The best ideas are common property
When I moved from Queensland to New South Wales in 1998, it took some time for the NSW Baptists to credential me. In Queensland, where I had been engaged in church planting, the denomination moved quickly to accredit me as a minister of religion so that I could be licensed as a marriage celebrant. It was …
Continue reading "A statement of beliefs commonly held by Baptists"
An address to the Baptist Historical Society of NSW by Rev. Rod Benson, 4 November 2010. Part of the large crowd gathered to listen to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's historic apology speech to members of the Stolen Generations in Canberra, 14 February 2008. Introduction The year is 1968, the year of my birth. There are …
Continue reading "A short history of the NSW Baptist Social Issues Committee"
Inaugural Assembly of the Uniting Church of Australia at Sydney Town Hall, June 1977. Historically, Baptists have affirmed the ecumenical creeds as normative in terms of doctrinal congruence with Scripture but have also emphasised liberty of conscience regarding all matters of faith and conduct. Generally, Baptist denominations and associations have been reluctant to impose creeds …
A few years ago, while browsing Dogmatic Theology by W. G. T. Shedd, a friend expressed surprise that such a book was in print today. To be fair, the book was originally published in three volumes from 1888-1894, and the title dates from that period. It seemed somehow out of place in the 2020s. In theology, the word …
On 19 May 2015 I was asked by a leader of a large NSW Baptist Church to provide advice on possible "biblical grounds" for a request by the church to exclude a person from attending services and other local church events. The person in question (let's call him "Dave") was formerly an active member of …
Continue reading "Should the church shun released prisoners?"
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