The ‘must read’ Christian book of the year?
Mark Thompson gives notice of what he thinks will be the ‘must read’ Christian book of the year:
“Graeme’s convictions about the authority of Scripture, its dual authorship, its profound and textured unity, its Christological centre, and its vital relevance for all who want to know God and to live as his forgiven people are not only expressed but explained with all the care and skill of this master teacher.”
“All over the world Moore College is known for its approach to biblical theology. Biblical theology in this sense is attention to the unfolding unity of Scripture with its focus on the fulfilment of God’s promises in Jesus Christ. It has proven to be not only a productive way to see how the parts are related in an overarching whole, but also an aid to responsible application of individual narratives. Before jumping straight from the story of, say, David and Goliath, to our situation today, that story is located in the unfolding purposes of God. We see God’s anointed deliverer winning the battle against the enemies of his people while the beneficiaries enjoy the victory without achieving it themselves. Seen in this light, the story of David and Goliath anticipates the victory of Christ on the cross, a victory won for us rather than by us. Read more
Carl Trueman reviews The Iron Lady
“Yet the greatness of the film lies not in its depiction of Mrs Thatcher’s life; indeed, it is not really a conventional biopic at all. It lies rather in its portrait of the merciless cruelty of old age and the omnipresent tragedy of mortality that lies at the heart of the human condition…”
– At Reformation21. Worth pondering.
‘Betraying problem gamblers’
“It is a serious moral problem to make a promise and then wilfully break it, as Prime Minister Julia Gillard has done,” says Melbourne Bishop Philip Huggins.
– Media release at Anglican Media Melbourne.
‘A Christmas message based on the prophetic lyrics of Mr Roy Wood’
“This Christmas-creep cultural shift seems to indicate three things about society: we have more money (or at least more access to credit) than was the case thirty years ago; we are increasingly obsessed with ‘treating ourselves’; and the boundary between adulthood and childhood has become blurred to the point of near erasure …”
– Carl Trueman has a thoughtful Christmas reflection at Reformation 21.
A Threat to World Anglicanism?
“… she predicts the imminent demise of Sydney Anglicanism in its present form, claiming that it will be brought down by a combination of financial mismanagement, the failure of the current leadership to ensure an equally committed succession and the general fatigue of Sydney lay people, who apparently want their diocese to look more like Perth or Melbourne. …”
– from Gerald Bray’s editorial in the Winter 2011 issue of Churchman. (PDF file.)
His demands are not burdensome
A Christmas reflection from Peter Brain, Bishop of Armidale:
‘He was born outside a small hotel in an obscure Jewish village in the great days of the Roman Empire. The story is usually prettified when we tell it Christmas by Christmas, but it is really rather beastly and cruel. The reason why Jesus was born outside the hotel is that it was full and nobody would offer a bed to a woman in labour, so that she had to have her baby in the stables, and cradle him in a cattle-trough. The story is told dispassionately and without comment, but no thoughtful reader can help shuddering at the picture of callousness and degradation that it draws.’ So wrote J I Packer in his classic Knowing God (1973).
Christmas reminds us of our sin, of that there is no doubt. We needed saving and continue to do so. The fact that we seek to beautify these ugly facts of the Christmas event, and continue to trivialise their importance with a range of activities that leave us too exhausted to reflect and rendered unable to grasp its seriousness by our round of trivial festivities, demonstrates our propensity to crowd God out. Read more
Christopher Hitchens obituary by Douglas Wilson
“Christopher knew that faithful Christians believe that it is appointed to man once to die, and after that the Judgment. He knew that we believe what Jesus taught about the reality of damnation. He also knew that we believe—for I told him—that in this life, the door of repentance is always open.…”
– Douglas Wilson has written this obituary for Christianity Today. (Photo: Wikipedia.)
What’s next for New York Churches
“Don’t Leave Our Church Homeless” read the signs distributed during Thursday’s press conference outside New York City Hall. More than 60 churches in New York meet in public schools for their Sunday services. When the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear their appeal this week, the churches learned they will need to find a new location before February 12. …
“It’s ironic,” one Brooklyn city official commented at Thursday’s press conference, “that the Klu Klux Klan can meet freely in public schools, but churches, who were the backbone of the civil rights movement, are not allowed.”
– John Starke, the new pastor of All Souls Christian Church in the Upper West Side of New York, asks for prayer for his church and more than five dozen others. (h/t Carl Trueman.)
Love, marriage and the homosexual agenda
“As I write this, the Australian Labor Party has decided to amend its political platform to include a commitment to change the legal definition of marriage.
Under intense pressure from the Greens, with whom they formed a coalition after the last election delivered a hung parliament, from its own left faction, and from a bold and confident gay lobby which has mounted a very sophisticated publicity campaign, the Labor Party has endorsed a right of same sex unions to style themselves ‘marriages’. In a largely successful attempt to claim the moral high ground (an astonishing thought in itself) this world-wide campaign has adopted the slogan ‘marriage equality’.
It should be abundantly clear that this is not about providing financial and legal security for homosexual relationships…”
– ACL President Mark Thompson writes at Theological Theology to explain why opposing changes to marriage is an act of love.