James Valentine, Euthanasia and How Christians Should Speak of Death

Posted on April 28, 2026 
Filed under Australia, Culture wars Comments Off on James Valentine, Euthanasia and How Christians Should Speak of Death

This week at The Pastor’s Heart, Dominic Steele introduces a topic which is “delicate, important, and pastorally urgent” –

“How should Christians respond when voluntary assisted dying is publicly framed as dignified, compassionate and courageous?

James Valentine has been rightly honoured as a much-loved broadcaster in the wake of his death last week.  But alongside the tributes there’s been significant reflection on his choice to use voluntary assisted dying in the language of control, dignity, generosity and dying ‘his way’.

How do we honour and grieve a much-loved public figure, while still asking serious ethical and pastoral questions about voluntary assisted dying? Has the public conversation shifted from VAD as a last resort to VAD as a normal end-of-life choice?

As we think carefully about death, autonomy, compassion, medicine, conscience and Christian hope we are joined by:

Dr Megan Best, senior researcher and professor of bioethics at the Institute of Ethics & Society at the University of Notre Dame Australia & Director of Ethicenter and

Emeritus Professor Michael Quinlan of the University of Notre Dame. Michael is also on the board of Freedom for Faith and Ethical End of Life Care.”

– A very sobering and important topic.  Watch or listen here.

Archdeacon Kara Hartley to step down — A legacy of gospel partnership

Posted on April 28, 2026 
Filed under People, Sydney Diocese Comments Off on Archdeacon Kara Hartley to step down — A legacy of gospel partnership

From SydneyAnglicans.net –

“After 14 years of dedicated service to the women of the Sydney Diocese, Archdeacon Kara Hartley has announced she will step down at the conclusion of 2026.

While Archdeacon Hartley originally envisioned a seven-year commitment as Archdeacon for Women’s Ministry, her tenure spanned double that time. …”

– Russell Powell has the story.

Context, Context, Context — Applying biblical thinking

Posted on April 28, 2026 
Filed under Resources, Theology Comments Off on Context, Context, Context — Applying biblical thinking

From Phillip Jensen –

“Hard passages of the Bible are great passages. The reason that they are hard is because we are not thinking biblically. Wrestling with these hard passages gives us the opportunity to change our thinking in order to be aligned with biblical thinking.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 is notoriously difficult, and over the next two weeks, Peter and I are going to try to unravel some of its complexities.

We start today by looking at the context.”

– Hear Peter and Philip discuss at Two Ways News.

AI is coming for your Systematic Theology

Posted on April 27, 2026 
Filed under Resources, Theology Comments Off on AI is coming for your Systematic Theology

Tim Challies warns of the dangers already present –

“A recent article at The American Scholar asks Who Is Blake Whiting?

Whiting appears to be the most prolific scholar of our age, sometimes publishing up to 13 books a week ‘on a host of complex archaeological and historical subjects, ranging from the collapse of Near Eastern civilizations in 1177 BCE to the recent discovery of a huge Silk Road-era city in Central Asia.’ He must be quite the individual!

But as you no doubt guessed, he is not an individual at all. Rather, Blake Whiting is fabricated, and the books under his name have been generated using AI. …

I want you to know about these books because I want you to be aware that this is happening. I want you to know it’s happening because it’s likely that things will get far worse before they get any better. I’ll first introduce you to this slop theology, then discuss the threat these books represent, and then tell you how you can identify them.”

– Read it all here.

Biblical Theology is Key

Posted on April 27, 2026 
Filed under for your prayers, Moore College Comments Off on Biblical Theology is Key

Peter Jensen writes at the Moore College website –

“The mere fact that our College is 170 years old this year does not mean that it is excellent. Many an institution has fallen badly away from its founding principles over such a period. Moore has had its ups and downs over its history, and there are other colleges that may be quite young, but are worth supporting.

Nonetheless, we rightly rejoice. Over many years, our College has stayed true to its origins. I think Bishop Barker, who had so much to do with its founding in 1856, would also be rejoicing. …”

– Read it all here.

Also in the Autumn 2026 edition of Moore Matters –

Top photo: Bill Dumbrell teaching at Moore College in the early 1980s.

