The Barbie movie — Do you ever think about dying?

Posted on August 5, 2023 
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“Barbie is big. Its $150 million marketing campaign was more than was spent on the film itself, as the makers decided early on that they wanted it to make an impact.

One of the most surprising takeaways from this film (alongside questions about gender roles, stereotypes, struggles and what it means to be men and women) has been its position on mortality. …”

– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Tara Sing shares some more ways to think about the Barbie movie – for the eternal good of others.

Preaching a good and powerful word

Posted on August 4, 2023 
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“As we start to explore what it means to tremble at God’s word, I want to suggest that our relationship with the Scriptures as God’s word is more complex than most of us are willing to admit.

On the one hand, we know that Scripture is powerful, it is the Word of God. The preacher’s job is to get out of the way so that God’s powerful word can work in the hearts of people. We quote Spurgeon’s famous, ‘Defend the Bible, I’d sooner defend a lion. Just let the truth free and it will defend itself.’ We exhort each other to ‘let the word do the work’ and we share those wonderful stories of people who were converted just by reading Scripture. …”

– The Australian Church Record has published this edited transcript of Paul Grimmond’s address at the Nexus 2023 Conference. He reminds us, “When we talk about God and his word, we speak of a relationship that is utterly unique in our experience.”

Image: Moore College.

Speaking with Two Voices

Posted on August 4, 2023 
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“In John Bunyan’s classic, The Pilgrim’s Progress, there is a character Mr Facing Both Ways who lives in the village of Fair Speech. Bunyan is exposing one of the temptations in life which is to speak out of both sides of our mouth in the hope that everybody will appreciate us.

Yet there is a very real sense in which the Christian message does come with two voices; there is indeed a double-sidedness to the Christian life. …”

– Presbyterian Moderator-General, Peter Barnes, writes to encourage believers to sing two notes at once.

Graphical overview of Peter Jensen’s “The Life of Faith”

Posted on August 3, 2023 
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Peter Jensen’s book The Life of Faith: An Introduction to Christian doctrine was launched at Moore College in March this year.

At his website by faith, not by sight (‘my little repository of diagrams and scribbles about Jesus’), Alan Au at Captivate Presbyterian Church in North Ryde has created a terrific graphical overview of the book.

See it here. And you can get the book from Matthias Media.

Societas 2023 from Moore College

Posted on August 3, 2023 
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Societas, the magazine produced annually by the students at Moore College, is now available.

Always interesting, and a great reminder to pray for the College.

You can read online or download your copy here.

Various clergy opportunities in central and western NSW

Posted on August 2, 2023 
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SydneyAnglicans.net highlights these opportunities for gospel work in central and western NSW –

“In central and western NSW, we find ourselves with a bountiful harvest but too few labourers.

Of our 28 parishes, 13 are in need of clergy – not so much to ‘run a church’, but to serve as loving shepherds to our people; to share the love of Jesus, open his Word, and provide guidance, nourishment, and protection. …”

– See the communities where there are specific needs.

August – September 2023 Southern Cross out now

Posted on August 2, 2023 
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The August – September 2023 issue of Southern Cross magazine from the Diocese of Sydney is now out.

Printed copies will be available in parishes shortly, and you can read it on the web right now.

In his column this month, Archbishop Kanishka Raffel reflects on Our True Spiritual Condition –

“Recently I was walking through the city and, as I crossed Martin Place, I noticed the usual queue of men and women lining up to receive their evening meal, while others set up plastic folding tables and baskets of plastic cutlery and paper serviettes ready for that night’s food distribution.

The Sydney City Council says there are about 300 people sleeping on the streets of the CBD each night, with close to that number in city-based crisis accommodation. Across NSW, the number of people without adequate housing is more than 30,000. I am deeply grateful for the work of Anglicare and a number of city and suburban churches that provide assistance to people experiencing homelessness, or who are at risk of homelessness in their local area.

As I continued on my walk, I soon passed another queue. This time it was a queue of people waiting to enter the Louis Vuitton store on George Street. It made for a jarring contrast, though the two queues were barely 500 metres apart. …”

Read it all on pages 13 and 14.

