Centre for Christian Living in Newtown, New South Wales | Religious centre

Centre for Christian Living

Locality: Newtown, New South Wales

Phone: +61 2 9577 9956

Address: 1 King St, Newtown 2042 Newtown, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.ccl.moore.edu.au/

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25.01.2022 In-vitro fertilisation. Ovulation induction. Artificial insemination. Preimplantation genetic testing. What do all these things involve? Furthermore, as Christians seeking to live as God’s people, what should be our attitude towards them? Hear Professor Jonathan Morris and Dr Megan Best navigate the issues at our October livestreamed event. Register now via the ticketing link on our event page.... (Please note: This event is LIVESTREAM-ONLY and you must register to receive the link to view. It will not be streamed on Facebook.) https://facebook.com/events/2710731399239929/

23.01.2022 Race continues to be a hot-button issue at the moment. In the face of this ongoing concern, a woke attitude is widely encouragedthat is, a life that takes notice of and participates in seeking to squash racial injustice. Many Christians feel compelled to join this cultural agenda often in the interest of political correctness and public righteousness. But is this the best way for Christians to tackle the issue of race? In this episode, Chase Kuhn is joined by Professor Carl Trueman to discuss whether or not, under God, we should pursue woke Christian living. https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-047/

21.01.2022 The day after the surgery, it was as though nothing had happened: I was experiencing neither pregnancy symptoms, nor was I bleeding any more. The baby I had wanted was not there. All evidence of the ordeal I had been through was gone. After such a long time, it was over very suddenly. I felt really confused by it all. I was devastated that my hopes for a baby wouldn’t be fulfilled at this time. But I didn’t know if I could grieve when there never was a baby. My body had lie...d to me and told me that there was, and I had believed it. Should I be angry at my own body? Was it wrong for me to feel so sad when there could never have been a different outcome? Read more from Rachel Huntington: https://ccl.moore.edu.au//what-to-expect-when-youre-not-a/

21.01.2022 Let’s just say that you and I could press a button and all the racism in the world could disappear. It still wouldn’t deal with humanity’s major problem. I hate to use pretentious language here, but there’s a meta problemof which racism is merely a symptom or function: the meta problem is a disrupted relationship with God. We despise God and therefore we despise those made in God’s image. If we got rid of all racism, guess what? There’d still be child abuse. There’d still b...e greed. There’d still be exploitation of vulnerable people. There’d be classism or something. So we need to be careful that we don’t get so focused on the surface symptoms of sin that we actually forget the underlying problem. Hear more from Chase Kuhn's interview with Carl Trueman on the most recent episode of our podcast: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-047/

20.01.2022 Infertility is something that doesn’t just affect people who wish to have children, it also impacts their wider relationships too. How can we face infertility together as a church? How can we support Christians going through it who are seeking to be faithful? Hear Professor Jonathan Morris and Dr Megan Best speak about these issues at our October livestreamed event.... Please note: This event is LIVESTREAM-ONLY and you must register to receive the link to view. (It will not be streamed on Facebook.) https://facebook.com/events/2710731399239929/

19.01.2022 We live in an age of incredible medical advances. But not all assisted reproductive technologies are the same. How should Christians regard the options in a wise and godly way? Hear Professor Jonathan Morris and Dr Megan Best navigate the issues at our October livestreamed event by registering now via the ticketing link on our event page. (Please note: This event is LIVESTREAM-ONLY and you must register to receive the link to view. It will not be streamed on Facebook.)... https://facebook.com/events/2710731399239929/

19.01.2022 Following our recent livestreamed event on the topic of Can we live without sex?, many questions around the subject were raised. In this special episode, we welcome back our guest speakers, Dani Treweek and Chris Thomson, to answer some practical questions related to living without sexincluding, Is it wrong to desire sex and marriage if you’re single?, Why would God give us such strong desires for sex without also giving us a spouse? and If sex isn’t ultimate, is it okay to have a sexless marriage? https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-046/

18.01.2022 Over the last decade, there has been a huge investment in companies to try and help people fall pregnant. It’s obviously an area that, for some many, is emotive, it’s evocative, it’s personal, it’s poignant, and it’s real and relevant. And whenever we long for something and desire something, obviously there are people there to meet that need. Reproductive technologies have done amazing science. What they do is remarkable, and that is undeniable. But I think it was Don Carson who says that anything of value can be corrupted. Hear more from Jonathan Morris in the latest episode of our podcast: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-050/

17.01.2022 Idolatry can be confusingnot because there’s any doubt as to whether it’s a good thing or not (it’s definitely not), but because the concept is often applied these days to all kinds of actions that don’t obviously have anything to do with making statues and bowing down to them. My family can be an idol. So apparently can my work, my ministry and my devotion to the mighty Sydney Swans. But when everything can be a potential idol, does the ‘idolatry’ as a concept lose some o...f its power? Read more from Tony Payne’s interview with Phillip Jensen in the 2019 CCL annual: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/2019-annual/

