From the Dean

A regular article written by Phillip Jensen in his role as Dean of Sydney at St Andrew's Cathedral.

Wasting Good Intentions
25 December 2011

Christmas and New Year resolutions have a great problem in Australia – summer holidays.

Each year we hear again the great news of Jesus’ birth for our salvation and enjoy singing his praise, being with his people, hearing his message and laying our burdens before him in prayer – and then the summer holidays hit. And with the summer holidays comes a disturbance in routine and a forgetfulness of all our resolutions.

We can sing the carol “O Little...

more | christmas, holidays, New Year
Britain is Changing- Will Australia?
25 December 2011

In 2003 the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair’s atheist press secretary famously said “We don’t do God”, even though Mr Blair was known as a believer.  Apparently, in 2011 the current Prime Minister, David Cameron, is not under the same media constraint. For celebrating the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, Mr Cameron has spoken quite openly about religion in Britain. And he has gone on the attack on behalf of the Bible and Christian...

more | Australia, Britain, nation, secularism, tolerance
Christmas and Next Year
11 December 2011

Christmas season is upon us once again. A time when the year ends with a bang followed by a whimper, as we conclude with the heightened activity of Christmas followed by the long languid month of January holidays.

more | Cathedral, christmas, holidays, January
Jesus the Prophet for Muslims
30 October 2011

This week the Daily Telegraph announced that the Islamic group, MyPeace, is going to start advertising on TV. This is the group that a few months ago placed large billboards claiming, “Jesus: A prophet of Islam”.

more | advertisement, Islam, prophet
Hospitality for Heretics
23 October 2011

Hospitality is a sacred duty and joy of the Christian. 

God’s commands are unambiguous: “seek to show hospitality” (Romans 12:13); “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:9); and “Do not neglect to show hospitality”(Hebrews 13:2). In addition, hospitality is part of the qualification of the elder (1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:8).

more | false teaching, hospitality
A Christian Faces Death
16 October 2011

The Maritime Museum in Pyrmont has an exhibition of Captain Robert Scott and his Terra Nova Expedition to the South Pole. Next year marks the centenary of the sad and yet profoundly heroic deaths of Scott, Wilson, Oates, Evans and Bowers.  They succeeded in reaching the pole but were beaten by the Norwegians by a matter of days. On the return trek they all perished - the last three were only eleven miles from a food depot that could have saved them.

more | Christian, faith, Science, witness
What The Media Does Not Report
9 October 2011

In the last year, two pastors have caused sufficient international concern that the White House has spoken about them. But only one has been mentioned in the Sydney media.

Both pastors profess to lead Bible believing churches. Both have come into conflict with Islam. Both have been criticised by their own governments.

more | censorship, Islam, media, persecution
Who Are The Problem Gamblers?
2 October 2011

Recently ‘the Church’ has been criticised for not speaking out on the Federal legislation aimed to help problem gamblers cope with poker machines. It’s strange how ‘the Church’ is not to speak into the public forum unless it’s going to say what its critics want to hear.

more | churches, covetousness, gambling, government, oppression
Black and White Evangelism
25 September 2011

He was wearing a black t-shirt with white writing on it proclaiming himself a member of the atheist club. His shirt and the message it bore were stark and confronting. 

I was speaking at a lunchtime public meeting on a university campus when I saw him – or rather his shirt. There was no doubting the sincerity and earnestness with which he held his viewpoint. However, his shirt made it clear that he came not to listen, but to argue.

more | evangelism, hypocrisy
Facing the Evil of 9/11
11 September 2011

I am reading the latest John Grisham novel: The Confession.  Grisham is a writer who knows how to get the reader turning pages quickly. He usually pulls you along at a healthy pace. But in this particular novel he adds to his usual techniques, the impending execution of an innocent man. So the pages turn even faster as the reader feels there is no time to lose in solving the problem.

more | 9/11, evil, materialism, suffering
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