In Defense of the Abuja Affirmation
Posted on July 30, 2026
Filed under GAFCON, Global Anglican Communion Comments Off on In Defense of the Abuja Affirmation
Writing in Covenant, the online journal of the American publication The Living Church, Bishop Glenn Davies responds to an article by the Rev. Dr. Matthew Olver about the Abuja Affirmation –
“I am grateful for the irenic article that the Rev. Dr. Matthew Olver published on Covenant on April 13, 2026, where he engages theologically with the Abuja Affirmation.
As a participant in the G26 Assembly in Abuja in March, I have a good idea of what was achieved in that extraordinary gathering, which was a celebration of the Global Anglican Communion launched by the Gafcon primates on October 16, 2025.
The heart of the issue that Gafcon has been addressing since its 2008 inaugural assembly in Jerusalem is the authority of Scripture in its plain, canonical sense. …”
– Glenn’s response is an important setting out of why Gafcon / The Global Anglican Communion is needed.
It is worthy of careful study.
________________
Related: (each will open in a new window)
The Kuala Lumpur Statement, 1997.
GAFCON Final Statement and the Jerusalem Declaration – 29 June 2008.
The Jerusalem Declaration – as a PDF file – formatted to two A4 pages.
The Abuja Affirmation – 2026.
Darrell Bock on Engaging Aussie (or any) Culture
Posted on July 30, 2026
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A special from The Pastor’s Heart –
“In this special ‘pop up’ episode of The Pastor’s Heart we talk with New Testament Professor Darrell Bock about how best might Christians might engage culturally to reach Australians for Jesus.
Plus his love of Sydney, Sydney Swans Australian football team and why he would move here if he didn’t have grandchildren. Bock is known for getting up at 2am in Dallas to watch the Swans play live on TV. He will see three Swans games during his current visit to Australia.
Darrell Bock is executive director of Cultural Engagement at The Hendricks Center and Senior Research Professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary.”
– Very helpful. Watch here.
Preaching God’s Way Of Salvation
Posted on July 30, 2026
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From The Expository Preaching Trust:
“In his previous article, Bob Thomas encouraged us to preach with single-mindedness, focused on the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this article, Bob walks us through an example of how this might be done when preaching from Ephesians 2:8-10 and 3:14-20, bringing a gospel shape to a sermon. …”
– Read it here.
Ordinations for Bathurst Diocese announced for 22 August
Posted on July 29, 2026
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From the Diocese of Bathurst –
“Bishop Mark [Calder] has announced today that, God willing, five people will be ordained at All Saints’ Cathedral, Bathurst, on Saturday 22 August at 11am.
Robert Yemm, Xanthe Yemm and Justin Baker will be made Deacons,
and Robbie Nichols and Jim Kapetangiannis will be ordained Priests.
Please join us in thanking God for each of them and praying that the Lord will strengthen and sustain them as they prepare for this significant step in their ministry.
(Steve Cimarosti will be commissioned as Archdeacon in this service.)”
–Source, Bathurst Diocese Facebook page.
Darrell Bock answers questions on Luke’s Gospel
Posted on July 29, 2026
Filed under Resources, Theology Comments Off on Darrell Bock answers questions on Luke’s Gospel
From The Pastor’s Heart –
“Leading New Testament scholar Darrell Bock gives a rapid fire exploration of Luke and Acts.
Bock, who is Senior Research Professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, outlines what first drew him to Luke and answers questions including:
- Is Luke writing before or after Matthew and Mark?
- What—what kind of historian is Luke?
- How do you explain the difference between Luke’s genealogy and Matthew’s genealogy?
- How do we reconcile the birth narratives in Luke and Matthew?
- What is Luke’s theology of atonement?
- What is the kingdom of God in Luke?
- How does Luke use the Old Testament in ways that are different to the other Gospel writers?
- Why is the Sermon on the Plain from Luke 6 different to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 to 7?
Plus Luke’s distinctive emphasis on the world wide expansion of the gospel, the kingdom of God, the Holy Spirit, care for the poor and the creation of one new family from Jews and Gentiles.”
Learning to Read and Write Again
Posted on July 29, 2026
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“The writer of Ecclesiastes couldn’t have begun to grasp the sheer volume of books, not to mention blogs, articles, and podcasts that saturate our world today. ‘Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body’ (Eccles 12:12). I confess to feeling overwhelmed and weary. There has never been so much information to take on board. The internet floods us with content. So much information. How do I know what matters most? How much do I need to understand as a Christian leader? I can’t read everything, so should I read anything?
The danger is we give up. Let AI decide what we read, what we hear, how we think. Don’t do the hard work. Have someone else (something else) curate our learning. Take all the short cuts. Stop being curious. Give up on exploring, investigating, comparing, researching, and discussing. …”
– Dave McDonald has encouragement to keep reading – and some reflections on what to read. At The Gospel Coalition Australia.
The Lord’s Supper — Uniting in fellowship
Posted on July 28, 2026
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From Phillip Jensen –
“One of the longest standing debates amongst Christians is, strangely, about one of our strongest illustrations of unity. For the Lord’s Supper is meant to be an expression of our unity in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ as we proclaim his resurrection. Yet as long ago as 1 Corinthians was first written, we find Christians divided at this event to such an extent that Paul declared that what they did was not the Lord’s Supper.
So what is the Lord’s Supper about, and what were they doing that so disqualified them from celebrating it?
It is an interesting and defining passage on this important activity which is so central to church life.”
