Getting back to our roots
Friday, July 31, 2009
2009 Uai coffs
http://www.uac.edu.au/documents/uai/2009_uai_coffs_main.pdf
(you all finding this interesting?) ;-)
Sovereign Grace and Introducing God
I cant remember if I mentioned this, but Sovereign Grace churches have signed a licensing agreement with Introducing God resources, and the SG churches are now running the Introducing God course. I think this is tremendous news, and I pray God blesses this initiative...
Reformed and Charismatic?
The Sovereign Grace website has a number of videos up, including one answering the question, "Is it possible to be Reformed and Charismatic?" There has been a bit of debate about this locally.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Connect09 in Action
A friend of mine regularly sends me updates of his Connect09 mission activity. They are slowly doorknocking their way through the parish. Here is his latest update -
Total doors knocked: 26
Total answered: 12
Total unanswered: 14
Total accepted "Essential Jesus Books": 6
Total rejected books: 6
Total requested follow-ups: 3
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Ministry Moves
Here are the latest diocesan ministry moves. They have filled the next door parish of Glebe, at last. I hear the incoming rector is a bit of a hotshot...will be interesting to see how he goes... Was surprised to see Mark Calder is moving to Brisbane. He's a good bloke, and will be sadly missed in Sydney...
All things Matt Chandler
Matt Chandler will be in Oz soon. Dave posts up his itinerary and a few bits of media by and about him. I don't know how Hans managed to nab him for a night at his little church plant, that's the coup of the year..! I'll have to wander over to Newtown that evening, I'm thinking...
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sydney Bloggers Meetup
Had a good time at the bloggers meet-up this evening, there were about 10 of us there...
The bishop is grumpy about music...
I am aware that I may just be looking back to an illusory good old days. Nevertheless I am getting more and more disturbed that when I want to hear some really great hymns sung really well, I now find that I can only go to the Anglo-Catholic churches in the city of Sydney. More here
The Uniting Church and The Dreamtime
This is an absolutely fascinating op-ed about the Uniting Church's attempts to integrate elements from the aboriginal dreamtime into their theology. No church in Australia has worked harder to adopt the values of the prevailing culture, no church has worked harder at being politically correct, no church has worked harder at being relevant. And the end result has been the Uniting Church's membership has been in freefall for many years now. In trying too hard to be relevant, they have become largely irrelevant. There is a lesson in that, I suppose...
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Contentment
Challies is blogging through the puritan classic, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. I've been thinking a bit about contentment lately, looking again at all the things that I think I need for happiness. I wish I was holy enough to say, "God is enough", but I'm not there yet. But I'm trying to strip away some of the junk, especially the materialistic and circumstantial junk that clouds and distracts and never satisfies. Last week I was lying in a toasty warm bed reading a good book, with the cold rain thrumming on the roof outside. Gosh it was nice, and for those few moments I think I felt just about as happy as it's possible for a person to be. I'm sure there are 100 simple moments like that every week for each of us, things we could take a pure and holy joy in, except we are too busy worrying and coveting.
The boys are back
M+H flew back from NZ with their mum today. They caught the train up to Sydney this afternoon, and I picked them up after work. Really nice to see them again after a bit of an absence. J is flying back from Queensland tomorrow. Oh, and the girl flies back on Saturday morning. Will be good to hang out with everyone...
Sovereign Grace Ministries, Australia
I'm a bit behind the times on this one. Sovereign Grace have officially announced a church plant for Sydney in 2010, and a pastor has already been appointed. There is a Facebook group to keep people updated.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Why is the diocese of Sydney so Evangelical?
Ben quoted the following from Stephen Judd's thesis -
Whenever two or three people have been gathered together in the name of Australian religious history one question has always been raised: "why is the Diocese of Sydney so Evangelical?"
I answered "history". I'll expand a little.
When the British government decided, in the 18th century, to establish a penal colony in New South Wales, the evangelical John Newton thought it would be a good idea if a chaplain was sent along to preach the gospel to the convicts, marines and the natives. His idea would have gone nowhere, except he was mates with a politician, William Wilberforce. Wilberforce offered to supply a chaplain for the colony, and the PM accepted. Newton searched for a candidate, and settled on a young man named Richard Johnson, who was a firm evangelical. After some initial doubts, Johnson accepted.
