Bathurst Diocese: Lay Stipendiary Minister for the Narromine Parish

Posted on March 24, 2024 
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“Thanks be to God that today in the parish of Narromine it is being announced that Mr Luke Merriman is to commence there during May 2024 as Lay Stipendiary Minister. …”

– More encouraging news from the Diocese of Bathurst. (Via the Bathurst Diocese Facebook page.)

Challenges to Religious Freedom: Conversion Practices law passed, ALRC report released

Posted on March 23, 2024 
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From Neil Foster at Law and Religion Australia:

“A brief update on two significant challenges to religious freedom which have emerged over the last few days.

First, in NSW, the Conversion Practices Ban Bill 2024 has been rushed through both Houses of Parliament, receiving final approval on Friday March 22 after an all-night debate in the Legislative Council, and is now awaiting the Royal Assent.

…

The second concerning development is that on Wednesday 21 March the Australian Law Reform Commission released its report Maximising the Realisation of Human Rights: Religious Educational Institutions and Anti-Discrimination Laws (ALRC Report 142). Far from “maximising” human rights, the report (as expected by those who spoke to some of its researchers) would have the effect, if adopted, of seriously impairing the operation of faith-based schools around Australia.”

– Read here.

Related:

Response to the Australia Law Reform Commission report on Religious Educational Institutions – Media Release from the Diocese of Sydney, 21 March 2023 –

“The ALRC deserves a fail for the report and recommendations produced.

We are deeply disappointed that the recommendations fail to understand the ethos of faith-based schooling and would, if implemented, significantly impair schools’ ability to carry out their charter. …”

Federal ALRC Report Released – Freedom for Faith, 22 March 2024,

“On Thursday 21 March, the Attorney General, Mark Dreyfus tabled the final Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) Report following their Inquiry into Religious Educational Institutions and Anti-Discrimination Laws (see below).

On Tuesday 19 March, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was reported saying that he would not act on the ALRC report or a Religious Discrimination Bill without bipartisan support.

A draft of the Religious Discrimination Bill has been shown to the Opposition and key faith leaders, but is not public. …”

Praying for the Royal family?

Posted on March 23, 2024 
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God’s word calls us to pray – 1 Timothy 2:1-4

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” – ESV.

Image: Facebook post from the Church of England.

Latest edition of The Link from Armidale Diocese

Posted on March 23, 2024 
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The latest (Feb – March 2024) issue of The Link from the Diocese of Armidale is now up on their website.

Food for prayer.

NSW Parliament passes Conversion Practices Ban Act unamended

Posted on March 22, 2024 
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From Freedom for Faith:

“On March 22, 2024, the NSW Parliament passed the Conversion Practices Ban Act, a week after revealing the legislation. Despite a strong push from faith leaders and communities for improvements and clarifications, the legislation passed unamended.

We thank the Liberal Party, Shooters and Fishers, One Nation and Liberal Democrats who all moved amendments to improve the bill.

The legislation was the result of an extended campaign beginning before the 2023 election, and negotiations with the Government. While we do have strong concerns about the Act, it is also significantly better than the legislation in Victoria, and the proposals that were around in 2023. …”

– Read the details here.

More issues with the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Bill 2024

Posted on March 22, 2024 
Filed under Australia, Opinion Comments Off on More issues with the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Bill 2024

Associate Professor Neil Foster writes at Law and Religion Australia:

“I am happy to present a guest post today from Associate Professor Mark Fowler, raising more issues of concern from a religious freedom perspective with the recently released proposed Anti-Discrimination Bill 2024.

Dr Mark Fowler is Principal, Fowler Charity Law, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Notre Dame, School of Law, Sydney and an External Fellow at the Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law, University of Queensland. …”

– Read it here.

No agreement on ‘least-worst’ laws

Posted on March 21, 2024 
Filed under Australia, Opinion, Sydney Diocese Comments Off on No agreement on ‘least-worst’ laws

“More than a half a decade before the NSW government brought on its ‘Conversion Practices’ bill being debated this week, the Sydney Anglican Church expressed its opposition to harmful ‘conversion therapies’. It had become apparent from the testimony of survivors that some groups, including Christian faith groups, have employed harmful practices in an attempt to change or suppress feelings of attraction to the same sex, or gender dysphoria.

Our decision to speak out came in 2018, before the move to legislate against such practices across Australia. Since then, such legislation has moved beyond these now rare and bizarre practices and in some jurisdictions encroaches unnecessarily and ominously into areas of orthodox religious belief and ordinary faith practices including teaching and preaching, prayer, conversation and mutual encouragement.

There have been comments that churches and faith groups have been consulted and are happy with the bill now on the table. This is not the case. …”

While grateful for the government’s engagement with faith communities on legislation, the Archbishop concludes that,

“What we have ended up with is a ‘least worst’ version of such legislation compared to some other Australian jurisdictions but cannot be regarded by biblical Christian churches as representing good law.”

– The Daily Telegraph has today published this op-ed by Archbishop Kanishka Raffel – and SydneyAnglicans.net has a copy.

Good to read and share – and do pray for the Members of Parliament as the proposed legislation is scheduled to be debated today.

Remembering Archbishop Thomas Cranmer

Posted on March 21, 2024 
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On 21 March 1556, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer died at the stake in Oxford.

