The Nameless One
Carl Trueman writes about the ‘young, restless and reformed movement’ – and more – at Reformation21. –
“One striking and worrying aspect of the movement is how personality oriented it is. It is identified with certain big names, rather than creeds, confessions, denominations, or even local congregations…
Often cults of personality can degenerate in short order into cults, pure and simple, especially when every word of the guru figure becomes virtual Holy Writ…”
Update:
Tim Challies writes of this article –
“I had something else to post today but wanted to put it on hold for a day or two so I can draw your attention to what I consider a very important article… In the past few months I’ve sat down again and again to write out some of my thoughts about the whole Young, Restless, Reformed movement we are experiencing today. But never have I quite been able to convey my thoughts on it as clearly and succinctly as I’d like. I’ve wanted to share both praise for what God is doing and misgivings for what I think we, the church, are doing poorly. Never was I able to strike the balance, so I just left it rotting in my drafts folder.
Trueman, though, has nailed it. …”
815’s Day of Reckoning approaches
(‘815’ is the nickname for the TEC’s headquarters at 815 Second Avenue, New York.)
“[San Joaquin, Fort Worth, Pittsburgh and Quincy] are the four dioceses which have thus far voted to leave the Church, and each departure has spawned a lawsuit. ECUSA from the beginning has adopted a high-stakes, winner-take-all strategy which depends for its success on its ability to prove in court the proposition that a diocese is not free to withdraw from the voluntary unincorporated association which ECUSA has been since its formation at common law in 1789…
The fact is that ECUSA has never – until now – had to prove its unwritten prohibition against leaving in a court of law. But there are four court cases currently pending in which it will have to do so, sooner or later…”
– Christian lawyer A.S. Haley writes at Anglican Curmudgeon.
Image adapted from the TEC donation website.
9Marks eJournal on Church Discipline
“Western culture doesn’t seem to understand tough love. Love today means unconditional acceptance. If you love me with conditions, you don’t love me. You’re judgmental and intolerant.
God knows better. He knows we’re finite and fallen. Therefore, his love challenges us at the very points of our finitude and fallenness for our good, and that’s not comfortable.
Church discipline is just such an uncomfortable act of tough love, which is why 9Marks would like to spend two issues of the eJournal considering this important topic…”
– Jonathan Leeman introduces the current 9Marks eJournal – on the seldom-addressed topic of church discipline. Worth reading – it’s available as a 420kb PDF file.
The Antioch dimension
“If there is to be long-term church growth today, there must be a regular, considerable amount of Christian teaching, as well as extensive evangelism. How else can the Lord’s commission of Matthew 28:19, 20 be fulfilled, if there is not a comprehensive explanation and application of the Lord’s doctrinal and moral teaching?…”
– In the last issue of Cross†Way, David Hilton reflects on how followers of the Way became to be known as ‘Christians’. PDF file from Church Society.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…