Church Society on Religious Ceremonies for Civil Partnerships

Posted on March 6, 2010 
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Press Release from the Church Society –  5 March 2010

Religious Ceremonies for Civil Partnerships.

Earlier this week parliament voted to lift a ban on religious ceremonies being conducted for civil partnerships.

Because of other legislation in recent years, purporting to be about equality, this latest change will create an even more difficult environment for Christians.  Clergy of the established Church will be under particular pressure to conduct services which they in conscience believe to be wrong.  They may face the threat of legal action if they insist on following their conscience.  Parliament has increasingly sought to interfere in religious affairs.

We remain convinced that the recognition of Civil Partnerships by the state was a grave mistake and one which our nation will come to regret.  It is one of a number of policies that have undermined families.  Families are the fundamental building block of society.  The collapse of families and family life is having terrible consequences for individuals, particularly children, and will erode society further.  In this, as in other areas, we are witnessing political leaders who are abandoning the wisdom of God in preference for the folly of man.

For many Christians, the anti-Christian nature of recent legislation, supported by all the main political parties, creates a particular problem.  The mainstream parties have all abandoned the Christian moral tradition and the Biblical foundations of our legal and education systems.  Christians will not want to vote for political parties who are antagonistic to their beliefs and who are acting to prevent Christians living in accordance with their faith.

Source.

Broome needs the bread of life (re-post)

Posted on March 5, 2010 
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(We’re posting this again, just in case you missed it two weeks ago…)

Tim Mildenhall, Archdeacon of the Kimberley and Senior Minister of Broome Anglican Church, has a request for your prayerful consideration –

“Phil Brewster, 69yo local minister of the People’s Church, and Brethren missionary, faithful minister of the gospel in the Kimberley for 25 years, told me today that he and his wife plan to leave Broome for Perth this time next year. He is trusting God to bring someone to Broome to pick up the mantle of indigenous ministry here in the town.

Broome Anglican Church wants to recruit an appropriate minister to take up this opportunity…

Without a gospel centred, Bible teaching ministry amongst indigenous folk, other kinds of ministries (or none) will take people away and deprive others of hearing of Christ.”

Download this 900kb PDF file to read the rest – and to get Tim’s contact details. And please pray that the right man will be found to minister in this key work.

Rico Tice on why the Resurrection matters

Posted on March 5, 2010 
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Here’s a very useful 14 minute evangelistic video with Rico Tice, co-author of Christianity Explored. He starts off by drawing six familiar boxes on a piece a paper…

It was produced for A Passion for Life, the [UK] “nationwide initiative that is drawing together local evangelical churches to plan a fantastic variety of missional initiatives culminating in Easter 2010”.

While this particular video is not able to be downloaded (it’s available on DVD in the UK), you could think of other ways to use it, since embedding is allowed – and the URL also could be passed on.

Pornography = Despair, Jesus = Hope

Posted on March 5, 2010 
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Keep an eye out for these Outreach Posters around Sydney (March 2010) – there may be opportunities for helpful conversions about the One who is our Hope.

Help for Chile

Posted on March 4, 2010 
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March 4, 2010

Archbishop of Sydney calls concerned people to help Chile Earthquake Victims

Archbishop Dr. Peter Jensen is asking Sydney Anglicans and their friends to respond generously to earthquake victims in Chile.

Our diocese has very close connections with the Diocese of Chile through our CMS Missionaries, Chileans who have studied at Moore College, and with the Chilean Diocesan Leadership.

Archbishop Jensen has been monitoring the situation with the Primate of the Province, Archbishop Greg Venables, and the Bishop of Chile, Tito Zavala.

“The latest reports indicate that in Concepcion, where the earthquake was at its most destructive, four Anglican congregations have been camping in groups together. They are sharing a very limited supply of food and water ” said Dr Jensen.

Now is the time to help, and give generously to the Archbishop of Sydney’s Relief to Victims in Chile Appeal.  Your gift to The Archbishop’s Overseas Relief and Aid Fund (ORAF) will enable the Bishop of Chile to provide ongoing assistance to those hardest hit and in greatest need.

Please make your donation online by visiting the Archbishop of Sydney’s Appeals Unit website, www.abau.org.au and following the links, or by calling 9284 1406 or our toll free number 1800 653 903.

Dr Peter F Jensen
Archbishop

(By e-mail.)

Read more about the situation in Chile from CMS NSW, Anglican Mainstream, and SydneyAnglicans.net.

Permanence before Experience — The wisdom of Marriage

Posted on March 4, 2010 
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In the current Southern Cross Newspaper (March 2010 – available in Sydney churches from this Sunday), Jeremy Halcrow writes about cohabitation versus marriage (page 13).

On the same topic, Albert Mohler writes, “many young adults … do not know that what they are actually doing is undoing marriage”.