And so the very first preacher and clergyman in Sydney was an evangelical. Newton straightaway began to look for others to send out to NSW, to assist Johnson. It was a difficult task, as life in the colony was very tough. It was not an attractive posting. Finally they found another evangelical, Samuel Marsden, and he joined Johnson in Sydney. Several others followed, and hence the diocese had a solidly evangelical foundation.
I'm less familiar with the rest of the story, but I do know that there were several points in the history of the diocese when it wavered from it's roots. In each of these instances, God providentially sent along the right bloke to steady the ship.
All well and good, but why are the other Australian dioceses so different to Sydney? Well, by the early 19th century, the Anglican church in England had established a college for the training of clergy bound for the colonies. It was call St Augustine's College, and it had a distinctly Anglo-catholic bent. The majority of clergymen trained there ended up in the other dioceses around the country. By this stage Sydney had established it's own theological college, using a generous bequest left by another evangelical, Thomas Moore.
That, briefly, is why Sydney is "so evangelical", and the other Australian dioceses are not.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Economy Looking Up
Good news with Access Economics suggesting the worst is behind us regarding the GFC. Looks like Australia has suffered less than most other economies...
Moore on Church Planting
I missed this somehow. Moore College will be releasing new video content each month. Good stuff.
Your Erroneous Zones
I'm re-reading this pop psychology classic at the moment. Anyone else read it? I must admit, there is a lot in here that is not compatible with Christianity, and the author slipped into mega-new-age weirdness a few years after writing this. But I still think it's a helpful book, if read with discernment. There's some very practical advice about overcoming worry, anger, impatience and so on. And he's especially big on eliminating approval-seeking behaviour - which behaviour is both rampant and a major hurdle to holiness...
Monday, July 20, 2009
The Trueman Show
Carl Trueman seems to be the man of the moment here in Sydney. I like his take on Reformed Christianity...it's very humanising...
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Why we need the poets
A couple of weeks ago, MJ challenged Justin to write a post on poetry for his SA blog. Justin has obliged.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Southern Cross Feedback
Jeremy publishes selections from the SC feedback survey. Very interesting reading.
Friday, July 17, 2009
iMonk
Interesting that the Internet Monk endorses "2 Ways to Live" and also "The White Horse Inn". I would have thought both sites were a tad conservative for him...
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Is God in control?
I missed this piece by the good Bishop Bob, where he essentially questions the popular reformed understanding of God's sovereignty. I have a pretty "high" view of God's sovereignty, not quite Arthur Pink, but I'm right up there. It's also a doctrine I take comfort in. At the same time, I'm mindful of the problem that you run across with some Calvinists essentially calling "evil" good. Piper runs perilously close to this pretty frequently. And you can end up with a picture of God crying crocodile tears over events He has engineered, whereas the Bible shows us a God who is genuinely grieved by sin and hurt. So I'm still struggling with this issue a bit.
That said, I don't think that running God's sovereignty down actually helps you out. If you say, "God didn't will that car accident", you still have to explain why God allowed the accident to happen, why He chose not to intervene. If you keep pushing in that direction, you will eventually have to conclude that God couldn't stop the car accident, and perhaps didn't even know it was coming. This is where the open theism guys ended up - to pay them their due, they took their reasoning to it's logical conclusion.
I'll be honest and say that I'm a little uncomfortable with the Bishop's piece. Then again, it's sometimes good to be made uncomfortable...
More Trueman
Thus, stuffy and archaic as some would see it, the recitation of the Apostles' Creed is potentially the most dangerously subversive act of cultural terrorism one might engage in on a Sunday. more here
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Dropping out of church
Mikey just put up a helpful post, identifying the 3 "times" when newcomers drop out of church -
- In the first few weeks, if they weren't welcomed properly.
- After about six months, if they don't make any significant relationships and don't feel valued.
- After about a year, if they don't feel they are involved in the life and ministry of the church in some way.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Scripture in Church
Michael blogs about the need to read Scripture in church. I think we may have lost something here - as he says, Scripture is sometimes just an introduction to the sermon. I recently worked my way through the 1662 Book of Common Prayer order of divine service. I was amazed at how much Scripture reading a typical service contained - an Old Testament reading, a New Testament reading, up to 3 psalms and some other little vignettes here and there. Not to mention a whole host of very scriptural prayers.
