1St October 1998

We’re back! The Australian Sydney’s independent Anglican evangelical voice speaks once more fter a ten-year break, we from the pro-side answered not in terms the ultimate authority, sufficiency and CHURCH are back. Welcome to our of the text of Scripture, but in terms reliability of Scripture in all matters of A new readers, and to older of their individual stories. This type faith and morals, the substitutionary ones who remember when financial of experientialism makes it impossible and unrepeatable nature of Christ’s restraints forced us to cease publication to place our trust in Scripture as atoning sacrifice, the ‘body and bones’ in July 1987. We’re back because of our the ultimate rule of faith. Since the resurrection of our Lord, that this Jesus concern to see the biblical evangelical - eigh teenth-century, such experientialism Christ is truly man and truly God, RECORD ism of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney has been the seedbed of theological that he is the only Mediator between further preserved and strengthened. liberalism. human ity and God, that he is exclu - A strong biblical witness in the wider sively the way back to God, the reality Anglican communion and secular Traditionalism of the judgment to come and the October 1, 1998 Issue 1877 Australia is increasingly important. It has been said that “Tradition is the priesthood of all believers. Historically, evangelicalism has living faith of the dead; traditionalism Over time we have fought and lost near ly always declined from within. is the dead faith of the living.” The these battles in Australia as elsewhere. Testimony from Bruce Ballantine-Jones, Current events indicate that today is no apostolic gospel must never be changed We have seen manifest unbelief enshrined excep tion. Three movements threaten (Gal 1:6-9; 2 Tim 1:8-14), for it is the in our new prayer books, agendas of former editor ACR evang elicalism from within: ‘experien - way that Christ continues to do his work conferences, official pronouncements “I am delighted that the Church Record is resuming tial ism’, ‘traditionalism’ and ‘redrawing in the world; but for the sake of that and the ordinances which govern us. the line backwards’. work, even the way we conduct gospel Each time we have allowed the line to publication. Throughout most of this century, ministry must change. (1 Cor 9:22-3). be drawn further backwards. As evan - the Church Record has played a pivotal role in presenting Experience valued above Bible The problem we face is losing our gel ical Anglicans we have argued that and extending evangelical Anglicanism. There is We are appealing to human experience trust in God’s commands and promises, by doing this we can remain on cordial a greater need than ever for an independent Anglican and replacing it with trust in the over biblical teaching. terms with others in the denomination voice so that people can both read and contribute We have changed the questions we traditions of men, even traditions that and thus live to fight other battles. ask and the way we ask them. The New once were good and beneficial. The But the New Testament gives us an to the dissemination of Biblical ideas.” Testament is domi nated by questions pressure to embrace traditionalism evangelicalism which must actively seek such as “Who is Jesus Christ?” and remains whenever we make it a priority to draw the line forward. “What has he done for us?”. The ques - in our thinking and action to remain Historically, liberalism springs tion it asks concerning human experience recognisably Anglican, at the expense of direct ly from evangelicalism. Without is “What must I do to be saved?”. remaining recognisably evangelical. the unflinching exposition, teaching and Contents Union with Christ is not ‘an’ application of the doctrine of the New experience, but a permanent, historical Moving the line backwards Testament, uncontrolled by denom in a - reality created by Christ himself which The third threat is that we keep on tional concerns in the opposite direc - John Chapman on we enter into when we cast up our faith shifting the line backwards in order to tion, evangelicalism loses its roots and our surprising gospel page 2 into him. How does that experience remain within Anglicanism, and so we is sunk. feel ? It involves ‘suffering’ and ‘trust’ in hope be heard as evangelicals. It is odd It is the hope of the Directors of the John Woodhouse on the promises of God. that we are rejoicing over Lambeth’s Australian Church Record that even if the ‘beasts’ challenging Last May, at the Synod Conference move against allowing practising homo - you do not share our opinions, you will on Women’s Ministry, both sides of the sexuals to be ordained, when there are find the paper helpful in understanding evangelicals page 5 women’s ordination debate were asked many, more