Moore College mourns the passing of Dr Richard Gibson
Posted on October 9, 2025
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“Moore College gives profound thanks to God for the life and ministry of Dr Richard Gibson, Principal of the Brisbane School of Theology, and before that a member of the Moore College Faculty for twenty years. Richard died suddenly last week.
Richard’s ministry touched many people. He was a compassionate pastor and a highly effective preacher. His sermons in the College chapel, not least his long series on 2 Corinthians, remain in the memory of many who heard them. His lectures in New Testament Greek were equally memorable, including his impersonations of Nana Mouskouri, the famous Greek singer!
Richard’s friendship remains cherished by a very large number of people serving Christ in a wide range of ministries around Australia and across the world. Many of the current Moore College Faculty were taught by Richard and there are still members of the Faculty who worked alongside him. …”
– Many ACL members will join in giving thanks to the Lord for Richard Gibson.
Read the full tribute at the Moore College website.
See also this tribute by Charles Brammall.
Photo: Brisbane School of Theology.
Understanding the worldviews of our Roman Catholic friends
Posted on October 9, 2025
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From Certainty4Eternity, Session 7 of the video course Talking With Catholics About Jesus:
“Enjoy our freebie as mentioned in EP08!
This section of Mark’s course Talking with Catholics about Jesus is helpful in dissecting worldview differences and learning how to communicate effectively with your Catholic friends.”
The full course is available from Matthias Media.
All very useful in helping us love our Roman Catholic friends with the news about Jesus.
The Boiler Room
Posted on October 9, 2025
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“The story is told of five young student ministers who decided to hear Spurgeon preach one Sunday. They had never met him, and as they waited for the church doors to open, they were met by a young man who asked them: ‘Gentlemen, let me show around. Would you like to see the boiler room?’
Now, in mid-19th century Victorian England the boiler room was a hot and dirty room down in the very heart of the church building. Think of it like a dingy basement. The boiler room was essentially the powerhouse of buildings at that time. …”
– At AP, the Presbyterian national journal, Troy Appleton ends this brief article with encouragement and a challenge for church members.
A Call to Worship (Psalm 95)
Posted on October 8, 2025
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“King Lear, one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, tells the story of a king who voluntarily set aside his titles and property in favor of two of his three daughters, only to find himself reduced to poverty and homelessness because they rejected him. …”
– In today’s Word on Wednesday at The Anglican Connection, John Mason turns to Psalm 95 and asks, ‘how often do we express our gratitude to the LORD?’.
My story, God’s story
Posted on October 8, 2025
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“Your story is unique. Sharing your story is one of the most authentic ways you can witness to your faith and confidence in Jesus. It is so adaptable to different situations from sharing one-on-one at a cafe? or sharing to a group of people at an event, or even in written form. And when it’s our story, it’s not a debate, or pushy, or fake and, if it comes from the heart, it will be personal, engaging and real.
I am convinced that personal stories (testimonies) are a very powerful tool that the Holy Spirit uses to stir spiritual interest and to draw people towards Jesus. …”
– David Bassett, Assistant Bishop in Perth, writes to encourage Christians to share their story – and offers some simple principles to help.
On page 2 of The Messenger from the Diocese of Perth, for October 2025.
Sin in the New Testament On being sons (and daughters) of Adam
Posted on October 7, 2025
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From Phillip Jensen:
“We come back today to the subject of men and women, though this time not from Genesis, but looking at how the New Testament looks at this topic.”
– Why does a baby cry on hearing the voice of Peter Jensen? This, and other (more important) topics are explored in this week’s Two Ways News podcast.
Moore Matters Spring 2025 edition
Posted on October 6, 2025
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The latest edition of Moore Matters – from Moore Theological College – is now available.
The theme of this issue is Love.
If you are not able to pick up a printed issue at church, you can read online or download a PDF version from the College website.
Get up to speed on responses to the Canterbury announcement
Posted on October 5, 2025
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Here’s a handy list of links we’ve posted to responses to the appointment of Dame Sarah Mullally as the next Archbishop of Canterbury –
Archbishop Dr Laurent Mbanda – GAFCON.
Archbishop Dr Justin Badi Arama – Global Fellowship of Anglican Churches.
Bishop Peter Hayward, Commissary for the Archbishop of Sydney.
Dr Mark Thompson, Principal of Moore Theological College.
The Church of England Evangelical Council.
The Pastor’s Heart – with Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, Dr Lee Gatiss, and Vaughan Roberts.
Image: Bishop of London Sarah Mullaley speaks at the Church of England’s General Synod, 6th February 2023.
Appointment of New Archbishop Continues Tragic Slide into Irrelevance
Posted on October 5, 2025
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“This week, the Church of England’s leadership continued its tragic slide into irrelevance as it announced the appointment of Sarah Mullally as the next Archbishop of Canterbury.
