Focussed on Christ
Posted on September 5, 2009
Filed under Resources Comments Off on Focussed on Christ
“The holiest Christians are not those most concerned about holiness as such, but whose minds and hearts and goals and purposes and love and hope are most fully focussed on our Lord Jesus Christ.”
– J.I. Packer, Keep in Step with the Spirit.
With thanks to Of First Importance.
UCA statement on Jews and Judaism
Posted on September 5, 2009
Filed under News Comments Off on UCA statement on Jews and Judaism
A ‘unconfirmed minute’ of a Statement from the Uniting Church of Australia’s 12th Triennial Assembly, held in July, has now been published as a PDF file on the UCA website.
While the statement rightly rejects anti-semitism, it does not call people to place their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, nor give any reason why they should need to.
Related: UCA Working Group on Christian – Jewish Relations – but also see, for example, Romans 10:1-17, Acts 4:1-12, John 14:6.
Tea or Tanks on the Lambeth Palace Lawn?
Posted on September 4, 2009
Filed under Opinion Comments Off on Tea or Tanks on the Lambeth Palace Lawn?
“This week, seven ‘Communion Partner’ bishops from The Episcopal Church made a private visit to the Archbishop of Canterbury. We might well imagine them enjoying a cup of tea in the Lambeth Palace gardens and little more imagination is needed to guess the reason for their call…”
– Charles Raven’s latest piece on events in the Anglican Communion may be found at SPREAD.
Related: Canterbury hosts seven Episcopal bishops for private meeting – from EpiscopalLifeOnline.
FCA launched in South Africa
Posted on September 4, 2009
Filed under News Comments Off on FCA launched in South Africa
“Seventy Anglican clergy and laity are today (September 3) attending the launch of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (South Africa) at St John’s Church in Port Elizabeth…
– from David MacGregor in Port Elizabeth.
Moralism is not the gospel
Posted on September 4, 2009
Filed under Opinion Comments Off on Moralism is not the gospel
“Far too many believers and their churches succumb to the logic of moralism and reduce the Gospel to a message of moral improvement. In other words, we communicate to lost persons the message that what God desires for them and demands of them is to get their lives straight.…”
– Albert Mohler writes on the very real danger of preaching a false gospel.
Australian marriage statistics
Posted on September 4, 2009
Filed under News Comments Off on Australian marriage statistics
On Monday, the Australian Bureau of Statistics released a selection of data on marriages and divorces in Australia. While only highlighting a limited range of data, it’s a reminder of some of the ways in which our culture is changing.
See Crikey.com.au. (h/t/ Malcolm Purvis.)
The Nameless One
Posted on September 3, 2009
Filed under Opinion Comments Off on The Nameless One
Carl Trueman writes about the ‘young, restless and reformed movement’ – and more – at Reformation21. –
“One striking and worrying aspect of the movement is how personality oriented it is. It is identified with certain big names, rather than creeds, confessions, denominations, or even local congregations…
Often cults of personality can degenerate in short order into cults, pure and simple, especially when every word of the guru figure becomes virtual Holy Writ…”
Update:
Tim Challies writes of this article –
“I had something else to post today but wanted to put it on hold for a day or two so I can draw your attention to what I consider a very important article… In the past few months I’ve sat down again and again to write out some of my thoughts about the whole Young, Restless, Reformed movement we are experiencing today. But never have I quite been able to convey my thoughts on it as clearly and succinctly as I’d like. I’ve wanted to share both praise for what God is doing and misgivings for what I think we, the church, are doing poorly. Never was I able to strike the balance, so I just left it rotting in my drafts folder.
Trueman, though, has nailed it. …”
815’s Day of Reckoning approaches
Posted on September 3, 2009
Filed under Opinion Comments Off on 815’s Day of Reckoning approaches
(‘815’ is the nickname for the TEC’s headquarters at 815 Second Avenue, New York.)
“[San Joaquin, Fort Worth, Pittsburgh and Quincy] are the four dioceses which have thus far voted to leave the Church, and each departure has spawned a lawsuit. ECUSA from the beginning has adopted a high-stakes, winner-take-all strategy which depends for its success on its ability to prove in court the proposition that a diocese is not free to withdraw from the voluntary unincorporated association which ECUSA has been since its formation at common law in 1789…
The fact is that ECUSA has never – until now – had to prove its unwritten prohibition against leaving in a court of law. But there are four court cases currently pending in which it will have to do so, sooner or later…”
– Christian lawyer A.S. Haley writes at Anglican Curmudgeon.