– Peter and Phillip discuss in the latest episode of Two Ways News.
Southern Cross for August – September 2026
Posted on July 28, 2026
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The latest issue of Southern Cross, the magazine of the Diocese of Sydney, is now up on their website. Printed copies should arrive in parishes soon, if not already!
Online version available here.
Three key positions for your prayers
Posted on July 28, 2026
Filed under Bathurst Diocese, for your prayers, Moore College, Other denominations Comments Off on Three key positions for your prayers
For your prayers – three strategic positions to be filled in the not-too-distant future –
• As readers of our website will know, Dr Mark Thompson, Principal of Moore Theological College, will retire at the end of 2027.
• Bishop Mark Calder, Bishop of the Diocese of Bathurst, is concluding his term as Bishop on 19 September 2026. (Bishop’s Election Board.)
• And in the Presbyterian world, Dr Ian Smith, Principal of Christ College (the NSW Presbyterian theological college, at Burwood) will also retire at the end of 2027. (Applications.)
Please do uphold these men in your prayers, and pray for the bodies responsible for finding their successors, so that Christ is honoured, so that churches are strengthened, and so that many hear and believe the gospel, are saved, and grow as disciples.
The Preacher’s Singlemindedness
Posted on July 28, 2026
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“When Sir Marcus Loane was installed as Archbishop of Sydney in 1966 during a service broadcast nationally on ABC TV, he preached a powerful sermon on 1 Corinthians 9.16b: ‘necessity is laid upon me, and woe is unto me if I preach not the Gospel.’
Even those of us who were beyond his jurisdiction could see that it was a sermon in which he preached what he practised and which carried the undertone: ‘go and do thou likewise’. And we were happy to fall in behind a man of such biblical firmness and faithful conviction.…”
– Bob Thomas writes to encourage preachers – at The Expository Preaching Trust.
Jono Squire to be Bishop of Wollongong
Posted on July 27, 2026
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From SydneyAnglicans.net –
“A church planter from the greenfield suburbs of south-west Sydney has been appointed as the next Bishop of the Wollongong Region.
Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has announced the Reverend Jonathan Squire will follow Peter Hayward who has given significant service as Bishop of Wollongong since 2010. As is required, Mr Squire’s appointment was approved by Standing Committee.
Describing the Bishop-designate as a ‘capable and effective minister of the gospel, and a godly and able pastor and teacher’, Archbishop Raffel pointed to his work as rector of the Parish of Camden Valley, a region he has served for 20 years. …”
– See Russell Powell’s full story.
Have you ever felt like an outsider?
Posted on July 27, 2026
Filed under Edification, Resources Comments Off on Have you ever felt like an outsider?
“As someone who is visibly not from an Anglo-Celtic ethnic background, I am often asked where I am from and when I arrived in Australia.
I do not mind talking about this – I welcome seeing the bemused looks on people’s faces when I describe my first day at school in Australia. All the children with colourful hair coming and saying ‘Hi’ (which I could not respond to – I only knew three English words at that point: ‘Yes’, ‘No’ and ‘Hello’). Do not get me started on how disorienting it was to be in a carpeted classroom with everyone eating sandwiches for lunch!
From these experiences, being an outsider, or foreign, is a feeling that is very familiar to me.…”
– Susan An, Dean of Women at Moore College, writes of being an outsider, and reminds us of ultimate identity and belonging.
Photo: Moore College.
The Sydney Family Album 4 — William Macquarie Cowper
Posted on July 26, 2026
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In 2011, Mark Thompson, now Principal of Moore College, published a series of posts, entitled “The Sydney Family Album”, for his website, Theological Theology.
We felt they merit wider distribution, so, with Mark’s kind permission, we are re-posting them on the ACL website, at the rate of one a week.
Here’s the fourth, a guest post by Peter Bolt on William Cowper.
If you’ve ever been confused about who the two William Cowpers were, this will help!
“Together, the two William Cowpers were largely responsible for the strength and vitality of Evangelicalism in Sydney.”
Other posts in the The Sydney Family Album series (as we add them) are in our Resources section.
Plan a Sermon Series — on Proverbs
Posted on July 25, 2026
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From Moore Theological College –
“Join us for a day of expert teaching and planning on the book of Proverbs. Dr Dan Wu is a lecturer at Moore Theological College and spoke from Proverbs at CMS Summer School, 2026. Dan will work closely with individuals and staff teams to help them prepare a future sermon series.
Dan will spend the morning exploring the theology and overall message of Proverbs as well as considering the issues that arise from the book. The afternoon will provide time, space and resources for collaborative work preparing your sermon series, with College Library resources being made available. Each day will finish with an opportunity to share your sermon series with other participants and ask our lecturers any follow-up questions.”
– Details at the College website.
God’s Best Work Is Cross-Shaped
Posted on July 24, 2026
Filed under Edification, Theology Comments Off on God’s Best Work Is Cross-Shaped
At The Gospel Coalition Australia, David Ould calls us back to the Cross of Christ –
“How are we meant to understand distressing, painful and complex moments, whether in our church life together or in our own personal stories? The most straightforward response is grief or sadness at what has happened. That is, of course, entirely appropriate. Alongside this might be anger directed at those we understand are in some way responsible. Yet it rarely stops there. After our initial reaction, we often start to try and find some meaning in the events. For the Christian, this leads quickly to questions about God: how has he allowed this to happen? Is he in charge of these things? If he is, then how can we reconcile his sovereign purpose with tragedy? …”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…