What’s Wrong with Tasmania’s Conversion Practices Bill
Posted on October 8, 2026
Filed under Culture wars, Opinion, Tasmania Comments Off on What’s Wrong with Tasmania’s Conversion Practices Bill
Published at AP, the Australian Presbyterian online journal, Emeritus Professor Patrick Parkinson AM shares his concerns with the proposed Tasmanian bill –
“…The Bill is being proposed by people who believe that there is a serious problem in the Tasmanian community that can only be addressed by some of the most draconian legislation ever to be introduced into an Australian Parliament. However, the evidence that there are still conversion practices in Tasmania today is very weak. No-one is claiming that the old unethical conversion practices used decades ago by some health professionals are still being practised. No credible allegations have been made that people have been subjected to abusive therapies to change their gender identity.
When a law creates a lot of uncertainty, it has unintended consequences. This law will create a chilling effect on the provision of mental health treatment for vulnerable young Tasmanians. It will also cause difficulties and expense for businesses and for organisations that involve volunteers. The problems in this Bill are not minor and cannot be fixed by amendment at committee stage. They go to the very heart of what the Bill is trying to do. …”
– A long and important contribution.
Photo thanks to Anglican Media Sydney.
The Manosphere: Christian reflections
Posted on October 8, 2026
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Published by CASE, The Centre for Christian Apologetics, Scholarship and Education (a ministry of New College at UNSW), Marshall Ballantine-Jones writes helpfully about “The Manosphere”. What is it? Where does it come from? What is a Christian response, and how can this help leaders and parents?
“In early 2025, there was a wave of alarm across the media, in schools, education departments, and even the halls of parliaments, when Netflix released its award-winning series Adolescence. In this fictitious story, a thirteen-year-old boy murders a female classmate after being radicalised by online male influencers. Blame was apportioned to suspects like the incel subculture, Andrew Tate, and other sinister online forces, and phrases like ‘toxic masculinity’ hit peak levels. The alarm was perhaps best captured when British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer declared that all UK schoolchildren should be made to watch the series. I wrote at the time that Adolescence had limited usefulness, because it both misdiagnosed the issue and was factually incorrect in places.
Twelve months later, in March 2026, the Western world, and Australia in particular, found itself under another wave of concern …”
“What does a bishop do?”
Posted on October 8, 2026
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From SydneyAnglicans.net –
“Hundreds gathered to farewell Bishop Peter Hayward and his wife Julie at Figtree Anglican Church in Wollongong as tributes praised his faithful pastoral leadership and unwavering commitment to God’s people. …”
Operation Christmas Child: What to ask before packing a box — with David Painter
Posted on October 7, 2026
Filed under for your prayers, Resources Comments Off on Operation Christmas Child: What to ask before packing a box — with David Painter
From The Pastor’s Heart this week –
“Before your church packs another Christmas shoebox, pause to ask: who is our generosity really helping?
After more than twenty years serving with the Church Missionary Society in Cambodia, David Painter has challenging questions about Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child—and the way Western Christians support overseas mission.
Can our gifts unintentionally weaken local initiative, local giving and the churches we want to strengthen?
David Painter outlines how to assess whether our generosity is helping local churches flourish.
Further Reading The Other Cheek.”
– Watch or listen here. A fascinating discussion which raises important questions about culture and power, involving much more than shoe boxes.
Money, Men and Manners
Posted on October 6, 2026
Filed under Resources, Theology Comments Off on Money, Men and Manners
From Phillip Jensen –
“It is a preacher’s foible and failing that we like to have alliteration, so today’s heading of Money, Men and Manners is an attempt to unite Paul’s concluding chapter in his first letter to the Corinthians.
There is more teaching and challenge in the scriptures about money than almost any other ethical topic. Our attitude to money is one of those distinctive qualities of Christian life for we know of the impossibility of serving both God and money. However, there is very little teaching in the scriptures that is exclusively addressed to manliness, and 1 Corinthians 16 gives us the challenge to be manly.
As you read [or listen to] this week’s episode, I will leave you to find the importance of manners. I hope you enjoy it—or should I say, please enjoy it.”
– Hear Philip and Peter Jensen at Two Ways News.
See the transcript for the links Phillip mentions.
Ed Sheeran proves Trueman Right: We all live in Marx’s world now
Posted on October 6, 2026
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Tim Challies in Canada observes:
“I haven’t listened to much of Ed Sheeran’s music. In fact, I’ve listened to it just enough to determine that it’s really not my thing. This means that what I am writing today doesn’t come from a Sheeran fan or a Sheeran hater, but from someone who knows him only by reputation—a reputation that, until recently, was as a pretty good guy.
But Ed now finds himself in a heap of trouble. …”
Reformanda Initiative Turns 10. Reflections on the Evangelical Engagement with Roman Catholicism.
Posted on October 5, 2026
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From Vatican Files –
“Ten years are just the blink of an eye in the normal course of events. We shouldn’t attach too much importance to them. However, for Evangelical initiatives that originated in minority contexts and have an international profile, ten years is no trivial period. It was in 2016 that the first Rome Scholars Network (RSLN) was launched and the Reformanda Initiative (RI) began its work …”
– Leonardo De Chirico reflects on the state of Evangelical theological engagement with Roman Catholicism.
Related:
Reformation Day 2026 event at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney – Saturday 31st October 2026. Learn how to have great conversations about Jesus with your Roman Catholic friends.
and related posts on our website.
The Ineffectiveness of AI Preaching
Posted on October 5, 2026
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From Dave McDonald at The Gospel Coalition Australia –
“Cut sermon prep time dramatically. Never stare at a blank page again —instant sermon series ideas by season. Ready to get your Saturday nights back? Did you know 12 hours per week is the average pastors spend on sermon prep and ministry content? With the right AI prompts, that same work can be done in a fraction of the time—without losing your own voice or theological depth.