MJ noted a while ago that the more Catholic or liberal Anglican churches, which often retain the traditional liturgy, will give you a "feast of Scripture", whereas our evangelical churches have a bit of a famine going on. I don't think the answer is ever-longer church services. So what do you cut out? One of my hobby horses is eliminating announcements from church. There are better ways to get the information to the church - email or paper handouts, for example. And get rid of interviews too, while we are at it. The formal part of the service should be Song, Scripture, Sermon, Supplication (prayer). Oh, and Sacrament too, regularly. That would do it for me.
Trueman on the Reformers and Scripture
Brilliant talk by Trueman, in which he shows how many Evangelicals misunderstand the Reformers attitudes toward Scripture and Tradition
Harry Potter 6
Saw this last night with a mate (who is also a professional film reviewer). My expectations weren't terribly high, but I was still pretty disappointed overall. First the good things, though. The performances were all very good - the support cast was excellent as always, but the leads really looked good this time as well. There was a lot of humour in the film too, and it was well executed. And I thought the director handled the whole "teenagers discover love" aspect of the moves really well, and it was quite charming and old fashioned in a lot of ways.
But the movie was far, far too long - 2.5 hours. There is nothing in these films to justify the length. And the rhythm of the film was all wrong to - it didn't really build toward a climax at all, and the Major Character Death just came and happened with a fizzle. You were very conscious that this was a bridging movie, it barely felt like a complete film. Still, I'm sure the fans will love it...
Monday, July 13, 2009
Illustrations
I love books that have illustrations in them. I especially like it when serious, wordy, intelligent novels have illustrations - it's very cool. They did a bit more of that in the old days, not sure why it fell out of fashion.
The Natural Salesmen
I think Tony has it right in this post on the SP. I'd be interested in seeing these points developed a bit further.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Epic Pooh
Science Fantasy legend Michael Moorcock wrote this essay on the subject of epic fantasy. He blasts Lewis and Tolkien, while commending some slightly lesser known writers. He makes some valid points, though I think he is a little biased against Christianity, and he clearly dislikes anything hinting at political conservatism. Moorcock has a good ear for writing. This surprised me a little as I've found his own work a little clunky - though still excellent through virtue of an almost peerless imagination. Anyway, if you are interested in this genre, you might get something out of this essay. I'd be interested to hear Karen's take on it...
via Andrew Heard on Twitter
"FIEC conference taking shape - Phillip Jensen, Al Stewart, and Mark Driscoll will all be speaking. Mark will be live via satellite-plusQ&A."
Russell's Top 5
Great OP this week -
They say when America sneezes the rest of the world catches a cold. True enough when it comes to the worldwide Anglican Communion, because the Episcopal Church's theological woes are at swine flu proportions and our top story this week is a stirring response.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
A new congregation?
Justin is thinking about starting a new congregation -
Here is a key to Urban Ministry, as I see it: We follow the seams of friendships in the workplace and in Apartment blocks. That's it. We follow the seams, make friends, show hospitality, and "God shows up" (to quote Andrew Heard). And God does good things.
At York Street, we have a new opportunity: We have a central city space, willing hearts, and an actual key to a large, stunning building not currently being used in the evening.
So we seek God's will in planting a new Evening Congregation: a new community, and a new kind of church reaching a new kind of city. And in partnership with other churches who preach Christ.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
God is enough
We did a study on Job last night in community group. It was a great study, and very challenging. The question it left me with was this - is God enough for me? We take our value and our comfort from the things around us, from our relationships, our achievements and our possessions. But when they are stripped away, is there anything left? Could we still worship God, and say to Him, "I have You, therefore I have all I need?" I can hardly imagine the strength of character required to say such a thing...
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
The Jerusalem Declaration – why it matters
In the British Isles, there is a laudable tendency not to panic, not to respond to overstatement, to seek balance and nuance, to see the other point of view, above all not to take decisive and irretrievable action. I know I am a foreigner, but I care deeply what happens here. Let me say this: It is not a day in which to practice the politics of drift. There is little time left. The younger generations are largely lost. Your great inheritance is about to pass into other, heedless hands. You can no longer treat the institutional church as though it is as unassailable as the temple of the Lord; you can no longer say ‘peace, peace’ where there is no peace. You need to unite with each other in a fellowship which will sustain and protect and do mission.
On my own...
