Thoughts on Preaching on Good Friday

Posted on April 7, 2025 
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“The Easter season should be the high point on our church calendars- what an absolute privilege to focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus, the very heart of the gospel message.

Most of our practice during the easter season, would be a lead up to Easter for perhaps 1-2 weeks, then Good Friday, on to Easter (Resurrection) Sunday.

Regarding our preaching specifically on Good Friday, Ive been thinking of a few things, I’d like to share. …”

– Jim Mobbs writes at The Expository Preaching Trust.

Alternative Spiritual Oversight – An Invitation – CEEC

Posted on April 6, 2025 
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From the Church of England Evangelical Council.

And a reminder to pray for our brothers and sisters in England who are seeking to stand for the faith ‘once for all delivered to the saints’.

 

The Lioness, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Posted on April 5, 2025 
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“If Narnia was only fiction, I suspect many would muttter but put up with screwing up a great story. But as we know, C.S. Lewis was doing something more with these books; Narnia is a work of allegory. Narnia is theology through story…”

– Murray Campbell responds to reports that Netflix is in discussions with Meryl Streep about playing the role of Aslan in The Magician’s Nephew.

Southern Cross magazine March — April 2025

Posted on April 5, 2025 
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The latest issue of Southern Cross magazine (March – April 2025) is now available in churches.

If you miss out on getting a printed copy, a digital version is available from sydneyanglicans.net.

St. Andrew’s Cathedral Open Day — Saturday 12th April

Posted on April 4, 2025 
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From St. Andrew’s Cathedral –

“Join us Saturday 12th April, 9am-12pm and 1:30-4:00pm.

Guided tours on the hour, every hour. Browse in between.

Limited behind-the-scenes access to parts of the Cathedral rarely accessible to the general public. (Details to come!) …”

– Read all the details here.

Win-win on housing and ministry

Posted on April 3, 2025 
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“More than 250 new affordable homes and critical ministry infrastructure are set to be developed in Bankstown and Regents Park, providing a much-needed boost for west and southwest Sydney.

The projects secured funding under the Federal Government’s Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF). …”

– Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net reports on projects in the parishes of Bankstown and Regents Park.

Forgiveness — a central part of the Easter message

Posted on April 3, 2025 
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“I have been writing a little book about the meaning of Easter called ‘In His Words’ looking at John’s account of what happened on the first Easter weekend, as he records it in his Gospel (chapters 18-21). Several things have struck me powerfully. …”

– At The Latimer Trust, Bishop Wallace Benn reminds us of Easter’s counter cultural message of joy and hope.

Photo: Bishop Benn at GAFCON 1 in 2008 by Peter Frank for GAFCON.

Giving thanks for Campus Bible Study — 50 years on

Posted on April 2, 2025 
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From The Pastor’s Heart:

“Today we review the 50 year impact of The University of New South Wales’ Campus Bible Study on Christian ministries across Australia and around the world – in raising up gospel workers, sending missionaries, planting churches and in Christian publishing.

Former Anglican Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen led the ministry for thirty years till 2005.  Since then Paul Grimmond and Carl Matthei have been senior chaplains.

Alan Stewart started studying at the University of New South Wales just two years after Phillip Jensen arrived as Anglican Chaplain. Alan was saved by Jesus in 1979 and went on to assist in the ministry, before becoming CEO of Anglican Youthworks, Bishop of Wollongong, head of Church Planting for Sydney Anglicans and then national director of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches.

Tony Payne and Tracey Gowing started as undergraduates a few years after Alan.  Tony went on to run the influential Christian publishing house Matthias Media, while Tracey led the Christian ministry at  Cumberland College Christian Group before returning to UNSW as a senior staff member at Campus Bible Study.”

– Watch or listen here.

What and Who are Humans?

Posted on April 1, 2025 
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From Phillip Jensen:

“As we look at Genesis 1, we come to a great climax in the creation of humans in God’s Image.

More bottles of ink have been spilled over this phrase than possibly any phrase in the Bible. What is the image of God? In what way are we in the image of God? What are humans and who are we?

The questions go on and on. Yet this teaching of Genesis 1 has stood the test of time in identifying God’s universal identity and value of humans.”