Barbieland and the Garden of Eden

Posted on August 1, 2023 
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“Like millions of others, I fell captive to the marketing genius of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. On the movie’s opening day, I donned my pinkest outfit and joined my friends to see Barbie in all her glittery glory.

But for a movie purporting to be fun and light-hearted, I was fascinated to see how its characters also wrestled with questions of death, gender, and purpose. Barbieland reflects its own kind of Garden of Eden, inviting Christians to compare and contrast the film with Scripture while opening the door for worthwhile conversations. …”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australian Anna Hoole reflects on how the new Barbie movie could open the door to talk about something that’s truly important.

This major regional city needs a new minister

Posted on August 1, 2023 
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As the Bathurst Diocese Facebook page says,

“This major regional city needs a new minister. Read with encouragement who they are looking for. Please join them in prayer.

Maybe you’re the answer to their prayer. Seek a preliminary, confidential chat with our bishop – Mark Calder.”

See the details at the SydneyAnglicans.net jobs vacancy page.

Moore College Sunday — 6th August 2023

Posted on July 31, 2023 
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Let’s not forget to pray for Moore College.

Moore College Sunday is coming up on Sunday 6th August and is a great time to remind congregations of the key role of the College in equipping men and women for a lifetime of Christian service.

– Download resources from this link.

The big Barbie movie – a Christian perspective

Posted on July 31, 2023 
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From The Pastor’s Heart:

“The Barbie movie has started big conversations around the world and is becoming a significant ‘cultural moment’ – opening up and influencing conversations about death, the gospel, the relationships between men & women and worldview.

We explore particularly the evangelistic opportunities and how Christians might best engage.

Caitlin Orr is an Anglican Deacon on maternity leave.

Sophia Russell is a journalist, mum and member of St Paul’s Carlingford in Sydney’s north west.

Jael Riegl is a member at Dapto Anglican Church, to the south of Sydney, and has recently graduated from a degree in English Literature, Law and Philosophy.”

– Watch or listen here.

One & All is all for Jesus

Posted on July 30, 2023 
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“As Christians around Sydney – and around the world – sing songs written by composers and music groups from Sydney Anglican circles, it’s always exciting to discover another addition to the mix.

One & All, a group born out of the parish centred on Christ Church, Springwood, started in early 2020…”

– Judy Adamson writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Remembering Arthur Stace 56 years on

Posted on July 30, 2023 
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Like a broken record, we’ve mentioned Arthur Stace on our website once or twice over the years.

In some ways, you might call him Sydney’s best known evangelist, chalking the word Eternity on footpaths across the city for more than 35 years. He inspired thousands to wonder at the meaning of that word – hopefully to contemplate where they would spend eternity – and to be attentive to the gospel.

In addition, Arthur was an open-air evangelist, though few were aware he was also ‘Mr Eternity’.

Arthur was called home to be with the Lord Jesus on this day (30th July) in 1967.

He was eventually buried at Botany Cemetery, now part of Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park.

As we remember this humble man, let’s also be encouraged by his example as he laboured to bring the good news of salvation to his fellow Sydney-siders.

See also these two tributes in song – by Nathan Tasker (video below) and Colin Buchanan.

Update on the Church of England’s General Synod — July 2023

Posted on July 29, 2023 
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Tony Rucinski from the Coalition for Marriage in the UK speaks with the Rev Dr Ian Paul for an update on the July session of the Church of England’s General Synod.

What actually happened with the Bishops’ push for the blessing of same-sex relationships? “We’re in this sort of bizarre no-man’s land.”

Video here.

Link via Anglican Mainstream.

The book for concerned and confused parents

Posted on July 29, 2023 
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“The 1960s had the sexual revolution and the 2020s has brought us the gender revolution. So this is a fitting title for a book with the clear purpose to ‘provide the biblical basis for a contemporary Christian response to the complicated feelings and experiences of gender dysphoria’. …”

– Russell Powell writes about The Gender Revolution at SydneyAnglicans.net.

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