Image adapted from the TEC donation website.
9Marks eJournal on Church Discipline
Posted on September 3, 2009
Filed under Resources Comments Off on 9Marks eJournal on Church Discipline
“Western culture doesn’t seem to understand tough love. Love today means unconditional acceptance. If you love me with conditions, you don’t love me. You’re judgmental and intolerant.
God knows better. He knows we’re finite and fallen. Therefore, his love challenges us at the very points of our finitude and fallenness for our good, and that’s not comfortable.
Church discipline is just such an uncomfortable act of tough love, which is why 9Marks would like to spend two issues of the eJournal considering this important topic…”
– Jonathan Leeman introduces the current 9Marks eJournal – on the seldom-addressed topic of church discipline. Worth reading – it’s available as a 420kb PDF file.
The Antioch dimension
Posted on September 3, 2009
Filed under History Comments Off on The Antioch dimension
“If there is to be long-term church growth today, there must be a regular, considerable amount of Christian teaching, as well as extensive evangelism. How else can the Lord’s commission of Matthew 28:19, 20 be fulfilled, if there is not a comprehensive explanation and application of the Lord’s doctrinal and moral teaching?…”
– In the last issue of Cross†Way, David Hilton reflects on how followers of the Way became to be known as ‘Christians’. PDF file from Church Society.
Leadership on the front foot — 20% off
Posted on September 2, 2009
Filed under Resources Comments Off on Leadership on the front foot — 20% off
As a follow up to last week’s mention of the 2009 Australian Christian Book of the Year Awards, we thought you might be interested to know that Youthworks is selling Zac Veron’s ‘Leadership on the front foot’ for 20% off.
(You can download a sample chapter from their website.) Photo: Zac Veron, Bishop Paul Barnett and Don Howard receive their awards.
‘God’s Word Heard’ — September free Audiobook
Posted on September 2, 2009
Filed under News Comments Off on ‘God’s Word Heard’ — September free Audiobook
This month’s free audiobook from Christian Audio is the New Testament from ‘God’s Word Heard’ – a translation published by Baker Books.
You can see some PDF samples of the translation here – and download the audio using the code SEP2009 via the link on this page. (Requires free registration.)
Of course, if you prefer the rather more literal English Standard Version, you can hear audio in your browser by going to esv.org – or esvstudybible.org click on ‘Listen’ just next to the book and chapter number.
Related:
Using the Online ESV to Listen.
Choosing a Bible: free download.
Al Mohler: The NIV Announcement — A Statement.
Listening Process a ‘gift’ to church
Posted on September 2, 2009
Filed under News Comments Off on Listening Process a ‘gift’ to church
The Episcopal Church talks up the ‘listening process’.
– Listening Process a ‘gift’ to church.
– Bulletin inserts focus on ‘listening process’. (PDF file)
Related: Listening process or Repentance? and
Money, Sex, Indaba.
Restructuring planned for Sydney Diocese
Posted on September 1, 2009
Filed under News Comments Off on Restructuring planned for Sydney Diocese
Archbishop Peter Jensen has announced a number of changes, designed to help keep Sydney Anglicans focussed on sharing the good news of Jesus despite the challenges brought by the global financial crisis –
“As soon as it became apparent that we would have far less money available in the next three years, the Mission Strategy Committee and the Mission Board began to think and pray about our options. They have been working for several months and have now presented their proposals to Standing Committee before advancing them to the Synod. …
Part of the complexity is that it is not only the Synod money which is affected, but also the money from the Endowment of the See. …
Given the magnitude of the change, tinkering is not enough: we have to restructure. The key is to do it in such a way that we are looking to the future and driven by our mission.”
– Read the Archbishop’s message, “Looking Within, Above and Ahead” and related articles in Southern Cross, available at SydneyAnglicans.net.
The Doctrine of the Church
Posted on September 1, 2009
Filed under News Comments Off on The Doctrine of the Church
“I suggest what we need is more theology, not less and, in particular, careful thinking about the place preaching has in our doctrine of the church.”
– Mark Thompson blogs about the just-concluded 13th Edinburgh Dogmatics Conference – Part 1, part 2, part 3.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…