– Listen to the latest Two Ways News podcast with Phillip and Peter Jensen.

100 Ministry stories — Peter Jensen interviews Lloyd Bennett

Posted on March 31, 2025 
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From Moore Theological College:

“Former Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, sits down with Lloyd Bennett – pastor, chaplain, and Moore College graduate.

Lloyd shares how he came to know Christ, his journey into ministry, and the ways God used his time at Moore to shape a lifetime of faithful service. From classrooms to chaplaincy, his story is one of God’s grace and guidance every step of the way.”

– This is a most encouraging interview. Watch or listen here.

Nexus 2025: Post-conference reflections on personal and team-based evangelism

Posted on March 31, 2025 
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“With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, said Jesus.

It’s so often like that, isn’t it?

What you bring to a thing is very often what you end up getting out of it. The questions and attitudes you have at the outset usually determine how you hear, what you hear, and what you come away with.

So in the following reflections on the Nexus Conference that was held a couple of weeks ago, I must ask the reader to bear with the questions I turned up with. They have been on my mind for some little while, and they no doubt determined why I found the conference to be a vastly encouraging and stimulating day. …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Kirsten McKinlay shares her reflections on Nexus 2025.

Thanks to the Nexus team, you can hear the talks yourself!

Taking the gospel to communities consumed by the here and now

Posted on March 31, 2025 
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“When I’m at the beach, a phrase I often hear is, ‘Where else would you rather be?’

For a lot of people, living by the beach is their idea of paradise. There is a strong secular hedonism that is pervasive in the culture around suburban coastal contexts. Gripped by lifestyle and materialism, you get a clear idea of where people’s hearts are, and what their idea of heaven might be …”

– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Rich Wenden has some suggestions on connecting with “communities consumed by the here and now”.

Being an Influencer

Posted on March 30, 2025 
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“ ‘Trev, go home. One day I want to be able to say, see that guy who is a well-known engineer, he used to spend time at my slot car track and work for me part-time. I don’t want them to say, see that bum over there, I knew him once.’

I spent much of my time as a teenager at a local pinball parlour and slot car track. The man who owned the establishment took an interest in me and employed me part-time. One night when I wasn’t working but just hanging around, he sent me home with these words.

After I was rather miraculously converted from atheism to Christianity in my 30s, I began to remember many points in my life, like this one, when the words and actions of others influenced me in tiny incremental ways towards the ‘good’. …”

– In the latest edition of CASE News from New College, Trevor Cairney reminds us of that the Lord can use weak vessels like us to bring good to others.

Photo: Trevor Cairney at the 2024 ACL Synod Dinner.

Bishop Martyn Snow responds to “What kind of future awaits the faithful?”

Posted on March 30, 2025 
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“I am grateful to Anglican Futures for reviewing my booklet, ‘Can we Imagine a Future Together? Intercultural Lessons for Living in Love and Faith’. The review is thoughtful and constructive, and they are kind enough to offer words of personal encouragement to me – I have indeed spent many hours on Living in Love and Faith (LLF) and heard much pain and anger!

And yet the opening analysis is that the booklet ‘offers little hope’ for faithful Anglicans.

Unsurprisingly, I take issue with this … Obviously, it all depends on what you regard as a good outcome to the LLF process! …”

– Anglican Futures has published this response by Bishop Martyn Snow to their review of his booklet ‘Can we Imagine a Future Together?’.

Bishop Snow is the lead bishop for the ‘Living and Love and Faith’ process in the Church of England. Doubtless, there will be responses to Bishop Snow’s response.

Image: Bishop Snow at the 2024 Church of England General Synod.

Peter Williams on eighty years of Tyndale House

Posted on March 29, 2025 
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In the latest Tyndale House podcast, Principal Peter Williams speaks about the origins of Tyndale House in Cambridge, founded 80 years ago, in 1945.

Along the way, he mentions many people with whom our readers will be familiar.

“Dr Peter J. Williams, Principal of Tyndale House, walks us through the history of Tyndale House. Starting with the initial conversations about creating an institution for evangelical biblical scholarship that took place in the late 1930s, through to the new library building project starting in 2025.”

An encouraging and illuminating 33 minutes.

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