When will Gay Couples be able to take vows in the Church of England?

Posted on February 25, 2010 
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“Events in England this week have underlined the wisdom of envisaging an alternative focus of leadership for the Anglican Communion. As regular readers of these articles will know, I believe that the current Archbishop of Canterbury is promoting an illusory unity which accommodates false teaching and endangers the whole Communion.

But there is another reason for calling into question the role of Canterbury and the Lambeth institutions which is not so much to do with Rowan Williams himself, but with the relentless erosion of orthodox faith in the Church of England by the deeply secularized culture of the liberal establishment…”

– Charles Raven writes at SPREAD. (Photo: Church of England.)

Depth and Weight: Augustine’s Sermon Illustration

Posted on February 25, 2010 
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“Augustine suggests that Paul is like a loving father who breaks open the nuts for his children to eat—his teaching is the nut cracker that unlocks scripture’s mysteries. Augustine’s appreciation of Scripture’s depth was the foundation of his theological approach to sermon illustration…”

– In this article from Churchman, Spring 2008, republished online by Church Society, Peter Sanlon argues that preachers need to be a lot more thoughtful in their sermon illustrations. Worth reading (PDF file).

Albert Mohler: Developing a Christian response to Islam

Posted on February 25, 2010 
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Last week, Dr Albert Mohler spoke at Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, Kentucky, on ‘Developing a Christian Response to the Challenge of Islam’.

The very helpful and informative 71 minute talk is available from the iTunes Sojourn Church podcast – link here. (Photo by Chuck Heeke, h/t Justin Taylor.)

Backwards Christian Soldiers

Posted on February 24, 2010 
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“The cause for biblical Christianity took a backward step in the General Synod of the Church of England this past week, or rather exposed itself as having already departed from biblical truth and practice. The General Synod passed a motion awarding pensions to civil partners of deceased clergy…”

– Bishop Glenn Davies writes at SydneyAnglicans.net

Don’t let the facts…

Posted on February 23, 2010 
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“Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story.” So goes the old saying. In Sunday’s Sun-Herald, Simon Webster writes –

“A vicar has sparked outrage in Britain by distributing a pamphlet urging women to do as their husbands tell them. Reports could not confirm whether he got his wife to deliver them for him. … Not to avoid members of the media – they would have been the least of his worries – but to steer clear of Mrs MacLeay. God only knows how she reacted when she read her husband’s musings.”

It would have been relatively easy to go to the St Nicholas’ website to hear the ‘offending’ sermons or to read this (which was posted a week ago) – The Rector of St. Nicholas’, Angus MacLeay, writes:

“On a different point another strand of headlines speak of the Rector telling women to be silent and of a leaflet written by him being distributed around the congregation in January. The reality is that I have written no leaflets, nothing has been distributed and no-one has ever told women to be silent.”

It’s worth reading both the article and the letter in their entirety, and then listening to the sermons (31 January and 14 February 2010).

And if this comes up in conversation, it’s a good opportunity to speak about the Lord Jesus, as Mark Oden does at the start of the first sermon.

ABC Radio spot on Christians and sainthood

Posted on February 23, 2010 
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Last night, ABC Radio’s PM spoke with Bishop Glenn Davies and others on the impending canonisation of Mary MacKillop. Transcript and audio here. (Photo: Wikipedia.)

Shock! Horror! Church Believes The Bible!

Posted on February 23, 2010 
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“At the heart of all the press coverage is the very ordinary fact that at St Nicholas Sevenoaks, as in many other evangelical churches up and down the country, we engage in an expository preaching ministry which requires both preacher and people to engage humbly with God’s word, the Bible.”

– Angus MacLeay, Rector of St Nicholas’ Sevenoaks, writes about the fuss in the UK media last week over some sermons on marriage. (h/t Anglican Mainstream.)

Building Healthy Churches: 9 Marks in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Posted on February 21, 2010 
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Last week, Mark Dever, Mike Gilbart-Smith and Colin Adams (who runs Unashamed Workman), spoke at the 9Marks Conference in Ballymena, Northern Ireland.

The audio has been posted online and will be there for 60 days.

Last weekend, Mark Dever spoke at another 9Marks conference – this one in Scotland. That audio is now online on the website of Charlotte Chapel, Edinburgh.

Not a good sign

Posted on February 21, 2010 
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“Dissident Uniting Church minister Francis MacNab has posted a giant billboard over the Monash Freeway with pictures of Florence Nightingale, Martin Luther King and himself as model leaders…”

– from Barney Zwartz in The Age. All a bit sad.

Falling on Deaf Ears?

Posted on February 20, 2010 
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“In many churches, there is almost no public reading of the Word of God. Worship is filled with music, but congregations seem disinterested in listening to the reading of the Bible.”

– Albert Mohler reflects on why so many congregations in the US aren’t all that interested in hearing the Bible.

Could the same be said for your church?

Take a hammer to your downloads!

Posted on February 20, 2010 
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Over at the Fervr website, Tim Yap has some godly advice for youth – though there are many adults who should hear it too.

“Let’s keep it simple: downloading ‘free’ stuff from the internet which is supposed to cost money, whether it be music, movies or games, is against the law.”

‘Excited throng to welcome new Anglican bishop’

Posted on February 19, 2010 
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“Wollongong Bishop-elect Peter Hayward will adopt one of Australia’s biggest Anglican flocks at a packed consecration ceremony in Sydney … on April 13 …”

– The Illawarra Mercury.

Encouragement from Psalm 41

Posted on February 19, 2010 
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Allan Blanch, an Emeritus Vice-president of the ACL, and who served as Rector in the parishes of Broadway, Beecroft and St. Philip’s York Street, recently preached at St. Paul’s Lithgow on Psalm 41.

Most edifying. Listen here.

Christianity and McLarenism

Posted on February 19, 2010 
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Kevin DeYoung has published his review of Brian McLaren’s book A New Kind of Christianity.

It’s comprehensive – and devastating. Read it  here (PDF file).

“H. Richard Niebuhr’s famous description of liberalism has not lost its relevance: ‘A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of Christ without a cross.’”

Related: Tim Challies on A New Kind of Christianity.

Prayer for Mission Area consultations

Posted on February 19, 2010 
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Meetings are being held around Sydney Diocese to discuss the setting up of Mission Areas to help local churches work together in their proclamation of Christ.

Please pray for the Rectors, and others invited to attend, that they will be recaptured by the joy of this task, and please pray for Bishop Ivan Lee in his chairing of these meetings.

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