“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. 

The roots of this approach go back to the teaching ministry of Donald Robinson at Moore College in the 1950s through to the 1970s. He mapped out the unity of the Bible in a compelling way which captured the imagination not only of his students but later the students of his students. Graeme Goldsworthy, who learned the approach from Robinson, was a key figure in popularising it around the world through his books Gospel and Kingdom and According to Plan.

Graeme has now produced a more advanced text on the subject, one which explains the foundations and principles of the approach. To my mind this is the ‘must read’ Christian book of the year. Understanding and proclaiming the teaching of Scripture is so essential to the health of Christian living, both at a congregational and personal level, that those of us involved in any way in such ministry need regular stimulus to think hard about what we are doing. It is all too easy for us to slip into bad habits such as ignoring the immediate and larger context of the passage we are reading, imposing our own concerns upon the text of Scripture rather than allowing Scripture to determine the nature and intensity of our concerns, and, in our rush to show that the Bible really is relevant, trivialising its message by wrongheaded or overhasty application. Good biblical theology helps us to understand deeply the contribution of individual texts to unfolding message of the Bible, to discern why this particular part must be heard in its singularity, and to appreciate how the message of this passage cuts across my life, as a follower of Jesus on this side of his death, resurrection, ascension and the donation of his Spirit at Pentecost.

Readers will discover the deep theological roots of this approach. 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.

My copy just arrived today. I can’t wait to dip into it and get excited all over again by the message of God’s involvement in the world he has made to bring all things under the feet of Christ and to a fulfilment of his promises that brings unfathomable blessing. Why not join me in reading it this year?

A launch of the book is being planned for a few months’ time at Moore College in Sydney.”

– First published at Dr Thompson’s blog, Theological Theology.

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Is our theology reflected in what we do in church?

See the video at phillipjensen.com. Stimulating, as always, and a good antidote to much of the ritual and mysticism that’s common in churches.

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– Barry Newman has begun a new series of articles and outlines where he thinks it will go. Should be interesting!

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“When we talk about God’s attributes we do so to answer questions like Who is God? and What is God like? It is the way we seek to wrap our minds around just little fragments of who this God is…”

You can download the high resolution 8MB file here.

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“The Book of Hebrews daunts even the most gifted preachers and scholars. For one thing, we don’t know the author. He quotes the Old Testament at length and repeatedly, but his method of interpreting these passages doesn’t always make sense to readers. His arguments about angels, Moses, and the temple require more than cursory understanding of the Hebrew Bible.

And then there are the so-called warning passages. It might be hard at first to grasp the significance of the priest Melchizedek, but many Christians viscerally understand the practical importance of these warnings. Can I lose my faith? What if I doubt? Fail to overcome sin?

To answer these questions and more, I turned to the acclaimed scholar Peter O’Brien, professor emeritus at Moore College in Sydney, Australia…”

– read his questions and Peter’s answers at The Gospel Coalition.

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Observers of Anglicanism in Sydney have often remarked on a confident and distinctive approach to the nature and purpose of church, led by such men as Howard Mowll, TC Hammond, Marcus Loane, Donald Robinson and Broughton Knox. The source of this approach is undoubtedly the teaching of Donald Robinson and Broughton Knox at Moore College from the early 1950s until the early 1980s, though both men denied they were teaching anything unusual and could point to others who were saying similar things.

For us, nearly thirty years after the last published piece by either of them, how should we respond to the theological legacy of Donald Robinson and Broughton Knox? …”

– Read Mark Thompson’s paper at The Briefing.

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35 minute interview here. (h/t Ligonier Ministries.)

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To answer this we need to look at the key places where God gathers his people together. …”

– Phillip Jensen asks ‘What is church for?” – at The Briefing.

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“What exactly did Jude have in mind when he wrote, ‘These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm – shepherds who feed only themselves’ (NIV Jude 12)? In particular what did he mean by ‘love feasts’? This blog series will attempt to examine these and related questions…”

– see the first few posts on the topic at Barry’s blog.

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