A Tortured Existence
Posted on June 27, 2009
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“We want our celebrities to start strong and finish weak, to begin with a bang and then fizzle, pop and sputter, all for our enjoyment and entertainment… Jackson gave us so much to talk about, so much to enjoy. More than any other celebrity he embodied the ‘vanities’ of Ecclesiastes. …”
– Tim Challies reflects. (Image: Google News.)
Al Stewart to head Evangelism Ministries
Posted on June 25, 2009
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A media release from the Diocese of Sydney –
Archbishop Dr Peter Jensen has announced the appointment of Bishop Alan Stewart to spearhead a major diocesan church planting initiative.
Dr Jensen says “Connect09 has challenged us to move from maintenance to mission. The fact that I have released Bishop Stewart from his valuable ministry in Wollongong is an indication of how high church planting is on our mission agenda.” Read more
ACNA Assembly latest
Posted on June 25, 2009
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The inaugural Assembly of the Anglican Church of North America continues. You can read the latest from the ACNA website.
See also George Conger’s report at Religious Intelligence.
ACNA is the elephant in the tent
Posted on June 24, 2009
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“The formation of ACNA is a direct challenge to the legitimacy of The Episcopal Church (TEC). Four dioceses have left TEC: San Joaquin in California, Quincy in Illinois; Fort Worth in Texas and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. The new Province includes 11 Northern Virginia parishes, some of which pre-date the American War of Independence. It is no surprise then that TEC is litigating over millions of dollars worth of property. …”
– ACL Chairman Robert Tong writes at SydneyAnglicans.net
Nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified
Posted on June 24, 2009
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“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
– The Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 2:1–5. (ESV)
Archbishop of Canterbury to speak at TEC GC forum
Posted on June 24, 2009
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“Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will make a presentation addressing the world’s economic crisis during a panel discussion webcast live July 8 from the Episcopal Church’s 76th General Convention, scheduled to take place July 8-17 in Anaheim, California.
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson will host the event, to be called ‘Christian Faithfulness in the Global Economic Crisis’ at the Anaheim Hilton …”
– From the Episcopal News Service. (Photo: Lambeth Palace.)
Diocese of Brisbane 2009 Synod
Posted on June 23, 2009
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The Diocese of Brisbane held its Synod last Saturday –
“The Archbishop of Brisbane, Dr Phillip Aspinall, has used his Presidential Address at Synod to speak of his hope for the future after a successful Connect to Church Sunday and a growing commitment to continue the effort. Dr Aspinall described as wonderful and fantastic a move by Bishops from 21 Dioceses from around the country to support a Back to Church Sunday event in September, mirroring a similar event in the Brisbane Diocese in February.…”
See the Brisbane Diocese website for a report
Archbishop-elect Duncan to the ACNA Provincial Assembly
Posted on June 23, 2009
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“There is no one here who would go back. I hear it over and over. ‘There has been suffering and loss, some of it very wounding indeed, but we are so much better off than we were before!’
I hear it over and over. ‘God has been so good. God has been so faithful. So many miracles of provision! So many kindnesses and graces!’ …”
– Archbishop-elect Bob Duncan gives the opening address to the Provincial Assembly of the Anglican Church of North America.
Don’t take your iPod to church!
Posted on June 23, 2009
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“Reading the Bible in electronic format makes it easy to chase down cross-references, to read notes related to the content, to find word definitions and so on. But all of this is at the cost of the natural, God-given flow of the text. As we use our iPods in place of our Bibles, we begin to understand Scripture as we do Wikipedia, a text suited more to browsing than deep study.…”
– Food for thought as Tim Challies reflects on how the medium affects how we read the message. Part 1, part 1.5, part 2.
The Anglican Church in North America – Hidden reefs ahead
Posted on June 23, 2009
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“The launch of the Anglican Church in North America this week should be a cause of great thanksgiving to God for all who long to see the Anglican Communion united in the gospel, rather than a counterfeit unity engineered through endless ‘conversation’ and artful ambiguity.
However, we can be certain that this new stage of the global Anglican realignment will be opposed. …”
– Charles Raven writes at SPREAD.
UK: Police examine church’s Easter invitation
Posted on June 22, 2009
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“A five-strong team of police officers investigated a church’s literature because someone said a leaflet inviting the public to an Easter service was ‘offensive’.
Two mounted policemen were later joined by three armour-clad officers who jumped out of a police van to examine the Easter invitation leaflet. …”
– Story from The Christian Institute. (h/t Anglican Mainstream.)
ACNA Provincial Assembly preview
Posted on June 21, 2009
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Ahead of this week’s first Provincial Assembly of the Anglican Church in North America, this 3 minute video has been released to highlight the significance of the gathering.
With thanks to Kevin Kallsen of Anglican TV. Please pray for all involved in this assembly.
Saving the Church
Posted on June 21, 2009
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Read about the upcoming conference ‘Confess or Die’ – in Sydney, 7 & 8 August 2009.
“The contemporary church seems to have amnesia about what it really believes. This two day conference is here to jolt the church’s memory, and give it new life for mission. …”
Speakers include Carl Trueman, John McClean and Mark Thompson.
See all the details at confessordie.com – and then book in!
ACNA Provincial Assembly starts Monday
Posted on June 19, 2009
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The Provincial Assembly of the Anglican Church in North America will be held in Bedford, Texas from June 22-25 2009.
It will be a crucial event for this new Province because it will formally unite more than 700 Anglican congregations in 28 dioceses and ‘dioceses-in-formation’ in North America into a single body.
A dedicated website has been set up to allow those farther afield to follow proceedings – it’s at www.acnaassembly.org.
Related item: Sydney Standing Committee ‘warmly welcomes’ new Province. (8 Dec 2008)
Piper on Parker on Calvin
Posted on June 18, 2009
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To mark the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin, Desiring God have reprinted T.H.L. Parker’s classic 1954 biography.
Not only is it available to be purchased, but a free PDF download is also available – both via this link.
You can see John Piper speak about why they did it at Desiring God.
T.H.L. Parker –
“When I was asked to write a life of Calvin for the S.C.M. Religious Book Club, there were reasons why I was happy to agree. For one thing, it offered a pleasant relief from the arduous task of translating Karl Barth’s Kirkliche Dogmatik into English, which had taken up much of 1950 and 1951. More importantly, there had been no biography of Calvin for many years. Moreover, I saw this as an opportunity to correct some of the commonly held misunderstandings and prejudices clustered around his name. …
Now, what do I at the age of ninety-two make of this book that I wrote in 1952 and 1953 in my mid-thirties?”
– read it and come to your own conclusion.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…