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 …
The danger of dogma
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 …
Should the church shun released prisoners?
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 …
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“The vital breath of the church”: Prayer, personalism and spiritual power in the thought of G. H. Morling
Prayer, worship and intimacy with God feature strongly in George Henry Morling’s evangelical approach to spirituality. In a diary entry dated 19 August 1928, Morling famously states, “There must be a very strong stand taken for doctrinal-experimental truth.”[1] His commitment to this principle prompted him to seek a balance between what he viewed as rival extremes …
Joy Connor on Baptist social issues
This is an edited extract from an email from Joy Connor to Rod Benson received on 1 November 2010, responding to an invitation to make observations about the Social Issues Committee of the Baptist Union of New South Wales, its work, and the challenges it faced during her time as a committee member (1983-2000). …
All Told 