St. Helen’s — Mark’s Gospel Tool Kit
“Andrew Sach introduces tools to help understand Mark’s Gospel in this month’s St Helen’s Training.”
– See this month’s two videos from Andrew Sach, as well as earlier overviews of Mark’s Gospel by Charlie Skrine, at the St. Helen’s website.
Rob Bell, Andrew Wilson and presuppositions about Christianity and homosexuality
“In a recent episode of Unbelievable, Andrew Wilson and Rob Bell have an engaging dialogue about the legitimacy of homosexual relationships within Christianity. …”
– Trevin Wax has a response and also the video from Premier Christian Radio in the UK.
Themelios Volume 38, Issue 1
The latest issue of the theological journal Themelios (Volume 38, Issue 1) was released at the end of April. A 2.4MB download – from The Gospel Coalition.
The Lifeguard
“The day had seemed to start quite well,
The ‘sea of life’ a gentle swell.
When all at once I felt a change,
The world around was growing strange. …”
– Take the time to read “The Lifeguard”, by John Richardson.
‘Why Expository Preaching is a bad idea’
Albert Mohler, at a 9 Marks conference at Southern Seminary, traces the history of the loss of confidence in preaching the text of the Bible. Well worth listening.
(h/t Colin Adams.)
The Stewardship of Words
“Truth, life, and health are found in the right words. Lies, disaster, and death are found in the wrong words. …
Theological education is a deadly serious business. The stakes are so high. A theological seminary that serves faithfully will be a source of health and life for the church, but an unfaithful seminary will set loose a torrent of trouble, untruth, and unhealth upon Christ’s people…”
– In this excerpt from an address at the inauguration of a Seminary President, Albert Mohler speaks of the key task of theological education.
It’s also a good reminder to pray for Moore College, and for Mark Thompson as he becomes Principal later this month. His Installation is on Thursday 6th June.
The Once and Future Scriptures
“Over the past decade or so some really very fine books on the nature and use of Scripture have been produced. My mind immediately runs to Tim Ward’s Words of Life: Scripture as the Living and Active Word of God (Nottingham: IVP, 2009), John Webster’s Holy Scripture: A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), and Graeme Goldsworthy’s Gospel-centred Hermeneutics (Nottingham: IVP, 2006).
Perhaps surprisingly, these have all been written by Anglicans (and other Anglicans could have been added to the list). Even more surprisingly, none of these have been referenced in the collection of essays recently produced by a group of Brisbane Anglicans entitled The Once and Future Scriptures: Exploring the Role of the Bible in the Contemporary Church (Salem: Polebridge, 2013). In fact, a lot of recent serious scholarship on the doctrine of Scripture and its place in the Christian life and the life of the churches is missing from the book…”
– Dr Mark Thompson’s review of a new book gives an insight into what some Australian Anglicans are being taught about the Bible.
Thoughts on Sexuality and Gender
John Richardson in the UK has been thinking theologically about sexuality and gender in the context of the current push for ‘same-sex marriage’.
It’s worth taking some time to read his latest posts at The Ugley Vicar.
Packer’s testimony to the reality of weakness
Dr J I Packer speaks about his experience of weakness in this short video to introduce his forthcoming book on 2 Corinthians, Weakness Is the Way: Life with Christ Our Strength.
h/t Justin Taylor.
The Parable(s) of the Lost Sheep
Dr Barry Newman continues to blog about well-known Bible passages, and he’s just finished writing on The Parable(s) of the Lost Sheep. Helpful for preachers and anyone wanting to tease out the meaning of Scripture.
“The parable of the lost sheep, that wonderful story told to so many Sunday School children over the centuries, is not as innocent and lovely as it might first appear. …
The parable is recorded in two of the Gospels: Matthew 18:10-14 and Luke 15:3-7.”