Prayers answered at first ALIVE rally

Posted on April 26, 2026 
Filed under Evangelism Comments Off on Prayers answered at first ALIVE rally

“Our hope for Wollongong was that we would put on an evangelistic rally where hundreds would come, and in that group would be hundreds of Christian young adults bringing non-Christian friends, family and workmates,” says Dave Jensen, the assistant director of Evangelism and New Churches. …

– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Tara Sing reports on the first ALIVE rally, with more events to come.

Do I choose an old or new church?

Posted on April 25, 2026 
Filed under Opinion Comments Off on Do I choose an old or new church?

“Many words are being written, and the occasional clickbait headline, to debate whether a revival is blowing across the land. The answer (as I’ve been saying for the last few years) is, no. As much as we pray and long for spiritual revival in Melbourne and across Australia, we are not witnessing revival. And yet, I do think there has been a nudge, a gentle opening of the curtains.

Evidence of this nudge is suggested by increased Bible sales and some churches indicating growth in Sunday attendance. There is anecdotal evidence of a slight turn from religious indifference (and animosity) toward curiosity. Dare I suggest, that even among Australia’s major newspapers, their tune toward Christianity has changed a little.

One of the quandaries facing young Aussies as they contemplate visiting a church and investigating Christianity is this: should I go for new or for old? …”

Murray Campbell at Mentone Baptist in Melbourne suggests some diagnostic questions to ask in considering what church to join –

“Do they read the Bible?

Do they teach from the Bible?

Does the preacher’s message match what the Bible teaches?

Do they teach that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone?

Do they believe in heaven and hell?

Do they preach the sufficiency of Jesus’ death on the cross?

Do they practice baptism and the Lord’s Supper in accord with the significance given in Scripture?

Is the church’s sexual ethics in line with the Bible.

Do the people love one another? Jesus tells us ‘the world will know you are my disciples, because you love one another’.

Do they welcome visitors with kindness and grace. Is the church safe for the unbeliever and inquirer?”

– See it all here.

Bathurst Diocese newsletter — Easter 2026

Posted on April 24, 2026 
Filed under Bathurst Diocese, for your prayers Comments Off on Bathurst Diocese newsletter — Easter 2026

The Easter 2026 Bishop’s Newsletter from the Diocese of Bathurst is now available for your interest – and for your prayers.

– PDF file at this link.

Principles of the Prayer Book

Posted on April 23, 2026 
Filed under Australian dioceses, Resources Comments Off on Principles of the Prayer Book

“What I offer here … is not a nostalgic plea for the recovery of a lost golden age, nor a polemical defence of one authorised book over another. Rather, it is an attempt to articulate and reflect on the principles that underlie The Book of Common Prayer, principles which have shaped Anglican worship historically and which continue to exercise normative authority within the Anglican Church of Australia.”

Bishop of The Northern Territory, Greg Anderson, writes at The Australian Church Record –

“I am probably one of a relatively small number of people these days who has been – hard to know quite how to describe it – perhaps a committed participant in liturgical church services from my earliest childhood memories. Perhaps unusually, I was an early and competent reader, so I imagine I was reading and saying the prayers along with everyone else. And since it was the same liturgy every week (apart from the Psalm, which we didn’t always say), you didn’t need to read all that well… well, you could join in from memory. Our church was devotionally warm, scripturally focused, and theologically normal, and no one imagined for a moment that liturgical services sat in tension with any of that.

That is my background. I know that this is far from everyone’s experience. All this is to say that I approach liturgical corporate worship with a long?standing positive experience – something that is relatively rare these days. What I offer here, therefore, is not a nostalgic plea for the recovery of a lost golden age, nor a polemical defence of one authorised book over another. Rather, it is an attempt to articulate and reflect on the principles that underlie The Book of Common Prayer, principles which have shaped Anglican worship historically and which continue to exercise normative authority within the Anglican Church of Australia.

Before turning to those principles themselves, two introductory notes are necessary: first, concerning the place of The Book of Common Prayer in the Australian Church; and second, concerning where such principles are to be found and how they might be identified and ranked. …”

– Read it all here.

David McDonald to be The Gospel Coalition Australia National Director

Posted on April 23, 2026 
Filed under Australia, People Comments Off on David McDonald to be The Gospel Coalition Australia National Director

News from The Gospel Coalition Australia –

 The Council and Board of The Gospel Coalition Australia are delighted to announce the appointment of David McDonald as the National Director of TGCA. …”

– Read here.