StuTube for March 2010

Posted on March 3, 2010 
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Bishop Stuart Robinson, of the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn, has posted online this month’s video message for the members of the churches in his diocese.

Philippe, The Postmodern Evangelist

Posted on March 3, 2010 
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“Once there was a man named Philippe. He was a spiritual guide in an emerging community. One day he decided to go on a journey. So, he did. As he was walking along the road, focusing on the journey and not the destination, he found himself alongside the chariot of an African official…”

– A parody from The Sacred Sandwich. Funny but serious.

Free Audiobooks for March 2010

Posted on March 2, 2010 
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Christian Audio in the US is offering two free audiobooks this month – using the

1.) The Cost of Discipleship – Dietrich Bonhoeffer (using coupon code MAR2010A).
2.) Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die – John Piper (using coupon code MAR2010B).

(Note that Piper does not read his book himself – but you can listen to a sample before downloading.)

As usual, you’ll need to sign up for a free account to download the audiobooks. Start here.

J I Packer blows the whistle

Posted on March 2, 2010 
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Dr J I Packer:

“In the sixteenth and seventeen centuries, the Reformers – the Puritans – the evangelicals, seemed to know their Bible backwards. They could quote it, appropriately, and apply it, in relation to just anything that came up in conversation. We simply aren’t like that. And yet we think we’re being loyal to the Reformational heritage. I want to blow the whistle here.”

On this week’s White Horse Inn broadcast (‘Grounded in the Gospel’, February 28 2010), J.I. Packer and Gary Parrett, discuss their soon-to-be-published book Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old Fashioned Way.

The challenge to us is – Are we actually catechising the people in our churches?

Worth listening, and then prayerfully considering what to do. (Image: Anglican TV.)

Why I am Orthodox

Posted on March 1, 2010 
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Would you call yourself ‘Orthodox’? Rhys Bezzant, at Ridley College in Melbourne explains why he insists on using that label for himself –

“I am an Orthodox Christian. In a place like Melbourne, calling myself Orthodox could of course easily be misunderstood: people might think I mean Greek or Russian or Serbian Orthodox. Calling myself Orthodox is however more than tracing an ecclesiological line back to Eastern Europe.  Read more

Peter O’Brien on Hebrews — coming soon

Posted on February 28, 2010 
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From Don Carson’s preface to Peter O’Brien’s forthcoming commentary on Hebrews in the Pillar series –

“Among commentary readers Dr. O’Brien is doubtless best known for his commentaries on Paul’s prison epistles, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. The volume on Ephesians, of course, is published in the Pillar series, and it has become one of the “standard” works on that letter, not least for those preparing to teach and preach the text. Here Dr. O’Brien branches outside the Pauline corpus. The most recent six years of his life have been devoted to Hebrews, a book not always easy to understand but demonstrably important for Christians who want to know how first-century believers read the old covenant Scriptures. Such inquiry is the first step in building up a profoundly biblical theology, a profoundly canonical theology. It would be difficult to find a more helpful guide than Dr. O’Brien, or a guide better endowed with his combination of competence and genial wisdom. It is a pleasure to commend this work by a dear friend.”

– It’s worth reading all of Dr Carson’s comments, in the 77 page excerpt from the book on the Westminster Books website (PDF file).

(h/t Andy Naselli via Michael Bird. Photo: Ramon Williams.)

Update: Justin Taylor writes:

“Here’s one tried and true rule of thumb for buying New Testament commentaries: If it’s written by D.A. Carson, Douglas Moo, or Peter O’Brien, buy it. It’s never failed me yet.”

Recycled lies in time for Easter

Posted on February 28, 2010 
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ACL President Mark Thompson writes –

“We’ve become quite used to sensationalist denials of central Christian truths at Easter…

No surprise then that Philip Pullman should time the release of his new book The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ (Edinburgh: Canongate, 2010) for Easter this year. …

Christians have absolutely no need to be concerned that these suggestions are being rehearsed yet again. The recent historical work of Richard Bauckham, Paul Barnett and John Dickson all demonstrate that the evidence moves entirely in the opposite direction…”

– Read Mark’s full post about the same old tired assertions.

Colin Buchanan UK Tour 2010

Posted on February 26, 2010 
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Readers in the UK may be interested to know about Colin Buchanan’s UK Tour – starting next week.

Details here. (Don’t say you weren’t warned! Great for kids, fun for their parents. Highly recommended.)

J. Gresham Machen: Christianity and Liberalism

Posted on February 26, 2010 
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Reformed Audio has made available audio recordings of J. Gresham Machen’s important 1923 book Christianity and Liberalism.

Hear or download it all here. Much that is relevant today.

Related posts.

(Image of J. Gresham Machen: The Theologian. h/t Reformation21.)

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