Learn about this towering figure of the English Reformation:

In 1989, Canon Allan Blanch wrote this appreciation of Archbishop Cranmer for ACL News.

In 2001, ACL News interviewed Dr. Ashley Null, recognised expert on Cranmer.

Further reading:

Masters Of The English Reformation by Marcus Loane (published 1954) is an excellent introduction to the English Reformation and five key figures: Bilney, Tyndale, Latimer, Ridley and Cranmer.

Portrait of Thomas Cranmer by Gerlach Flicke. (This is a re-post.)

Brian Rosner to finish as Principal of Ridley College at the end of 2024

Posted on March 20, 2024 
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“During the chapel service on 19 March 2024, Brian Rosner announced to students that he will be finishing up as principal of Ridley College at the end of this year.

After this, Brian will spend 2025 on research leave and then return in 2026 as a lecturer at the college, focussed on teaching, speaking and writing.

Brian will be giving a concluding, not-to-be-missed public lecture as principal on the evening of Wednesday, 16 October 2024.

Brian has led Ridley since mid-2012. …”

– Announcement and video at the Ridley College website. And food for prayer. Brians asks for prayer for three things —

  1. The Ridley Board as the search for Ridley’s tenth Principal gets underway.
  2. The College – that God would continue to provide for them that they would conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
  3. That he will finish well as Principal and serve God fruitfully in the years to come.

Bible Society Australia to close Eternity News

Posted on March 20, 2024 
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“It is with a heavy heart that I announce the difficult decision made by Bible Society Australia Group to end Eternity News in its current form, marking the closing chapter of a significant era.

This means that effective 30 April 2024, the Eternity News print magazine, website, weekly newsletter and social media platforms, along with the Eternity Jobs website, will cease. …”

– Announcement from BSA Group CEO, Grant Thomson.

Theologically rethinking youth ministry

Posted on March 20, 2024 
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From The Pastor’s Heart:

“How do we speak to children about sin? How can we help youth understand themselves as sinful and in indeed of forgiveness?

What to make theologically of the sense of entitlement in youth culture?

Plus how do we think theologically about the important issue of vibe in youth and childrens’ ministry and in regards to how kids engage with church.

A new book is launched this week ‘Identity, Church Culture and Discipleship in Youth and Children’s Ministry – Australian Evangelical Perspectives on Youth Ministry’.

The papers in the book were first presented at the HOUSE conference for youth and children’s ministers in Sydney.

Three of the thirteen contributors are with us including Ruth Lukabyo, who leads the Youthworks Institute, teaches church history at Youthworks College and has edited this book.

Also with us is Bill Salier, a former Principal at Youthworks College and now heads up the Anglican GAFCON Theological Educators Network.

And Tim Beliharz is on the ministry support team at Youthworks.”

– Watch or listen here.

NSW Conversion Practices Bill — risks to religious freedom

Posted on March 19, 2024 
Filed under Australia, Culture wars, Resources Comments Off on NSW Conversion Practices Bill — risks to religious freedom

“The NSW government has introduced a Conversion Practices Ban Bill 2024 into the Parliament, with the apparent aim of moving it through very quickly. Legislation of this sort has been introduced in other jurisdictions around Australia and elsewhere.

The aim of banning oppressive and violent practices designed to ‘convert’ someone’s sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual is good, of course. But those practices, while they may have existed some time ago, are really no longer around. The problem with these laws now is that their drafting can be so broad that they interfere with the ordinary teaching of religious doctrines and life within families.

These laws are also often premised on the assumption that ‘gender transition’ is a good thing which should be freely available to children, whether or not with parental permission. They raise important issues of concern to all those interested in the welfare of children, whether or not from a religious perspective.

But laws of this sort can in particular have significant implications for religious freedom.…”

– At Law and Religion Australia, Associate Professor Neil Foster highlights important ways the proposed legislation can be greatly improved.

Do read the full article, and – since the legislation is likely to be debated today – urgently contact your Member of Parliament if you desire.

Moore College 2024 Graduation on 26th March

Posted on March 19, 2024 
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Moore College has posted details of the upcoming 2024 Graduation on Tuesday 26th March.

France proposes further diminishing of human dignity

Posted on March 18, 2024 
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“If you are going to subvert the sanctity of human life at the beginning of life, as you have with abortion, then you are certainly going to also eventually get to subverting the dignity and sanctity of human life at the other end of the age spectrum. …

The slippery slope is indeed very slippery and it is a slope towards the acceptance of euthanasia or assisted suicide or whatever you might want to call it. …

… we are talking about a radical change in French law, and we as Christians understand that reflects an even more foundational and fundamental radical change in morality.”

– In his The Briefing broadcast for Monday 18 March 2024, Dr Albert Mohler looks at the sadly predictable pattern – this time, in France.

C of E’s helter-skelter plunge into heresy

Posted on March 18, 2024 
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“There are many good men and women in the Church of England who simply want to worship and serve God as best they can in the way their parents did. There are ministers whose preaching and teaching has enriched us and whose books Christians read with profit. Such Christians have been betrayed by their denomination. …”

– Presbyterian minister Dr Campbell Campbell-Jack writes at The Conservative Woman.

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