and episcopal collegiality…”

– story from Anglican Media Melbourne.

Too much singing?

Posted on June 4, 2012 
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Over at Meet the Puritans, Lee Gatiss has been sharing some wisdom from 16th century reformer Peter Martyr Vermigli. Here’s his latest observation:

“In his commentary on Judges, Vermigli has this arresting application concerning music and singing in church. He writes:

Almost everywhere in the papal religion they think they have worshipped God sufficiently in the Church when they have sung and shouted loud and long… There are many priests and monks who think they deserve well of God because they have sung many psalms… Another vice to be removed is that there should not be so much singing in church as to leave almost no time for preaching the Word of God and holy doctrine. We can see this happening everywhere in a way, for everything is so noisy with chanting and piping that there is no time left for preaching. So it happens that people depart from church full of music and harmony, yet they are fasting and starving for heavenly doctrine.

This reminded me of an article by my friend Vaughan Roberts on the same subject, here. Though it is interesting that Vermigli was writing well before the modern charismatic movement. That, it seems, has more in common with early modern Roman Catholicism than we might have thought. How interesting too that Vermigli had such an influence over Cranmer and the composition of the English Book of Common Prayer which like Vermigli (died 1562) is celebrating an anniversary this year (1552, 1662).”

– from Meet the Puritans.

Two Ways to Live app even better

Posted on June 4, 2012 
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The ‘Two Ways to Live’ app for iOS has been updated with new features.

Details from The Briefing.

Living Between Times — The Bishop of Tasmania’s 2012 Synod Address

Posted on June 3, 2012 
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“Next month there is an anniversary which has special significance for me. Can you imagine which anniversary it might be? No! It’s not my wedding anniversary. It’s the 30th anniversary of the end of the Falkland Islands War.

The end of that war introduced a significant season in the life of Argentina: a change from military dictatorship to democracy.

Let me explain. Argentina suffered a civil war, the so called “Dirty War”, during the rule of a brutal military dictatorship from 1976-83.

The Argentine dictatorship ruled ruthlessly to guard and grow its own ends. We lived in a street that had abandoned and burnt out houses. We were told that the occupants of an abandoned house on the corner of our street had ‘disappeared’ one evening following a raid by military personnel. Behind closed doors Argentine confidants told us of all the year 12 students in a college ‘disappearing’ one night and never being seen or heard of again; of whispered reports of people thrown from military planes.

We often wondered, ‘Would the dictatorship ever end? Would democracy ever come?’…”

On Friday, Bishop John Harrower delivered his Presidential Address to the Synod of the Diocese of Tasmania. Well worth hearing or reading.

Things which ought to be better known about the Resurrection of Jesus

Posted on June 2, 2012 
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At Easter 2012, Dr Peter Williams, Warden of Tyndale House in Cambridge, gave a public lecture at Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston.

Presented by the Lanier Theological Library, his topic was “Things which ought to be better known about the Resurrection of Jesus”.

Fascinating and very helpful. The lecture is 60 minutes in length, followed by 40 minutes of responses and questions. Watch it on Vimeo.

(Related: New Evidences the Gospels were Based on Eyewitness Accounts.)

Speech

Posted on June 1, 2012 
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At Moore College, Dr. Andrew Cameron plugs a Centre for Christian Living Open Night coming up on Monday June 4th. The theme is ‘How to speak good!’.

Bishop Rick Lewers commissioned in Armidale

Posted on June 1, 2012 
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“Hundreds of people crowded into St Peter’s Cathedral on Wednesday to welcome Armidale’s new Anglican bishop.

Rick Lewers was installed and commissioned as the Bishop of Armidale in front of some 400 people watching both in the cathedral and via video link in a nearby hall. The event was not restricted to Anglicans, with representatives of other Christian denominations and the Salvation Army [!!] also in attendance …”

– Story and photo from The Armidale Express.

Does Moore matter?

Posted on June 1, 2012 
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Cam Capel, Chief Executive of Moore College, writes in the Winter 2012 issue of Moore Matters of the strategic gospel significance of the College:

“With the likes of D Broughton Knox, Graeme Goldsworthy, Donald Robinson and TC Hammond, the College has had a massive impact on the biblical theology of the Australian church across denominations.”

“Does Moore matter?

This question has become a critical one for the future of the church in Sydney, Australia and the world. We as a College community have been considering this question as we review our structures, education programs and delivery channels—to ensure we continue to serve individual Christians and the churches effectively. To answer this question we have to understand what Moore is, what it does and where it has come from in history. Read more

Gary Nelson installed as 7th Bishop of North West Australia

Posted on May 30, 2012 
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“On Saturday the 26th of May, over 200 people gathered in the Cathedral to show their support, to pray for and to welcome the 7th Bishop of the Diocese of the North West Australia, Bishop Gary Nelson.  Friends and family came from Perth, Sydney, The Kimberley & the Pilbara to celebrate this new beginning for Bishop Gary.

We value your prayers for Bishop Gary and the whole Diocese of North West Australia.”

– from Geraldton Anglican Cathedral. where they have posted a couple of photos and the audio of Bishop Nelson’s sermon on Titus 2:11-15.

Sydney Standing Committee motion on Gippsland ‘breach of trust’

Posted on May 30, 2012 
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“The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Sydney has expressed ‘dismay’ at what it calls ‘a breach of fellowship and trust’ with the Bishop of Gippsland who has appointed a partnered gay man to a ministry position in his diocese.

The appointment was announced earlier this year in the Gippsland diocesan newspaper. The resulting controversy led to the adoption of an Australian bishops’ protocol on sexuality.

Now, Bishop John McIntyre has announced his intention to continue such appointments, saying to his Synod “I will appoint to office in our diocese those whom I believe God is calling to minister among us…….. I am willing to live with any consequences that may arise from remaining true to that commitment.”

The Standing Committee resolution ‘notes its dismay’ at the Bishop’s comments from which, it says, “it is reasonable to infer his intention to appoint, amongst others, practising homosexuals to ministry roles in his Diocese and support same-sex marriages.”

The resolution continued “Standing Committee considers that Bishop McIntyre’s earlier appointment of a practising homosexual to a ministry office and his May 18, 2012 statement represent –   Read more

The seduction of pornography and the integrity of Christian marriage, Pt 1

Posted on May 30, 2012 
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“Not only have we severed sex from marriage, but as a society, we now look at marriage as an imposition, chastity as an embarrassment, and sexual restraint as a psychological hang-up. The doctrine of sin explains why we have exchanged the glory of God for Sigmund Freud’s concept of polymorphous perversity…”

– Albert Mohler begins a two-part series on the pornographic crisis gripping the western world.
Related:
Online safety resources (Communicate Jesus),
Avoiding pornography’s perils (SydneyAnglicans.net),
and Just1ClickAway (from John McDowell Ministry).

Garage Hymnal in Concert to support BCA

Posted on May 29, 2012 
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Garage Hymnal in Concert to support the Bush Church Aid Society – at St Barnabas’ Broadway on Friday 15th June.

Please click the image for details.

St. Hilda’s says goodbye to a building

Posted on May 29, 2012 
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“Today was our last Sunday worshipping in the building that has been known as “St. Hilda’s” for the last 53 years. A negotiated settlement with the Diocese of Niagara will result in the building being turned over to the diocese on June 1st. …”

– Anglican Essentials Canada blog reports on the last service at St. Hilda’s Oakville in Ontario.

Photo: David Jenkins. More photos here.

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