Church Matters from 9Marks: Vol 4, Evangelism
The latest issue of Church Matters from 9Marks focusses on the question of evangelism –
What is a biblical understanding of evangelism?
Is every Christian expected to evangelise?
Does expository preaching speak to unbelievers as well as believers?
This and much more in the latest edition, available from 9Marks.
The 39 Articles Are A Beautiful Guide To Orthodoxy — If Only The Bishops Agreed
“I’ve recently been in correspondence with a bishop who is quite influential in the process surrounding the Prayers of Love and Faith. It has led to a revealing conversation around Article 26 of the 39 Articles of Faith.
The 39 Articles are a brief and condensed statement of what Anglican Christians believe and teach. The English Reformers compiled these carefully summarised statements of biblical theology to guide and guard our identity in Christ.
Adopted by the Church of England in 1571, the 39 Articles assist believers in thinking, discussing, applying, and sharing “the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3). These theological principles remain relevant for our spiritual health and maturity as we follow Jesus Christ today.
The discussion arose because a parish passed a resolution …”
– This opinion piece at Anglican Futures by “a member of the clergy in the Church of England” is a reminder of the importance of the Articles of Faith, and reading them in context.
See also:
Mr Facing Both Ways
“In his book The Pilgrim’s Progress John Bunyan refers to a character called ‘Mr Facing Both Ways.’
As I reflected on the events of the past year and where they have left the Church of England it struck me that Bunyan’s name for this character is also an apt description of the current position of the Church of England.
On the one hand, the Church of England officially continues to adhere to (a) the traditional Christian doctrine of marriage and sexual ethics, and (b) the traditional Christian doctrine that visible holiness of life should be required of Christian ministers.
On the other hand, since 17 December last year it has contradicted (a) in terms of its liturgical practice. Furthermore, it seems certain that action by the House of Bishops will mean that in the coming year the Church of England will contradict traditional Christian doctrine further in area (a) and will also contradict it in area (b) as well. …”
– Martin Davie looks at the current situation in the Church of England and suggests how orthodox Evangelicals should respond.
Defining Moments: My Copernican Revolution (Ephesians 1)
Moore College’s Dr Lionel Windsor spoke at Auckland Evangelical Church on Sunday evening. His topic?:
“Defining Moments: My Copernican Revolution (Ephesians 1).”
– Listen here, and also see the slides.
The Desecration of Man
“This year marks the eightieth anniversary of the lectures that became C. S. Lewis’s book The Abolition of Man.
Speaking to an audience at the height of the Second World War, Lewis identified the central problem of the modern age: The world was losing its sense of what it meant to be human. As man’s technological achievements were once again being used to destroy human life on an industrial scale, Lewis pointed to the dehumanization that was occurring all around. And as the war continued, the Final Solution and the atomic bomb served to reinforce his claims.
Yet modern warfare was not the only problem. As Lewis argued, the intellectual and cultural currents of modernity were also culpable. The war was as much a symptom of the problem as a cause. Modernity was abolishing man. It represented nothing less than a crisis of anthropology. …”
– There’s a great deal to contemplate in this essay from Carl Trueman at First Things.
This essay was originally delivered as the 36th Erasmus Lecture at Grove City College on 31st October 2023.
Photo: Carl Trueman, courtesy Grove City College.
Why Jesus Came — Devotional from John Piper
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14-15)
“This, I think, is my favorite Advent text because I don’t know any other that expresses so clearly the connection between the beginning and the end of Jesus’s earthly life — between the incarnation and crucifixion.
These two verses make clear why Jesus came …”
– A wonderful reminder, via John Piper.
Image: Ornaments by Lacewing Creative in Sydney.
It’s more awkward to reject the virgin birth
“Around this time of year, you will begin to find folks who insist we don’t need to believe in the virgin birth. After all, the Hebrew word almah, found in Isaiah 7:14 pointing forward to the coming Messiah, can mean maiden or young woman. So, can’t we just accept that the Messiah would be born to a young woman and avoid all the awkwardness of defending weird stuff like virgin births?
There are a number of problems with taking this line. …”
– At Building Jerusalem, Stephen Kneale, minister at an evangelical church in Oldham, near Manchester, affirms the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus.
Link via Tim Challies.
Why the Post-Christian West is eagerly pursuing ‘Skynet’-Level AI
“OpenAI (chatGPT’s parent company) exists to develop ‘Skynet’-level Artificial Intelligence. Or more specifically, a safe version of AI as intelligent as Skynet. In their founding charter, they write:
OpenAI’s mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI)—by which we mean highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work—benefits all of humanity. We will attempt to directly build safe and beneficial AGI.
