No second casino for Sydney, say churches

Posted on March 3, 2012 
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Here’s a media release from the NSW Council of Churches:

The President of the NSW Council of Churches, Revd Dr Ross Clifford, has commended NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell on his measured approach to pressure for a second casino license for Sydney, and reiterated a call for an inquiry into the social implications of gambling in NSW.  Read more

Inquiry into the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2012 and the Marriage Amendment Bill 2012

Posted on March 2, 2012 
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From the Australian House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs:

“The Committee encourages all interested parties to participate in the following survey on the two Marriage Bills. … the closing date for responses is 20 April 2012.”

Individualism

Posted on March 2, 2012 
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Watch the latest 28 minute episode of The Chat Room, with Kel Richards and Phillip Jensen.

Six Keys to Unlock Revelation

Posted on March 1, 2012 
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Bishop Paul Barnett offers six keys to help unlock the book of Revelation –
1. Discern its setting historically
2. Classify it Correctly
3. Learn the Layout
4. Crack the Code
5. Perceive the parallelism
6. Centre on Christ

– Read about them at his website. (Also the 1989 book Apocalypse Now and Then.)

The Intolerance of Tolerance — reviewed

Posted on February 29, 2012 
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“Tolerance rules today with one important caveat. There can be no tolerance for people who do not agree with the contemporary usage of the term. People like Christians, for example. Those who hold to the old meaning, that I will tolerate you even though I believe that you are wrong, sinful even—there can be no tolerance for people like that. Hence this new tolerance is inherently intolerant…”

– Tim Challies briefly reviews Don Carson’s new book.

Archbishop Duncan gives thanks for Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti

Posted on February 28, 2012 
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Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, Robert Duncan writes to his province:

“Bishop Robinson was a champion of the faith once for all delivered to the saints.”

“Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti was among the great friends and steadfast heroes of the Anglican Church in North America. He and his wife, Miriam, are mourned by all of us in this Province. Our prayers and love are extended to the clergy and people of Recife, and to all friends and family, not least because of the tragic circumstances of their murder.

Bishop Robinson was a champion of the faith once for all delivered to the saints. He led his diocese to stand against the theological revisionism that plagued his Province and he stood with all of us in the parallel battles in North America and in global Anglicanism. Internationally, he was among the band of courageous bishops and archbishops who adopted North American congregations during our days of trial.

I personally have the warmest of memories of Robinson Cavalcanti throughout all of my years as bishop. Moreover, since the founding of our Province, he was often a guest at meetings of our Provincial Council and College of Bishops, most recently in September.

We thank God for the lives of these faithful servants. We entrust them to the merciful keeping of our Lord and Savior in whose Resurrection ‘death is swallowed up in victory.’ Robinson’s words to us at this moment would be one with the Apostle Paul’s in I Corinthians 15, not least in the exhortation at the end: ‘Therefore, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.’”

– via the ACNA website.

Tragic news from Brazil

Posted on February 28, 2012 
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“The Diocese of Recife reports that Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti and his wife were murdered in their home in Olinda in Northeastern Brazil [on Sunday] night. The bishop’s adopted son is alleged to have knifed his parents following a quarrel…”

– Report by George Conger.
• Announcement via Anglican Mainstream.
• Diocese of Recife website (mostly in Portuguese).

The battle for accurate Bible translation in Asia

Posted on February 28, 2012 
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“At least a dozen Turkish pastors, as well as some whole churches… have signed a petition condemning a new Turkish translation of Matthew…”

– WorldMag has an article about Insider movements and the challenges for Bible translators. Food for prayer.

Related:
A World of Riches – Reformation21.
In Pursuit of a Faithful Witness – Reformation21.
Should We Drop “Son of God” in Bible Translations for the Sake of Reaching Muslims? – Thabiti Anyabwile.

Diocesan budget needs more than ‘minor tweaking’

Posted on February 26, 2012 
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“A conference on future funding of diocesan bodies has been told the Global Financial Crisis provides a great opportunity for change but not in the form of ‘radical congregationalism’.

The Anglican Church League organised an open forum on the Draft Statement on Funding Principles and Priorities for 2013-2015, presented to last year’s Synod by the Mission Board. Speakers at the Chapter House on February 18th included Dean Phillip Jensen, who was on the sub-committee which prepared the draft, GAB Chairman Bruce-Ballantine Jones, ACL Chairman Dr Mark Thompson and Senior Ministers Sandy Grant of Wollongong, Peter Lin of Bossley Park/Fairfield and Craig Roberts of Neutral Bay…”

– Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net reports on the ACL’s Diocesan Financial Priorities Conference. (Conference papers here.)

Reforming a diocese from within

Posted on February 24, 2012 
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“What can you do if you are a small group of evangelicals in a diocese where it seems that nothing organized by the institution ever reflects a sound theological agenda or is likely to feed the mass of God’s people?

That was the question raised almost thirteen years ago at a committee meeting of the Chelmsford Diocesan Evangelical Association, following a diocesan conference for laypeople…”

– John Richardson shares his experiences and offers encouragement – in the Winter 2012 Crossway. (Article: PDF file.)

New Abp of the Province of Southeast Asia

Posted on February 23, 2012 
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“Bishop of the Diocese of Kuching the Most Reverend Datuk Bolly Lapok was officially installed as the fourth Archbishop of the Province of the Anglican Church in South East Asia at an elaborate ceremony in St Thomas’ Cathedral [in Kuching]… Bolly, who is the first Sarawakian ever to hold the post, succeeds Bishop of Singapore the Most Reverend Dr John Chew…”

– Report from Global South Anglican.

Will General Convention be able to approve same-sex blessings?

Posted on February 22, 2012 
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“At its meeting last October, the General Convention’s Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music agreed to present at the 2012 session of General Convention a resolution to authorize the trial use, over a three-year period, of a rite for the blessing in a church ceremony of same-gender relationships…

In contrast to those locally approved rites, what is now being proposed is a church-wide standard rite that would have the imprimatur of General Convention itself.”

– The Anglican Curmudgeon, A S Haley, wonders if the TEC General Convention will ignore its own Constitution – again.

When the Accounts are called: A Christian understanding of gambling

Posted on February 21, 2012 
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“The Bible is clear on this issue. The entire enterprise of gambling is opposed to the moral worldview revealed in God’s Word. The basic impulse behind gambling is greed—a basic sin that is the father of many other evils. Greed, covetousness, and avarice are repeatedly addressed by Scripture—always presented as a sin against God, and often accompanied by a graphic warning of the destruction which is greed’s result. The burning desire for earthly riches leads to frustration and spiritual death…

Why are Christians so silent on this issue?“

– Albert Mohler demonstrates that gambling is an issue not unique to New South Wales. (Idea: try preaching against gambling and see what response you get.)

NSW Council of Churches calls for gambling inquiry

Posted on February 21, 2012 
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Here’s a media release from the NSW Council of Churches –

“Churches call for NSW gambling inquiry – 20 February 2012

The President of the NSW Council of Churches, the Revd Dr Ross Clifford, has called on the O’Farrell Government to hold a wide-ranging inquiry into the gambling industry.  Read more

Position vacant: Lecturer in Biblical Studies

Posted on February 21, 2012 
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You’d have to subscribe to the doctrinal standards of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, but if you do, you might be just the person they are looking for.

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