Adrian Russell

Adrian is the Senior Minister of Northmead Anglican Churches and is married to the lovely Rowena with four great kids. He studied Philosophy at UNSW, did a ministry apprenticeship at St Matthias and completed a Bachelor of Divinity at Moore Theological College. Along with playing and watching cricket, going to the movies and reading fantasy and crime novels Adrian likes to surprise people with his love of techno music and hatred of board games.

How to please people without pleasing people

  • Adrian Russell
  • 5 August 2016

When Adrian Russell came to the subject of people-pleasing in the letters of Paul, he encountered a conundrum: on the one hand, Paul says not to focus on pleasing people, but on the other hand, Paul says to please everyone in everything.

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Two observations on environmentalism

  • Adrian Russell
  • 22 April 2016

We often think that we humans have the power to destroy the earth or save the earth from certain doom. But as Adrian Russell points out, that’s because we’re forgetting two of God’s key promises.

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What prize are we trying to win?

  • Adrian Russell
  • 4 August 2015

In 1 Corinthians 9:24, the Apostle Paul urges Christians: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.” I have often heard people explain this verse as an exhortation to strive hard for salvation, to endure in faith, to persevere in love, to remain steadfast in hope, and take hold of the prize—eternal life.

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If John was Elijah is Jesus Elisha?

  • Adrian Russell
  • 27 May 2014

In Matthew 11:14, Jesus recalls the promise in Malachi 4:5, and names John the Baptist as the Elijah who was to come. If Jesus is the one who comes after John the Baptist, can we draw a parallel to the one who came after Elijah? If John is Elijah, does

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Admonition or Affirmation? Do I have to choose?

  • Adrian Russell
  • 15 November 2013

These days the word love has kind of by default come to mean something like ‘affirmation’. To love someone or something necessarily means to approve every bit of them. To disagree with some aspect of their life or character means you must hate them, or be afraid of them. (Although,

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Too different or not enough?

  • Adrian Russell
  • 4 November 2013

It’s pretty clear that Christianity (in the West in particular) has lost serious ground in terms of respect, numbers and influence in our society and culture. Things have changed a lot in the last handful of decades. Where I live (in Sydney), it’s really difficult to talk to people about

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