17.01.2022 The perennial human temptation, of course, is to make our righteousness the important thing. There’s a real danger with anythingwokeness being just one; there are whole host of other things we could namethat we seize on our ideas and our issue, and we make that the basis of our righteousness. That Pharisaical prayer, ‘I thank you, Lord, that I am not like other men’ (Luke 18:11)that lies at the heart of us all, and some of the rhetoric coming out of the woke Christian movement is very much sort of ‘If you’re not woke like me, then you’re inadequate in some way’. Hear more from Chase Kuhn’s interview with Carl Trueman on the most recent episode of our podcast: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-047/

17.01.2022 We need to look carefully at the Bible and realise that you can be a complete human without getting married. You can be a complete human when you’re married and don’t have children. I think it’s all right for couples experiencing infertility, as we’re hinting, not to pursue IVF. There is enormous pressure in churches to have a familyto be involved with the children’s programto get the chocolate at the door of church on Mother’s Day. We have this expectation that everyone w...ill have familiesthat this is normal life. I think that we need to realise that you can have a fulfilling marriage without biological children. We haven’t even touched on the topic of adoption or foster children. There is an enormous need in Australia for foster parents. And some people would argue that it’s more ethical to adopt a child whose needing a home than to even consider having your own children, because that need is so great. How wonderful for a child with no family to be given a Christian home! So I think that it’s okay not to go down the IVF path if you’re struggling with infertility. And even though it’s enormously difficult, I think [we need] to come to terms with the fact that you can’t have your own childrenif that’s what you were hoping for. Having children is a good: it’s a gift from God. It’s a blessing. It’s okay to want those things. But it’s _not_ okay to want it at any cost, and I think we have to remember that sometimes God has plans for us that we weren’t expecting. That’s not something we can come to terms with overnight. But sometimes God is listening to our prayers and saying, ‘No, this is not a gift you will be receiving’. And we need to grieve that loss and start thinking about what else God might have in store for us. Hear more from Megan Best in the latest episode of our podcast: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-050/

15.01.2022 Infertility crops up in the Bible more often than you might expect. It’s in the stories of the patriarchs (Abraham and Sarah; Isaac and Rebekah; Jacob and Rachel), the judges (Samson’s parents; Elkanah and Hannah), the prophets (Zechariah and Elizabeth), and even the kings (David and Michal). Although in the Bible, we’re told God intervenes in many instances to bring children into his world, sometimes he does not. Certainly in present-day society, we may know of many who stru...ggle with infertility. We may even struggle with infertility ourselves. How should we Christians regard infertility? And how can we face it together as a church family faithfully, given recent developments in technology? Hear Professor Jonathan Morris and Dr Megan Best speak about these issues at our October livestreamed event. This event is LIVESTREAM-ONLY and you must register to receive the link to view. (Please note: it will not be streamed on Facebook.) https://facebook.com/events/2710731399239929/

15.01.2022 Community is challenging because, quite frankly, it involves _people_: I want something different from you; you want something different from me; and we probably all need something different than what we want. How do we meet the needs and expectations of individuals while maintaining the interest of the group? As Christians, we look to Jesus as our example: he laid aside his own interestseven his lifefor the sake of others; but in practice, this can be difficult. How are we... to get on in our churches when our churches are filled with so many different people? Come to our first event for the year when our centre director Chase Kuhn will help us think through how the Bible envisions a community that can be good for _all_. Register online at https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing?eid=685093& Household licence: $10 Group/church licence: $60 (Please note: Facebook is listing the cost incorrectly at the moment and is not allowing us to change it.)

15.01.2022 Many people of faith in Western society feel that the open or public expression of our beliefs just won’t be tolerated any longer by the powers that beby the mainstream media or the big corporations or the machinery of government. If we speak in line with our faith in a way that’s offensive or difficult, as far as others are concerned, we’re now going to get into big trouble. How should we think about this as Christians? Should we welcome it? After all, the New Testament s...ays that a little bit of persecution and hatred should be normal, as far as the faith is concerned. Or should we resist the erosion of these democratic freedomsfreedoms of belief and thought and speech? Read more from Tony Payne’s interview with Bishop Michael Stead in the 2019 CCL annual: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/2019-annual/

12.01.2022 There is nothing more grand than Jesus bringing peace between us and God. A close second, perhaps, is that Jesus also brings peace between _us_, his people, who come from all sorts of backgrounds, social statuses and ethnicities. In many wonderful ways, this peace signifies how Jesus grants us the grace to obey the greatest commandmentto love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strengthand the follow-up command to love our neighbour as ourselves. But is peace just someth...ing we know on paper? What about the real experience of life together? Unity is good when it’s good, but we all know that churches are not immune to divisions. In fact, often churches are the places where fracturing is felt most acutely. So how should we think about unity _within_ our churches? On today’s episode, Chase Kuhn follows up with Dr Peter Jensen, building on their last conversation on the unity of the church and moving from the universal to the local. They discuss how each local church relates to denominations, why relationships in church can be so tough, and how we are meant to get on together in gospel faith. https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-053/

