An online survey of issues, events and ideas
Ian Carmichael / 21st October 2004
Many readers will have heard about the so-called ‘Windsor Report’, which makes recommendations about how the Anglican Church worldwide should proceed in order to try to hold together in some sort of supposed unity.
Praise God for the leadership that it is coming from the African churches: Anglican leaders who actually say what they mean and mean what they say.
Read the response of Bishop Peter Akinola (from Nigeria):
I welcome the sincerity and hard work of those who have prepared The Windsor Report 2004. After an initial reading it is clear to me that the report falls far short of the prescription needed for this current crisis. It fails to confront the reality that a small, economically privileged group of people has sought to subvert the Christian faith and impose their new and false doctrine on the wider community of faithful believers. Keep reading...
Gordon Cheng / 20th October 2004
Here's a quote from John Calvin writing in 1546. It's a quote concerning first century Corinth that could be easily applied across to any wealthy 21st century city.
[Paul] begins to apply what he had said about carnal men to the Corinthians themselves, so that they might understand that it was their own fault that the teaching of the Cross had little attraction for them. It is likely that too much self-confidence and pride still clung to their commercial minds, so that it was only with considerable reluctance and very great difficulty that they were embracing the simplicity of the Gospel. the result was that they neglected the apostle, and the divine efficacy of his preaching, and paid more attention to those teachers who were noisy and very ostentatious.
—John Calvin, The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians
Emma Thornett / 20th October 2004
Sent to us by a Briefing reader ...
The September issue of The Atlantic reports:
Monogamy is the key to a thriving sex life according to a National Bureau of Economic Research study aimed at quantifying the links among income, sex, and general happiness. Married people have considerably more sex than swinging singles and gay divorcees, and the ‘happiness maximising’ number of sexual partners in a given year is almost exactly one.
Whaddyaknow?! As regular readers of The Briefing (or arcane reports on sex) would know, this is a result that has been regularly ‘discovered’ by contemporary researchers; wonder why it doesn't sink in?
They also report that men consistently report having more sex than women. The report authors gently suggest that this discrepancy is due to ‘exaggerated memories’ among the male population!
Click here and scroll down to read the full report.
Emma Thornett / 19th October 2004
Thousands of children will come to this Christmas with a clear understanding of what they are celebrating, thanks to Special Religious Education (SRE) in their schools. Each week, more than 3000 volunteers throughout New South Wales teach young people the message of Jesus.
To ensure this great gospel work continues, Anglican Youthworks is launching its Scripture in Schools fundraising appeal on Monday 11 November 2004. Tony Willis, Director of the Training Division of Youthworks, is coordinating the appeal. He hopes that as we think of presents to give this Christmas, there will be room on the shopping list for one more: a gift to Scripture in Schools.
Gifts to Anglican Youthworks Scripture in Schools are tax-deductible. Money raised will be used for training new teachers, improving the skills of volunteers, developing new curriculum materials, and providing subsidised student activity books for those who cannot afford them.
To make a donation, call (02) 8268 3388 during business hours or go to www.youthworks.net.
Gordon Cheng / 17th October 2004
/ The ones they wouldn't publish!
It suddenly occurred to me yesterday that I might've got mixed up, and be sending my newspaper letters to the wrong e-mail address. That would explain why they never put them in! Perhaps some Nigerian e-mail scammer is sitting at his computer scratching his head, and wondering who ‘The Rev. G. Gheng’ is. I certainly managed to confuse myself in this letter about the Australian Federal election, which they shoulda published...
D'you know, I was just thinking the other day as the pamphleteers from the different political parties were standing around, having a lovely time chatting to each other on election day, how lovely it would be if all the political parties just got together and formed one big, happy political party.
Oh—hang on, excuse me, sorry—I seem to have got my ‘different religions are all the same’ monologue mixed up with my ‘politics’ rant. I'll have to get back to you.
Yours sincerely (etc)
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