{{Short description|Australian Christian author and writer|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Use British English|date=August 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} '''Gordon Cheng''' is an Australian Christian author and writer. He is a Bible teacher at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, employed by the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students. Prior to this he was Campus Director (Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students) with the Cumberland Campus of Sydney University. For several years he was the Resources Editor of Matthias Media (a non-denominational Christian publisher based in Sydney).<ref>''Sydney Morning Herald'', "Letters to the Editor", 30 March 2006. Accessed via Factiva on 6 April 2007.</ref><ref name="MM">Matthias Media, [http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/our_people.php "Our people"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070501003747/http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/our_people.php |date=1 May 2007 }}. Accessed 7 April 2007.</ref> He is also an Anglican presbyter (or priest) in the Diocese of Sydney.
==Early life== Cheng is of Swedish and Chinese descent,<ref>Daily Telegraph, [http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20490198-5009120,00.html "I must commit to multiculturalism"], 28 September 2006. Accessed 7 April 2007.</ref> Cheng was ordained in the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne.
==Work== Cheng worked for 10 years as a senior staff worker with the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students at the University of Melbourne and then ministered at a number of churches in Sydney. He was employed by Matthias Media from February 2004 to January 2009 to work on their resources other than its flagship magazine, ''The Briefing''.<ref name="MM" />
Cheng is also an active member of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. He ministers at St Paul's Church, Carlingford,<ref>St Paul's Anglican Church, Carlingford, [http://www.crosswayanglican.org/about-us/staff-team/ "St. Paul's Anglican Church, Carlingford: Ministry Team"] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130823034239/http://www.crosswayanglican.org/about-us/staff-team/ |date=23 August 2013 }}. Accessed 8 April 2007.</ref> and from 2004 to 2006 he was involved in the "Cumberland University Church", ministering to the Cumberland Campus of Sydney University.<ref>St Paul's Anglican Church, Carlingford, [https://web.archive.org/web/20050616020629/http://www.stpaulscarlingford.org.au/meetings_CUC.htm "Welcome to St. Paul's: Cumberland Unichurch"]. Accessed 16 June 2005.</ref>
==Writings== Cheng is the author of several books and other resources published by Matthias Media, including the ''Pathway Bible Guides'' Bible study series, and his first book/multimedia publication with Matthias,<ref>Matthias Media, [http://solapanel.org/author/gordoncheng/ "The Sola Panel:Gordon Cheng"]. Accessed 22 November 2008.</ref> the ''Six Steps to Encouragement'' course.<ref>Anglican Diocese of Sydney, [http://your.sydneyanglicans.net/culture/reading/encouragement_how_words_change_lives_gordon_cheng/ "Book Review: Encouragement: How Words Change Lives – Gordon Cheng"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429160545/http://your.sydneyanglicans.net/culture/reading/encouragement_how_words_change_lives_gordon_cheng/ |date=29 April 2007 }}, 1 November 2006. Accessed 7 April 2007.</ref> He is an associate of the Anglican Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen, and has edited several of his books.
Since the mid-1990s, Cheng has also written numerous articles for ''The Briefing'', a popular evangelical journal distributed in Australia, England and the United States. He is a critic of the ordination of women to the priesthood<ref>Cheng, Gordon, [http://www.news.com.au/sundaytelegraph/opinion/story/0,,20642813-5001031,00.html "Women priests not welcome"], ''Sunday Telegraph'', 26 October 2006. Accessed 8 April 2007.</ref> and homosexuality and has written on the priority of Christian ministry over secular work.
Cheng sends numerous letter to online and print media, some of which were published in the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' and other newspapers,<ref>See for example, The Age, "Letters to the Editor: A risk ally for a holy war", 26 August 2003; The Australian, "Letters to the Editor: Irrelevance stalks Anglicans", 29 November 2003; Sydney Morning Herald, ''"Letters to the Editor: Sifting the Facts and Fallacies of Climate Change"'', 16 June 2004; Sydney Morning Herald, ''"Letters to the Editor: Jensen inspires disgust and hostility – but so did Jesus"'', 15 October 2004; Sydney Morning Herald, ''"Letters to the Editor: Greedy media play the game by their own rules"'', 9 May 2006. All articles accessed via Factiva on 8 April 2007.</ref> and he posts regularly on many websites and forums, including the Sydney diocese's "Sydney Anglican"s website where several of his articles have also been published.<ref>Anglican Diocese of Sydney, ''[http://your.sydneyanglicans.net/authors/Gordon%20Cheng "SydneyAnglicans: Authors: Gordon Cheng"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825165904/http://your.sydneyanglicans.net/authors/Gordon%20Cheng |date=25 August 2007 }}''. Accessed 8 April 2007.</ref> He has also posted on the Ship of Fools website. His posts defended the actions of a church which was the subject of a defamation lawsuit, involving the sacking of a female lay worker.<ref>Totaro, Paola, ''[http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/church-public-relations-blogs-up-discussion-about-the-doctor-andthe-vicar/2006/03/29/1143441215880.html "Church public relations blogs up discussion about the doctor and the vicar"]'', Sydney Morning Herald, 30 March 2006. Accessed 8 April 2007. The claims in the article that Matthias Media was the "Anglican public relations organ" of the Diocese were disputed in the following day's Letters to the Editor. See note 1 above.</ref> More recently, Cheng has been a guest opinion writer for Sydney's ''Daily Telegraph'' and ''Sunday Telegraph'' newspapers, writing opinion pieces on religious and ethical issues, including Lent,<ref>Cheng, Gordon, [http://www.news.com.au/sundaytelegraph/opinion/story/0,,21301840-5001031,00.html "Give up giving up"], ''Sunday Telegraph'', 28 February 2007. Accessed 8 April 2007.</ref> euthanasia,<ref>Cheng, Gordon, ''[http://www.news.com.au/sundaytelegraph/opinion/story/0,,21180927-5001031,00.html "Are you sure enough to kill?"]'', Sunday Telegraph, 6 February 2007. Accessed 8 April 2007.</ref> and racism,<ref>Cheng, Gordon, ''[http://www.news.com.au/sundaytelegraph/opinion/story/0,,21272685-5001031,00.html "Is questioning racist?"]'', Sunday Telegraph, 23 February 2007. Accessed 8 April 2007.</ref> In late 2006 he was also enlisted by ''Daily Telegraph'' columnist Piers Akerman to be a guest writer for a Muslim-Christian debate run by the paper on multiculturalism; others participating included Lebanese Muslim representative Keysar Trad.<ref>Akerman, Piers, ''[http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/piersakerman/index.php/dailytelegraph/2006/09/ "Piers Akerman: The hate which makes multiculturalism a huge issue"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101035400/http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/piersakerman/index.php/dailytelegraph/2006/09/ |date=1 November 2007 }}'', Daily Telegraph, 29 September 2006. Accessed 8 April 2007.</ref><ref>Daily Telegraph, ''[http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/yoursay/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/why_i_must_commit_to_multiculturalism/ "Why I must commit to multiculturalism"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080129213754/http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/yoursay/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/why_i_must_commit_to_multiculturalism/ |date=29 January 2008 }}'', 28 September 2006. Accessed 8 April 2007.</ref>
==Personal life== Cheng is married and has three children.<ref name="MM" />
==References== {{reflist|2}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheng, Gordon}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Australian journalists Category:Australian male journalists Category:Living people Category:20th-century Australian Anglican priests Category:Clergy from Sydney Category:21st-century Australian Anglican priests Category:Moore Theological College alumni Category:Australian people of Chinese descent Category:Australian people of Swedish descent