Anglicans around the world had hoped for the appointment of an orthodox and faithful guardian of the faith who would address the serious decline in England’s established church and its dire standing in the global Anglican Communion. Sadly, those making the appointment have chosen to continue on a decades-long course of theological revisionism, cultural capitulation, empty churches, and unprecedented division.
In fact, the Church’s recent trajectory has attracted the condemnation of Anglicans worldwide. …”
– Principal of Moore Theological College, Dr. Mark Thompson, writes at The Gospel Coalition.
Image courtesy Moore College’s Centre for Christian Living.
Laurent Mbanda, Lee Gatiss and Vaughan Roberts: A lanyard wearing Archbishop and fractured communion
Posted on October 5, 2025
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From The Pastor’s Heart, a special and important edition:
“The Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally, will take on the role of Archbishop of Canterbury — but instead of celebration, the global response has been marked by shock, disappointment, and unprecedented criticism.
Once, the Archbishop of Canterbury was recognised as the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion — the “first among equals” for Anglicans everywhere. But that authority has been dramatically eroded in recent years, especially after the GAFCON and Global South movements declared in 2023 that they no longer recognised Canterbury’s leadership, citing the Church of England’s decision to bless same-sex relationships as a betrayal of biblical truth.
As the GAFCON Kigali Commitment put it:
“Public statements by the Archbishop of Canterbury and other leaders of the Church of England in support of same-sex blessings are a betrayal of their ordination and consecration vows to banish error and to uphold and defend the truth taught in Scripture.”
With GAFCON and the Global South together representing as much as 85% of global Anglicans, Sarah Mullally will now lead a communion that is, in practical terms, far smaller and more fractured than it was at the start of Justin Welby’s tenure.
So what does this appointment mean for the future of Anglicanism?
Joining us today are three leading voices (statements from their organisations are linked):
See also George Owers article in The Critic: The Lanyard Class Archbishop.
– Watch at YouTube – or watch or listen at The Pastor’s Heart website.
Shoes, temperance and benevolence — Samuel Callaghan (1809-1884)
Posted on October 5, 2025
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“Samuel Callaghan was born in Londonderry, Ireland…
At his death on 29 August 1884, Callaghan had been associated with various efforts of the Wesleyan Church in the colony of NSW for a period of 45 years, and for about 11 years in Ireland prior to coming to Australia. His family maintained an active involvement in Wesleyan/Methodism well into the 20th Century, and one of his grandsons, Robert Samuel Callaghan, was hailed by The Methodist as ‘a prince and a great man’ of Australian Methodism. …”
– Gospel minister and historian Paul F Cooper, Research Fellow at Christ College, Sydney, provides a glimpse into the life of yet another Christian man who worked to be a blessing to the people of Sydney.
Read about Samuel Callaghan at Philanthropists and Philanthropy in Australian Colonial History.
Queensland Supreme Court judgment says that Queensland Presbyterians liable for debts for its aged care operations
Posted on October 4, 2025
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“The Presbyterian Church of Queensland (PCQ) is liable for tens of millions in debt incurred by Prescare, its former aged care operator. This is the latest result in continuing litigation that has already placed the church denomination in receivership, and future court cases will be needed to determine how the debt can be paid.…”
– At The Other Cheek, John Sandeman reports on further challenges for the Presbyterian Church of Queensland.
A disappointing decision: The Australian Church Record on Canterbury’s new Archbishop
Posted on October 4, 2025
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From The Australian Church Record:
“The ACR regrets this appointment and laments the way it will likely accelerate the weakening of the Church of England and the bonds which hold together the Anglican Communion.”
“The Australian Church Record (ACR) notes the announcement that Dame Sarah Mullally has been appointed to the office of Archbishop of Canterbury, and as such, the Primate of All England and metropolitan bishop of the Province of Canterbury. The ACR regrets this appointment and laments the way it will likely accelerate the weakening of the Church of England and the bonds which hold together the Anglican Communion.
At the heart of the English Reformation in the sixteenth-century was the gospel of Jesus Christ. The supreme authority of the Holy Scriptures declared that the great problem of the sinfulness of mankind could only find its remedy in the once for all sacrifice of Christ on the cross. By faith, and faith in Christ alone, could anyone stand before almighty God, and that gift of faith was precisely that which the world needed. At the cost of his life, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer stood for these truths and bequeathed a noble theological heritage to the Church of England in the Book of Common Prayer, the 39 Articles of Religion, and the Ordinal.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is not merely a symbolic primate; historically, he is called to safeguard doctrine, discipline, and unity under the lordship of Christ. From Augustine of Canterbury to Thomas Cranmer to the modern incumbents, that office has borne the responsibility of upholding the priority of the gospel throughout the English church. As a global Anglican communion came into being the office took on a moral responsibility to keep calling churches back to the teaching of the Scriptures and the centrality of the crucified and risen Saviour. Yet in our day …”
– Read the full statement here.
Appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury — Response from Sydney
Posted on October 4, 2025
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Appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury
We acknowledge the appointment of Dame Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury with a spirit of prayerful reflection and gospel-centred concern.
We commend Dame Sarah’s distinguished record of public service in healthcare and recognise her achievements in administrative leadership.
However, we also recognise that this appointment comes at a time of profound theological tension within the Anglican Communion. The recent trajectory of the English Church–particularly regarding issues of human sexuality, biblical authority, and unity–has caused deep concern among those who hold to the historic and reformed teachings of Scripture.
Her public comments show she has strayed from the clear teaching of scripture and promoted serious error that will neither advance unity nor the mission of the church.
The office of the Archbishop of Canterbury once held a symbolic leadership role in the global Anglican Communion. However, due to a tragic failure to uphold biblical teaching, successive Archbishops have forfeited the trust of orthodox Anglicans, who now look to other leaders.
The Church of England and its new leadership must urgently return to the message of faith, hope, and love entrusted to us by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Bishop Peter Hayward
Commissary for the Archbishop of Sydney (on leave) 4 October 2025
Other responses to the appointment of the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury
Posted on October 4, 2025
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From Church Society:
We note the election of Dame Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury. We offer our congratulations and prayers for her as she prepares to take up this ministry, and we hope to be able to meet with her in due course to discuss the urgent need for reformation and renewal of the Church of England in biblical faith.
While the milestone election of a female archbishop creates additional problems of disunity in the Church in England and around the world, we note the positive comments of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet about this here.
But we need a change of direction, not just of sex. More concerning is the appointment (for the third time in a row to this position) of someone who does not seem to actually hold to the doctrine of the Church of England on marriage and sexual ethics but wants it to change. We pray that at a time when there is serious fracture and distrust on this subject, as there is on serious safeguarding issues as well, that God would give bishop Sarah the wisdom she will need to help restore confidence and credibility to the church.
From The Church of England Evangelical Council:
The Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) joins Anglicans across the world in praying for Bishop Sarah Mullally on the announcement that she is to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury.
Bishop Sarah will take up her role as the next Archbishop of Canterbury at a difficult time for the Church of England, set against a backdrop of global conflict and instability.
At home, the Church of England faces challenges because of declining attendance, financial pressures and their impact on sustaining parochial ministry. This is in the context of the significant divisions created by the Living in Love and Faith process. More broadly, across the Anglican Communion, in recent years there has been a significant loss of confidence in the role of the Archbishop and a cry for leadership consonant with our Anglican doctrinal heritage.
These challenges exist within a wider context of political fragility—both in the UK and abroad—with contentious debates domestically, including the proposed assisted dying legislation, immigration, and ongoing wars in Europe and the Middle East.
We therefore pray that God will enable Bishop Sarah to hold to the apostolic faith and call the Church of England to recommit to the historic doctrines and formularies entrusted to it. We pray that this might be a moment where the current drift away from a biblical and Anglican understanding of marriage and sexual ethics is either halted or a way is found to secure biblical convictions in the Church of England for the future. Above all, our hope is that she will lead the Church of England in presenting the unchanging good news of the gospel afresh to our needy world.
In 2 Timothy 1:14, Paul implores Timothy to ‘guard the good deposit’. We pray that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, Bishop Sarah will be enabled to do the same.
From Anglican Futures:
The wrong Archbishop for this cultural moment? – Their conclusion:
The crowning achievement for most Archbishops of Canterbury is the highlight of hosting a “Lambeth Conference” of all the Communion’s bishops. One is due in 2032, the year before the archbishop is due to retire – but whether there will be a Communion to gather is doubtful.
Bishop Mullally may, as many say, be “really kind”. She may, as she says, “…intend to be a shepherd who enables everyone’s ministry and vocation to flourish, whatever our tradition…”, but the thing about shepherds is they have to know both where the good pasture is and where the wolves are.
Given that in less than two hours today Bishop Mullally repeated her failings at home and further alienated the Communion abroad, it is hard to imagine a worse start for the new incumbent of the chair of St Augustine, or a worse morning for the Church of England. There might be “Nothing like a Dame”, but she has just over six years from January to put things right.
– Do read the whole article.
And at The Critic:
The lanyard class Archbishop – by George Owers, writing about the “quiet revival” happening in many places –
“If I were to try to imagine a candidate for the new Archbishop of Canterbury who is the furthest away from this, the worst and least suitable replacement for Welby possible, I would probably pick someone along the following lines. They’d be a former state bureaucrat who made an entire career out of the sort of bland HR department-inspired managerialism that is destroying the church, probably a senior civil servant in (say) the NHS. They’d be on record as having every tick-box lazy progressive political and theological opinion imaginable. They would, of course, have lived and worked in London for most of their life and be a thoroughgoing metropolitan. …”
Photo via The Archbishop of Canterbury’s website.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…