12.01.2022 There are plenty of issues which, in a sense, are shaped by the Bible, but not determined by the Bible. So whether we baptise infants as well as adults is not determined by the Bible. Your answer will be shaped by the Bible. It depends, rather, what you think human sin is and what you think grace is. But it’s not determined by the Bible. And therefore, if people take one line and people take the other line, I believe we must be free to do so. And if it means that there are separate denominations, that’s good, not bad. It means that we can work together with the people with whom we agree on that point. Hear more from Chase's interview with Peter Jensen on the CCL podcast: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-052/

10.01.2022 In the futurein Jesus’ futurein our future with himwe as resurrected human beings will not be married to each other. And the reason for that is not only because the purpose of marriage in this creation will not carry over to the next creation, but because in the new creation, the ultimate purpose of marriage in this creation will have been fulfilled. Hear more from Dani Treweek at our August event: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-045/

10.01.2022 ‘Calling’ in 1 Corinthians 7:24 doesn’t refer to only to your work, but to your whole situation in life. And it refers to the situation you’re currently in, not some future situation God wants to move you into. It’s not something, in other words, that needs to be discerned: if you’re an accountant, that’s your calling. If you’re single, that’s your callingat least for now. If you’re able to change your situation and you want to, that’s fine. Paul says in verse 21, if you we...re a slave and you can gain your freedom, do so. But his main point is don’t think you can’t get on with serving God as a slave. Don’t wait until you gain you freedom before you start serving. And in the same way, don’t think you can’t serve God faithfully as a single person. Hear more from Chris Thomson at our August event: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-045/

09.01.2022 For centuries now, people have questioned whether or not the presence of denominations actually hurts the unity of the church. In the 20th century, there were many attempts to try to bring all Christians together. In some ways, this worked, either reconciling parties or smoothing over differences. But in many other ways, it only clarified the divide. As we think about what we should do as Christians, is it bad that we can’t agree on everything? Is unifying denominations a m...ust? _Should_ we? Today on the podcast, our guest Dr Peter Jensen speaks with Chase about unity, considering much of his own journey in helping to set up the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) as well as current events closer to home in the Anglican Church of Australia. Many have seen GAFCON as a threat to unity, but Peter and many others claim that this is actually a way for contending for the gospel. https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-052/

09.01.2022 The centre of the debate is disagreement over whether developing humans deserve to be protectedwhether they have a right to life. We’ve just seen the scientific evidence that a human life begins at the point of fertilisation, when the egg and sperm joined. This is not even vaguely controversial in scientific terms. But philosophers have influenced public debate by reframing the issue in terms of needing to protect only human persons, and arguing that personhood must be earned. This runs directly counter to the biblical notion that our value lies not in what we have done, but because of the God in whose image we’re made. Hear more from Megan Best in the latest episode of our podcast: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-050/

09.01.2022 Moore College almnus Susan An speaks about her work in Christian ministry and how her time at Moore helped her.

09.01.2022 Moore College alumnus Manoj talks about why he went to study at Moore and how studying there has benefitted God's work both locally and internationally (2:55 min).

08.01.2022 There’s a difference, isn’t there, between, say, the Orthodox, the Catholics and the Protestants, and the Mormons. That is to say, I always think in regard to our friends in the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox churches that we can cooperate in many levels, and I have certainly prayed with folk from the Roman Catholic church: I don’t say I don’t pray. We do! And together, we’ve cooperated together, because there’s a fundamental agreement on the Trinity and the deity and human...ity of Christ that, within those denomination, the truths of the gospel are there. Now, I would be critical of the way in which some things have been added and so forth and so on, and I remain critical, and I think they are important matters. But it’s not the same when you’re talking about a Mormon or a Jehovah’s Witness: they have fallen outside the mainI won’t say ‘tradition’, but the main teaching of the Bible in such fundamental matters that we must try to win them for the Lord. Hear more from Chase's interview with Peter Jensen on the CCL podcast: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-052/

06.01.2022 Is it wrong to desire marriage and sex as a single person? No, not at all. Both marriage and sex are good gifts that God has given us. They are part of this creation. They’re part of the way that we have been designed as humans to relate and to long for. And so, no, not at all: I think they’re good thingsto recognise they’re good thingsto desire for ourselves. The trick is to not get caught up in that longing. The trick is to acknowledge the grief that comes with actually... those desires _not_ being metor, at least, not being met at this stageto actually inhabit the sadness of not having received one of these good gifts, but not to be consumed by that griefnot to allow that grief to embitter us, but to actually come to God’s word and see how it helps us think about the place of living in this world where not all of our desires are met. And particularly as Christians where we embark on lives of godly obedience that are costly and sacrificial, and actually say ‘No’ to taking hold of those good gifts outside the context that God has actually designed them for. Hear more from Dani Treweek on our podcast: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-046/