Moore College Open Events May 2026

Posted on April 23, 2026 
Filed under Moore College Comments Off on Moore College Open Events May 2026

As Moore College gives thanks for 170 years, there are a number of Open Events coming up on Tuesday 12 to Thursday 14 May.

Wonderful opportunities to explore what life at Moore College might be like.

– Details from the College.

Random Thoughts about Preaching and Being Preached To

Posted on April 22, 2026 
Filed under Encouragement, Resources Comments Off on Random Thoughts about Preaching and Being Preached To

Canadian Christian writer and blogger Tim Challies has put together some “random thoughts” on preaching and being preached to –

“There are few matters more foundational to pastoral ministry than preaching, and few matters more common to the Christian experience than being preached to. Most pastors will preach thousands of sermons over the span of their ministry, and most congregants will listen to thousands of sermons over the span of their lifetime. This means we should think about preaching often and well!

In this article, I’ve simply collected some random thoughts on the subject and have alternated them so that half are for the ones preaching the sermons and the other half are for the ones listening to them. …”

Here are extracts from the first four –

“In my experience, sermons tend to grow in quality more by subtraction than by addition. Often, one of the best things a preacher can do to improve his sermon is to strip away 20 or 25% of his content as a final step in the preparation process. …

—-

Being obviously attentive as you listen to a sermon can be a great gift to the preacher. The preacher gains more than you may think from your looks of appreciation (or disgust), your attentive eyes (or tired ones), and your quiet amens (or groans). …

—-

The appropriate length, style, and format of a sermon can change over time and between contexts. We should expect that sermons preached at an Anglican Church in Sydney, a Baptist Church in Topeka, and a Dutch Reformed church in Cape Town will differ in many ways. … The challenge of any preacher is to preach the sermons that are suited to his congregation and not some other.

—

It is good to listen to a sermon with an open Bible … the preacher assumes you will have an open Bible so you can follow along with him. This is difficult to do when you did not bring one or will not open it. …”

– Be encouraged to take the time to read and ponder them.

How to put together ‘an excellent’ funeral

Posted on April 21, 2026 
Filed under Resources Comments Off on How to put together ‘an excellent’ funeral

This week from The Pastor’s Heart –

“Not every funeral is great. Sometimes they go too long, sometimes the gospel is not clear, sometimes the content overlaps.

How do you create a funeral service that God would be pleased with, connects well with people, honours the deceased and serves the bereaved?

• David Cook is former Principal of Sydney Missionary and Bible College,
• Sandy Grant is Dean of St Andrew’s Cathedral Sydney, and
• Gary Coleman is former Chaplain to the Motor Racing Industry.”

– Watch here. Some very helpful advice.

Recommended:

At a Time Like This – Some answers for loss and grief by Simon Manchester.

Judging the Unrighteous — Exclusion from the kingdom of heaven

Posted on April 21, 2026 
Filed under Anglican Communion, Theology Comments Off on Judging the Unrighteous — Exclusion from the kingdom of heaven

From Phillip Jensen –

“If ever there is a passage of the Bible that has caused controversy and division today, it is 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.

There is not much doubt as to what the passage says or means, yet the application of this passage in the church and in society has led to great conflict.

In today’s episode, Peter outlines something of the background of the conflict within the Anglican Communion over the last two decades, before we turn to the real pastoral importance of this passage in the lives of the leaders.”

– Peter and Phillip Jensen discuss this very sobering topic at Two Ways News.

Bishop Bell warns of new departures after Church in Wales vote

Posted on April 21, 2026 
Filed under Wales Comments Off on Bishop Bell warns of new departures after Church in Wales vote

“The Church in Wales is about to lose another tranche of clergy, lay leaders and church members after its decision to make permanent a service of blessing for same-sex couples.

Many left at the beginning of the experimental period of provision in 2021 whilst others have been waiting to see if the passage of five years would be sufficient to bring the church back to the clear teachings of Scripture on the subject of human relationships. Clearly not. …”

– Via Anglican.ink, Bishop Stuart Bell responds to last week’s vote by the Church in Wales to make permanent its provision for same-sex blessings.

Photo: Stuart Bell (centre) with Bishop Andy Lines (left) and Archbishop Foley Beach at Bishop Bell’s consecration to serve within the Anglican Convocation in Europe in March 2023.

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