Culture Connections

Welcome to Culture Connections

This new ACC web section is devoted to reflections and opinion pieces on culture in contemporary society, especially about Australia and Australian churches. The three main areas will be Contemporary Issues; Film; Books and Publications.

Peter Bentley will provide regular articles for the primary benefit of the ACC Community, but if you would like to reproduce the articles in your own church or community publication (especially in an edited form), please contact Peter at the ACC office for further information.

If you have ideas for articles please contact Peter to discuss these ideas and contributions.

The photo is the main permanent memorial to Arthur Stace and his writing of the word Eternity. It is located in the St Andrew's Cathedral Town Hall Arcade (now inside Cascade Coffee Shop, near Town Hall Station).

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Faith in Foreign Films

There are several foreign language films that have been used widely in church and film discussion circles. I thought I would highlight the main ones. I note that in terms of classification, the government site is helpful in providing the classification and also reasons for its classification: http://www.classification.gov.au/Pages/Home.aspx

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Pastors in Film

Peter Bentley reviews two Christian films out on DVD (Billy: The Early Years, and The Holy Roller), and a secular film (The Sessions) - all with a common theme, namely exploring or illustrating the role of the pastor or minister. The Christian Films are available from your local Christian bookstore or Heritage HM: Click here

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Inaugural Robert Iles Lecture

More than 140 people gathered at Burnside City Church on November 7 to hear the inaugural Robert Iles Memorial Trust Lecture.
The lecture - the first in a series of five that will be presented annually - was the brainchild of the Robert Iles Memorial Trust and is a way of honouring issues close to Robert's heart and continuing his passion for the renewal of the church.
Professor Brian Edgar of Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky, USA presented an outstanding lecture entitled ‘A Tale of Two Cities' which discussed the relationship between Christ and culture; in other words, he delved into what the church needs to take into consideration when seeking to represent the gospel and share the love of God with the world.
He shared some provocative insights about what it means to know how to behave as a Christian in the Christian community we call ‘church' while also addressing the crucial context of the church's responsibilities within society as a whole.
Refreshingly, Professor Edgar addressed the issue of what Christians should reasonably expect from society at large and addressing the attitudes which can both hinder and help the renewal of the church and spreading the gospel. The full version of is available in a pdf format (click here)

Or in full word version - as web pages (note the lecture is 8150 words)

The Robert Iles Memorial Trust was honoured to have among the lecture attendees, Max Champion - Chair, Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the Uniting Church in Australia, Rob Williams - Moderator, Uniting Church in South Australia, representatives from Uniting College, Tabor College, and churches across South Australia.
The Iles family would like to thank the Trust and all those who attended the lecture. We know Robert would have been proud.

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The Master - Paul Thomas Anderson

Peter Bentley considers the latest film from director Paul Thomas Anderson (including a comment on Magnolia)

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Book Review: Teen Sex By The Book

This is a counter-culture book. It is actually refreshing to highlight the revolutionary aspects of a Christian approach to sex in a world where sex is devalued and exploited.

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Ministry Showbag

Ted Curnow provides the first bag of ideas for ministry and service.

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Preaching After Christendom

ACC Council member and Wesley Institute lecturer Rev Dr Peter Davis spoke about preaching after Christendom at the 2012 ACC conference. 

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The Grace Card - review

Peter Bentley reviews the Christian film, The Grace Card, now available on DVD and available for purchase from Christian retailers.

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Suing the Devil - review

Peter Bentley reviews the Christian filmSuing the Devil; a film made partly in Sydney with many local actors.

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