Gonna be quiet around my place starting next week. The boy is heading off to his grandma's in Qld for a couple of weeks, the younger two are going to NZ with their Mum, and the g/f is heading to NT with *her* mum. Will give me a chance to do some writing, God willing.
Monday, July 06, 2009
Emotions and affections
I thought this was a good piece by Tony, brought something fresh to the debate. This sort of thinking has clearly influenced Piper pretty heavily...
Reclaiming the Anglican Brand
Some new research shows that Australians are relatively positive about the Anglican "brand". More here
Sunday, July 05, 2009
The African Queen
Watched this with the girl and J tonight. Was good times, I enjoyed this old flick...
Update: I thought Hepburn and Bogart were both excellent, they really created memorable characters. However, I never felt much chemistry between them, and I didn't buy the relationship that developed. Aside from that I couldn't fault the film. There were some good action sequences, and the pacing was flawless. Not surprising it's such a classic...
Driscoll and GENEVA
from Heardy (via Mikey) -
just had an email today from Driscoll.
he was emphatic that he has no plans to launch Acts 29 here in Australia and is hoping/praying for our things to work. he is very keen on it being an Australian thing.
he is still happy for us to use Acts 29 doctrine statement and is happy to beam in via satellite for our Nov conference (And also our FIEC conf in Aug) if it fits in with his other commitments.
You might be emerging if...
JohnH tweeted this classic Purgatorio post. Not that anyone would call themselves "emerging" anymore...it's so 2005...
Saturday, July 04, 2009
A call to plant more churches
Grimmo reprints a Briefing article from 1991. Kinda backs up what I was saying below. The same discussions and debates were happening a generation ago. But that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be happening again today. In fact, it's essential that they are...
Revival Now
My "Revival Now" piece for SA landed with a bit of dull thud. Listen, listen - phhd. That was it. A shame, because I thought I was making a profound point. Sometimes you just can't find the right words. Possibly the whole "revival" theme was unhelpful. My main point was that every generation has to fight for the truth all over again, as if they were the first. I was partly inspired by the odd complaint I see from some venerable warriors, who are saying, "But we had this discussion 20 years ago, and we sorted it out then. Why is it coming up again?" It's coming up again because the important issues *must* come up again every 20 years or so...
Friday, July 03, 2009
We need more "pathetic" preaching
Grimmo talks about emotion and preaching. I'll be curious to see what response this piece gets...
Thursday, July 02, 2009
A History of Australia
I've managed to pick up a second-hand copy of Manning Clark's "A History of Australia v1-5". I'm pretty chuffed. Yeah, he was an old commie, had not much time for religion, but I enjoy his writing tremendously, and it is still the defacto standard for Oz history (which, I've heard, annoys modern historians no end).
The Thinking Theologian is back
It's a Hillsong watchblog. I don't have a problem with anonymous watchblogs, so long as they don't get nasty and personal. Unfortunately, they often do. Anyway, we'll see if TTT maintains a gracious and constructive tone...
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Wisdom for Church Planting
Tony writes some more on church planting. There has been an abundance of church planting stuff written the last few days, across several sites. All good. I think Tony and Shane are right that our local situation has more in common with the UK than the US. Why do we look to the US, then? Because they are having missional success. The "Crowded House" is the only bit of good news I can recall hearing from the reformed evangelical guys in the UK recently, and it is still a small movement. By and large, the RefEvs of the UK are looking to us for clues, rather than the other way around.
Office Manager Needed
My friend Justin is looking for an Office Manager for York Street Anglican. Justin and his assistant Ray are both excellent people, and I reckon it would be a pleasant and stimulating work environment. More details here.
Dear Book Lover
Just received this email from The Book Depository -
In former days with us you shopped,
but something happened and we've been dropped.
What did we do, what did we say,
what was it made you go away!?
We're oh so sad, but shall not rest
till you come back to our bookish nest.
What can we do, what can we say,
to win you back and make you stay?
In former days with us you shopped,
but something happened and we were dropped.
To get you back, we thought: a gesture!
So how's about a money-off voucher?
We know our poems are not so hot,
but rhymes and puns aren't all we've got.
Our offer is genuine, the price reduction true,
So, please come back -- we really miss you!
lol. They are also offering me a 10% discount on my next purchase. This is a cute bit of marketing, I don't mind it. They are certainly the best online book site I know of, free delivery world wide. How on earth they do that, I don't know.
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