And if the recent ousting then return of OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman is any indication, they’re making progress. The ABC reported on Sunday:
Ahead of Altman’s ousting, several staff researchers wrote to the board of directors warning of a powerful discovery that they said could threaten humanity, according to Reuters. …”
– Akos Balogh writes at The Gospel Coalition Australia.
Truth Be Told — Lionel Windsor on God’s Story Podcast
With current world events, there’s a great need for truth, and plenty of propaganda to mislead.
Moore College lecturer (and ACL Council member) Lionel Windsor speaks with the God’s Story Podcast about his forthcoming book Truth Be Told: Living Truthfully in a Post-Truth World.
“How do we live truthfully in a post truth world? Why are we in a post truth world and what is a post truth world anyway?”
Among other things, Lionel explains why the printing of his book has been delayed. It illustrates the theme of the book!
– Listen here. 30 minutes.
The Bible’s answer to poverty – with David WIlliams
A thought-provoking episode of The Pastor’s Heart:
“Poverty is fundamentally relational says David WIlliams.
What might a theology of caring for the poor look like?
The Bible’s terms for the poor (widow, orphan and alien) are all relational terms which describe someone who has lost relationships and as a result have lost connection with the land.
David and his wife Rachel started serving as missionaries in Nairobi, Kenya in 1999. David now serves as Principal of the Australian Church Missionary Society Training College St Andrew’s Hall, where Australian missionaries are trained for six months, before heading out to the field.
David has just given a provocative paper at the Anglican Aid conference at Sydney’s Moore Theological College and has agreed to come in and discuss it.
The issue for David is not just academic, with his first significant engagement with poverty, starting when working in the slums of Nairobi 20-plus years ago.”
Related:
What’s your Hope? — Revelation 21 and 22
As the Moore College academic year (its 167th) draws to a close, Principal Dr. Mark Thompson preached on Revelation chapters 21 and 22 at the last College Chapel Service.
He lifts our eyes to God’s ultimate purposes. Most encouraging.
Related:
The Summer 2023 edition of Moore Matters is now up on the College website.
The Priscilla & Aquila Annual Conference 2024 – Following Christ as men and women
From Moore College:
“Our 2024 P&A annual conference theme is ‘Following Christ as men and women’. Moore faculty member Andrew Leslie will unpack this topic in our morning plenary sessions. Understandably, much of our interest in the Bible’s teaching about men and women is centred on what it means in practice. In the morning plenary sessions, Moore College faculty member Andrew Leslie wants to take a step back from these practical concerns and reflect on the wisdom of this teaching. He’ll begin by exploring how the depiction of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden echoes the pattern of creation itself set out in Genesis 1. Reflecting on this pattern will shed much light on the nature of God and the complementary vocation he has given us as his image bearers. In his second talk, Andrew will take us to the New Testament where the same pattern underlays its description of Christ’s relationship to his people and the life of the church itself.
Our afternoon electives will further unpack the theme of ‘Following Christ as men and women’, with Clare Deeves sharing her PhD research about things to consider when men and women work together on a ministry team. Moore’s dean of Women Susan An and Senior Pastor of The Bridge Church Paul Dale will look at when we disagree with each other about complementarianism while being on the same staff team. Other electives include gender considerations in South Asian ministry; fatherhood; teaching the woman at the well in John 4; and if there are reasons for making different theological decisions than the Apostles.”
– See the details and book via the College website.
The blood that brings peace
“As the Israel-Gaza war rages, with all the tragic death and suffering it entails, many pressing concerns naturally spring to our minds.
Why is the situation so dire?
Who is to blame for the suffering?
And what are our political leaders doing about it?
I can’t begin to answer all these questions in this short article. But I want to point us to something that will help us: the cross of Jesus Christ. How does it help? I’m convinced that the message of the cross gives us a deep foundation and a vital framework for making sense of issues of conflict in our world as well as in our lives. …”
– A timely reminder – from Lionel Windsor at The Australian Church Record.
On Sexuality, Justification, and Sanctification
“There were many speeches made in favour of the Prayers of Love and Faith at the November session of the General Synod which raised my eyebrows. The prize for the most ludicrous, however, goes to …”
– Michael Hayden clears up some nonsense which was evident at the Church of England’s General Synod earlier this month.
In doing so, he points us to the beauty of the gospel.
Image: John Calvin by Hans Holbein the Younger
Getting the time right
“It’s awful when you get the time wrong. Missing a meeting, a party, a flight. I’ve done all those things at various points and it’s not a nice feeling!
It’s important to get the time right. There’s no point applying for a position which has already been filled, or waiting for a bus which has already gone.
But imagine getting the time wrong, not just for little things like that, but for your lifetime: living one’s whole life prioritising one thing, when actually the purpose of that lifetime was something else entirely. It is something which is very possible to do and many, many people have done it. …”
– Annabel Nixey writes at The Australian Church Record.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…