05.01.2022 One of the ways that I’ve really appreciated married friends encouraging me is actually by doing exactly what we’ve just been talking about and longing for the day when Jesus returns and shaping their lives in the light of that eternal perspective. And so, I think when married people don’t live as though their goal is to see their kids growing up successfulwhen the goal isn’t to achieve family goals and family unity, but when actually as a family, they’re committed to livin...g for Jesus, putting him first, not settling down in this world, but living as justas the Bible says we are: temporary residents who are longing for an eternal homeI think all of that helps us as single people to feel like we’re not being asked to do something that isn’t just normal for every Christian. But as every Christian, we are only passing through this world; we’re all called to make sacrifices; we’re all called to suffer in different ways for the Lord Jesus. And I think when married people kind of invite us into how that looks for them as couples or families, I find that’s something that’s very encouraging towards me in my walk with Jesus as a single person. Hear more from Chris Thomson on our podcast: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-046/

04.01.2022 Moore College graduate Rachel Huntington shares her experiences of having a blighted ovum/phantom pregnancy. https://ccl.moore.edu.au//what-to-expect-when-youre-not-a/

04.01.2022 Anxiety is different from other disease and ailments, because it’s not only manifest in a physical symptoms, it’s connected to our emotions and attitudes and beliefs. Read more from Tony Payne’s interview with Paul Grimmond in the 2019 CCL annual: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/2019-annual/

04.01.2022 Hear Professor Jonathan Morris, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Sydney, and Dr Megan Best, palliative care specialist, medical ethicist, researcher and author, as they help us navigate the ethics and plethora of options available to us in the area of assisted reproductive technologies. This event is LIVESTREAM-ONLY and you must register to receive the link to view. (Please note: it will not be streamed on Facebook.) https://www.facebook.com/events/2710731399239929/

04.01.2022 Infertility is one of the most difficult challenges Christians can face. In any given church, there will be peoplefamily members, friends, fellow Bible study memberswho long to conceive, but seem unable. In a time of incredible medical advances and seemingly on-demand treatments, how should Christians think about wise and godly options? More particularly, what do Christians need to be aware of in the midst of the marketplace of assisted reproductive technologies (e.g. IVF)?... Come listen to two leading Christian doctorsProfessor Jonathan Morris and Dr Megan Beston what needs to be considered as Christians seek to face infertility faithfullywhether personally, or in support of others in our communities. This event is LIVESTREAM-ONLY and you must register to receive the link to view. (Please note: it will not be streamed on Facebook.) https://facebook.com/events/2710731399239929/

02.01.2022 As well as being one of our speakers at our October event on the topic of Facing infertility as a church family, Dr Megan Best is also a bioethicist and writer. One of her booksFearfully and Wonderfully Madedeals with the issues and questions surrounding conception and birth. Emma Thornett reviewed the book for The Briefing in 2013: http://thebriefing.com.au//child-bearing-for-the-uninitia/ Fearfully and Wonderfully Made is available from Matthias Media and other ...good Christian bookstores: https://matthiasmedia.com.au/pro/fearfully-wonderfully-made

01.01.2022 Have you registered for our October event yet? (PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT a live event on Facebook. To participate, you must register using the booking link.) https://facebook.com/events/2710731399239929/

01.01.2022 One of the differences between us and some other Christians is the attitude to tradition you’ve just spelled out. The Protestant Reformers were very much aware of the importance of submitting their understanding to the early Fathers of the churchthe Patristic period. The Anglicans were, Calvin was, and Luther. Why? Not because they regarded them as revelatory, but rather, they saw that they were the beneficiaries of 1,500 years of Bible reading. We’re the beneficiaries of ...2,000 years of Bible reading. And although the reading of the Bible by uninspired people may have proved to be wrong, yet nonetheless, you need to be very cautious about moving away from the tradition in that sense, lest you come up with an entirely wrong reading of Scripture. Hear more from Chase's interview with Peter Jensen on the CCL podcast: https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-052/

01.01.2022 I found comfort in Christ. I was encouraged by a friend to rejoice in the fact that, through trials, God makes us more like Christ. As we suffer, we learn to rely on God, because we can’t rely on ourselves. I felt as though my body had betrayed me: it had misled me and caused me both physical and emotional pain. When our very selves let us down, who can we possibly trust? Only God, who works for our good. Read more from Rachel Huntington: https://ccl.moore.edu.au//what-to-expect-when-youre-not-a/