Queen’s Birthday Honours 2012

Posted on June 11, 2012 
Filed under Australia Comments Off on Queen’s Birthday Honours 2012

We spotted these people among those in the just-published Queen’s Birthday Honours List –

Member (AM) of The Order of Australia

Professor Alanna Nobbs (pictured)
Department of Ancient History, Macquarie University
For service to education in the fields of ancient history and the classics, particularly the Society for the Study of Early Christianity.

Medal (OAM) of The Order of Australia

Canon Dr Peter Adam
For service to theological education, and to the Anglican Church of Australia.

Mrs Noelene Beer
For service to the Anglican Church of Australia through the Girls Friendly Society.

Professor Trevor Cairney
Master of New College, University of New South Wales
For service to education as an academic and administrator.

The above are summaries – details and the full list may be seen here.

Nationwide launch announced for Sexegesis

Posted on June 10, 2012 
Filed under Australia Comments Off on Nationwide launch announced for Sexegesis

“On June 14, senior clergy of the evangelical church in Australia will make statements in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Perth and Adelaide (June 19), with an online launch in Canberra.”

– Download the full media release here (PDF) via the Diocese of Tasmania.

Related:
An important contribution to a vital debate.
Bishops publish protocols.
Sydney Standing Committee motion on Gippsland ‘breach of trust’.
Bishop McIntyre breaks ranks on homosexuality.
The Gippsland Crisis.
Bishop defends gay priest appointment.

Reading Biblical devotional books — An antidote to burnout

Posted on June 9, 2012 
Filed under Resources Comments Off on Reading Biblical devotional books — An antidote to burnout

“A Pastor left the ministry burned out and totally discouraged. He left his whole library behind in his last church.

When the new pastor looked through his library, he found that the older books in the library were biblical and theological books. The newer books were mostly how-to books, dealing with the practical challenges of ministry. It seems that he had been working on improving his skills without feeding his soul…”

– Ajith Fernando, Teaching Director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka, shares some wise advice in a guest post at Koinonia blog.

The brave new world of the media

Posted on June 8, 2012 
Filed under Opinion Comments Off on The brave new world of the media

At SydneyAnglicans.net, Russell Powell comments on the media stories of the week:

“I’m fairly cynical about the media, having worked in it for 30 years, but even I was taken aback.”

– See why here. (Photo: Zac Veron.)

‘Gay Danish couples win right to marry in church’

Posted on June 8, 2012 
Filed under News Comments Off on ‘Gay Danish couples win right to marry in church’

“Homosexual couples in Denmark have won the right to get married in any church they choose, even though nearly one third of the country’s priests have said they will refuse to carry out the ceremonies.

The country’s parliament voted through the new law on same-sex marriage by a large majority, making it mandatory for all churches to conduct gay marriages. …”

– Report from The Telegraph (UK). h/t Anglican Mainstream.

The Venus Transit: A Monumental Missions Anniversary

Posted on June 7, 2012 
Filed under History Comments Off on The Venus Transit: A Monumental Missions Anniversary

“Cook rounded Cape Horn in time to observe the transit from Tahiti. He then continued from east to west across the largely uncharted Pacific Ocean, mapping it and claiming islands for England including Terra Australis Incognita.

An account of Cook’s voyage was published in 1773 and was read by, among many other people, a cobbler and lay pastor in the Particular Baptist Church, named William Carey. …

In 1792 Carey published his missionary manifesto, An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens, which included a theological justification for missions based on Matthew 28:18-20 and an analysis of the world’s countries and religious situation based largely on Cook’s journals.”

– Tom Richards, on Tanna in the Vanuatu group, gives thanks for Captain James Cook’s voyage to observe the 1769 Transit of Venus. (Photo: Bill Mellberg.)

An important contribution to a vital debate

Posted on June 7, 2012 
Filed under Anglican Communion, Resources, Theology Comments Off on An important contribution to a vital debate

An important book, which meets a desperate need, is due to be launched next week.

“Sometimes we all just wish this debate would go away. Christians aren’t preoccupied with this subject, they’re preoccupied with Jesus. However, this is the form in which the gospel of Jesus is under most direct challenge just at the moment and we need the courage and the resources to take our stand on the teaching of Scripture.” – Mark Thompson

ACL President Dr. Mark Thompson explains why the book is important:

“The debate about homosexual behaviour and the concerted attempt by the gay lobby and others to gain legitimacy by rebadging homosexual liaisons as ‘same-sex marriage’ is quite intense at the moment. A culture bankrupt of any moral compass increasingly accepts the gay lobby’s caricature of Christians who take the Bible’s teaching on the subject seriously as bigots and homophobes.  Read more

The modern marriage ideology

Posted on June 7, 2012 
Filed under Opinion Comments Off on The modern marriage ideology

“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 
Filed under Resources Comments Off on The heavens still declare

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 
Filed under Australia Comments Off on Bishops publish protocols

“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 
Filed under History, Theology Comments Off on Too much singing?

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 
Filed under Resources Comments Off on Two Ways to Live app even better

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 
Filed under Australia Comments Off on Living Between Times — The Bishop of Tasmania’s 2012 Synod Address

“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 
Filed under History, Resources Comments Off on Things which ought to be better known about the Resurrection of Jesus

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 
Filed under Resources Comments Off on Speech

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!’.

← Previous Page — Next Page →