central, teachings of Holy our evangelical concerns. questions concerning biblical exegesis. Scripture that our denomination has It’s time (again): It was a major departure from classical, progressively watered down, ignored or the Lay Administration agenda page 8 biblical evangelicalism when speakers denied outright over the last 200 years: Barry Newman on the Prayer Book bishop page 10 Mark Thompson on UEC conference on church planting real Biblical authority page 15 Dave Thurston Joshua Ng on rom 4-7 May, 500 people work was hard. It encouraged people to misreading Scripture page 15 from all over Australia think creatively. F and from many denom - Some 50 elective workshops were inations came together with just two offered on topics such as ‘Large church Peter Bolt discovers that things on their mind—evangelism and evangelism and church planting’, Spong is right page 15 church planting. ‘Evangelistic Church Planters: training The conference, “Evangelising and selecting’, ‘Starting From Scratch’, Uncommon Christianity Australia Through Church Planting”, ‘Marketplace Christianity’, and ‘Evan - in a post-denominational age page 3 was hosted by the United Evangelistic gel ism in the post-modern age’. Council of New South Wales. The UEC Frank Retief told the story of what Views from the UK: is a group of evangelistically-minded God had done through church planting John Richardson on Lambeth page 4 people from a range of denominations in South Africa. He reminded us over David Höhne overhears who have organised evangelistic events and over again that evangelism is theologians discussing the trinity page 6 throughout the years, notably the Billy a deadly serious business. Telling the Graham Crusades. gospel is no game—there is a heaven to Problems and solutions for women in ministry page 7 Heads of denominations attended forfeit and a hell to pay. Fear of Flying: bishops on the move page 11 the opening banquet. The conference Although the talks and workshops David Jackman expounding Ephesians Was Lambeth a moment of hope? page 11 heard from Sydney’s Phillip Jensen, were valuable, I found the morning tea at the UEC conference. Frank Retief from South Africa and and afternoon tea were some of the Colette Read wonders David Jackman, Principal of the most productive and strategic times of we are to hold true to the plan of God whether God is in our Bibles page 11 Cornhill Training College in London. the whole conference. Getting to know and aim to change our culture then we Church planting in the US page 12 Interviews with church planters people, networking and wrestling with need good churches side by side all over about their church plants and the issues that were raised in the talks made the place, reaching into our world with Andrew Heard planting on the coast page 12 problems they encountered shifted the these times a highlight. the gospel. John Lavender on focus from theory to practice. The I came away from the conference Church planting is often seen as Christians who won’t keep quiet page 13 practices of church planting turned out thinking that so often our vision is only threatening, and church planters often to be many and varied. as big as our own short-sightedness. face hostility from established churches. Leslie Ramsey on the future of our children page 13 Ivan Lee, rector of St Aiden’s Church planting is now on the national However, it seems to me that church Bangkok News: The Gabbotts page 14 Anglican Church, Hurstville, said hear - and denominational agenda. Planting planting will only be a threat if we are ing the problems people had planting churches will happen, it’s not a quest - not doing it. Gary Koo asks: can a Christian vote One Nation? page 14 churches was encouraging and enabling ion of when it will happen, but who No need to pray for guidance— and helped people to see the potential will do it. God wants it. The question is, will we Bill Salier and Greg Clarke on for church planting, even though the The conference made me see that if be involved? the hopes of the new millennium page 16 The Australian Church Record 2 A Su rprising Gospel! Justification by John Chapman faith: still on n 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 Thessalonica but we do have a summary tell people about it. St Paul’s heart I we are told about a model of what he said in similar circumstances res ponse to the gospel. in Athens (see Acts 17: 16-33). The biggest surprise of all This year St Paul’s, Carlingford When Paul writes to the Thessalonians In our own time we must come to Did you notice how the judgment day hosted two days devoted to he commends them because their terms with the fact that all religious was described? Paul says “delivered the discussion of the doctrine response is such that ‘everywhere’ people views are not equally valid.

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