So promised a social media advertisement I saw recently.
Here was hope for busy pastors. This was so appealing: ministry is hectic, time disappears, pressure builds, and interruptions sabotage the best of our plans. …”
– You’d hope it would be obvious, but we need to be reminded that there’s far more to pastoring than being ‘efficient’. Read it all here.
Christ and Everyday Life
Posted on October 4, 2026
Filed under Edification, Encouragement Comments Off on Christ and Everyday Life
“It’s Monday morning, so there is the school run, a car service, a full inbox and a list of tasks for home and work. The washing is on the line, a meeting runs long, you check in on a neighbour and then cook dinner. So, the week rolls on till Sunday, and for an hour or two life feels ‘spiritual’ again. If you know that rhythm, you’re not alone. For many of us the week is divided into two compartments: the sacred bits (church, Bible reading, prayer) and the secular bits (everything else).
J. I. Packer once observed that the Puritans knew nothing of this divide. …”
– John McClean, Moore College graduate and Vice Principal of Christ College in Burwood, encourages Christians to live every day in the light of the gospel.
Bishop Gary Koo – observations on the 2026 GAA Opening Night
Posted on October 3, 2026
Filed under Encouragement, Other denominations Comments Off on Bishop Gary Koo – observations on the 2026 GAA Opening Night
Last month the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Australia met in Sydney. Bishop of Western Sydney, Gary Koo, shares his impressions of the opening night, at AP.
“While the culture was different and there were words I’d never heard of (I have now added the word ‘sederunt’ to my vocabulary), I was struck by the degree of alignment both missionally and theologically, our two Churches enjoy.
The Presbyterians of Australia and the Anglicans in Sydney are people who believe that God’s word – the Scriptures – are the ultimate authority in all matters of faith and practice, and that ‘there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved’ outside of the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12). …”
Exegeting ourselves and our communities
Posted on October 2, 2026
Filed under Evangelism, Resources Comments Off on Exegeting ourselves and our communities
Ruth Baker writes in The Australian Church Record –
“In my first article in this series, I showed that here in the West, our local communities are mission fields. Here, we’ll look at how we can examine ourselves and our suburbs to better connect with people as part of our long-term mission.…”
Gafcon Statement Concerning Inaccurate Reports in The Tablet
Posted on October 1, 2026
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Here’s a Communique from Gafcon:
“The Global Anglican Communion (Gafcon) wishes to correct inaccurate reports published by The Tablet concerning its General Secretary, the Rt Revd Paul Donison, and the Rt Revd Anthony Poggo, Secretary General of the Canterbury-based Anglican Communion Office.
In March, The Tablet reported that Bishop Donison and Bishop Poggo had held “a series of discussions” prior to the G26 Conference in Abuja, seeking to avoid a split and find a compromise.
This is incorrect. No such series of discussions took place.
More recently, The Tablet reported that Bishop Donison had “continued to meet” Bishop Poggo, including at a meeting in August concerning reconciliation between the Global Anglican Communion and the Canterbury-led structures.
This is also incorrect. No such meeting took place.
Taken together, these reports create the false impression that Bishop Donison and Bishop Poggo have been engaged in an ongoing process of meetings or negotiations concerning reconciliation or compromise between the Global Anglican Communion and the Canterbury-led structures.
This is not the case.
The Global Anglican Communion has lodged a formal complaint with The Tablet and requested that both reports be corrected.
The direction of the Global Anglican Communion was made clear at the G26 Conference in Abuja.
The time for institutional negotiations with the Canterbury-led structures has passed.
The Abuja Affirmation calls for principled disengagement from the Canterbury Instruments and the reordering of the Anglican Communion around the authority of Scripture, with the Jerusalem Declaration as our shared confession and the Global Anglican Council providing global conciliar leadership.
Our focus is firmly on the future: gathering authentic Anglicans, guarding God’s gospel, growing orthodox leaders, and generating missional resources for the proclamation of Christ throughout the world.
We warmly invite faithful Anglicans everywhere to join us in this work.
The Global Anglican Communion (Gafcon)
1 October 2026.”
– Source: Gafcon.
Photo: Media briefing at G26 in Abuja.
Related:
The West as a mission field
Posted on October 1, 2026
Filed under Encouragement, Evangelism Comments Off on The West as a mission field
“I’m reading a book on the stock market crash of 1929 (because yes, I’m a special kind of nerd). I’m fascinated by the mindset of the investors that led the world into such economic devastation, and the collective mentality of the millions of people who willingly followed them.
And when I read this line, I felt like I’d been struck by lightning:
So long as faith in tomorrow was maintained, debts could be rolled over endlessly into the future.
This is an apt description of our mindset in the West today when it comes to spiritual reality. …”
– The Australian Church Record has published the first of two articles by Ruth Baker who writes to remind us that our local communities are mission fields.
Moore Matters — Spring 2026
Posted on October 1, 2026
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The latest issue of Moore Matters (Spring 2026) is now available.
It’s a very encouraging issue, showcasing how the Lord is using Moore College graduates in a range of parishes. As well, there are highlights of scholarly contributions made by members of the faculty over the decades, and much more.
If you can’t find a printed copy at your church, be sure to check out the online version.
Sign before praying: A new conversion law is affecting churchgoers in Indian state
Posted on September 30, 2026
Filed under for your prayers, World news Comments Off on Sign before praying: A new conversion law is affecting churchgoers in Indian state
News from India –
“Some churches in and around India’s financial capital Mumbai have begun asking worshippers to give a declaration in writing – ‘I came here to pray of my own free will.’ …
The practice began at some churches in late August, just before a new law against religious conversion took effect in Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital. …”
– Story from BBC News.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…