Pray the Bible
Ligon Duncan and Dan Arnold, in conjunction with the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, have produced an online prayer resource based on Matthew Henry’s book A Method for Prayer.
Ligon Duncan writes that in the book, “Henry lays down an outline of a plan for prayer (Adoration, Confession, Petition, Thanksgiving, Intercession, and Conclusion) and supplies the contents of prayer from the Scriptures themselves.”
The website follows this same pattern. It’s available at matthewhenry.org. (h/t Tim Challies.)
A Further Look into ECUSA Finances
“The attorneys for ECUSA approve the expenditure of missionary funds in the areas of San Joaquin, Fort Worth and Pittsburgh. These ‘dioceses’ are not — and probably will never be, unless and until they win their respective lawsuits and gain access to the funds of the majorities who voted to leave — self-supporting, even though the dioceses which left each allowed those remnants to keep their own properties and bank accounts. But that is inadequate for them to keep their own clergy paid while the suits are pending — because all of the individual parish pledges and plate collections must go 100% to the payment of the cost of maintaining the current lawsuits. Thus there are no local funds available to pay clergy, and the helpful DFMS must step in. …”
– Christian lawyer A S Haley has been gleaning information about the Episcopal Church’s finances and over the weekend posted this article at Anglican Curmudgeon.
John Newton: Ministry on My Mind
“Over a period of 8 months, following a conversation with friends, John Newton found himself increasingly drawn to the work of the ministry. So for the six weeks which led up to his 33rd birthday (when he resolved he would make a decision) he wrote down some ‘miscellaneous thoughts’ on the subject, which have come to be published in this 25 page booklet. …”
– Paul McFarland reviews previously unpublished writings from John Newton’s private journal as he contemplated calling into pastoral ministry.
As well, former MP Jonathan Aitken commends the booklet in this video on YouTube.
‘Ministry on My Mind’ is available from The John Newton Project in the UK.
The United Church of Canada’s uncertain future
‘
It’s not the only religious organization in Canada to suffer from a lack of interest. But more than others, perhaps, the United Church has tried to find relevance and attract attention by offering what many complain is an all-inclusive, interpretive and ‘watered-down’ brand of faith. …
At least one church has become a virtual no-God zone.
Gretta Vosper is the minister at West Hill United Church in Toronto and author of With or Without God: Why the way we live is more important than what we believe. …’
– read the full article at the religion blog of the National Post.
(Photo courtesy West Hill United Church.)
Why FCA UK and Ireland?
“Let me start with my nightmare: in my negative moments it seems not just realistic but likely.
In my nightmare the Church of England, Church in Wales, Church of Ireland and Episcopal Church of Scotland continue on their gradual drift towards the apostasy of The Episcopal Church in America, so that within twenty, or maybe only ten years, it becomes virtually impossible for orthodox Christians to be ordained…”
– Vaughan Roberts, Rector of St Ebbe’s Church in Oxford, spoke at the launch of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans in the UK and Ireland last month.
His talk has now been posted at the GAFCON website. (Photo: Joy Gwaltney.)
New Director for ‘Unity, Faith and Order’
From the Anglican Communion News Service:
“The Secretary General, Canon Kenneth Kearon, has announced the appointment of Canon Dr Alyson Barnett-Cowan as Director for Unity, Faith and Order at the Anglican Communion Office. The post is a new one in the Communion… Canon Barnett-Cowan is currently Director of Faith, Worship and Ministry of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada…”
– full report from the ACNS. (Emphasis added.)
However, see also The Anglican Church of Canada: Tearing The Fabric to Shreds!
(Photo of Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan: Bruce Myers, Anglican Journal.)
A Hymn for ordinary Christians — Great is Thy faithfulness
“Our church as been trying to memorize one hymn a month for the past ten months. This month we’re working on Great is Thy Faithfulness. I had the opportunity to introduce the hymn yesterday morning and was moved by its history. Here’s what I shared. …”
– Bob Kauflin briefly recounts the story of Thomas Chisholm.
Worship God conference audio online
More audio resources: Justin Taylor has links to the mp3 files from last weekend’s WorshipGod09 Conference, organised by Sovereign Grace Ministries.
Speakers included John Piper and Thabiti Anyabwile.
In reflecting on the conference, Thabiti Anyabwile writes:
The folks at Sovereign Grace put together the best conference I know of for folks involved in leading public praise. The conference blends both concentrated attention to the word of God and workshops addressing almost every imaginable topic involved in leading worship, songwriting, playing instruments (everything but the Oboe according to C.J.), and a host of other things. It’s a wonderfully refreshing time.
Our English Bible
Church Society has reprinted a 1936 article by Harold Smith on the origins of the English Bible. It’s an introductory article covering the period before Wycliffe to the Revised Version of 1885.
It’s available as a PDF file from Church Society.
Australia — whose land?
Dr. Peter Adam, Principal of Ridley College in Melbourne, last weekend delivered the John Saunders Lecture for 2009. His topic was ‘Australia – whose land?’.
“So all lands belongs to God, and he distributed them to many nations, setting the time and places where they would live. The land is God’s land. To respect and honour God is to know that he made Australia, and to treat the existing indigenous peoples who were here in 1788 with respect. The appalling theory of terra nullius treated people as if they had no significance. This was an insult to them, and an offence against God their maker. …”
The text of his lecture has now been made available on the Ridley College website (PDF – direct link).
The historic episcopate: a response
“I appreciate the feedback on the historic episcopate, following my blog of last fortnight, reflecting upon article 3 of the ACNA constitution.
3. We confess the godly historic Episcopate as an inherent part of the apostolic faith and practice, and therefore as integral to the fullness and unity of the Body of Christ. …”
– Bishop Glenn Davies expands his earlier comments about one article of the ACNA Constitution (PDF) – at SydneyAnglicans.net. (Photo: Russell Powell.)
Bishop Stuart Robinson — encouragement in connecting
Bishop Stuart Robinson in the diocese of Canberra and Goulburn has begun recording regular video messages to help keep in touch with people across his diocese.
You can see the first one (July 2009) at YouTube.
The power of God
“The statistics concerning the Church of England continue to make grim reading. The decline in attendance has not abated, the number of clergy continues to fall and there are signs that even if there were more clergy many dioceses cannot afford to pay their stipends. The Church is also losing influence in the national life …
There is much ground for pessimism and it may be that we are witnessing the judgement of God on our Church and nation. Our first response to such things must always be to repent and to cry out to God for mercy. But we are called to do more, and part of what we must do is reform the Church. …”
– David Phillips, General Secretary of Church Society, writes the editorial in the current issue of Cross†Way. (PDF file.)
Cranmer & Hooker on the saving power of the word
“The first two of Ashley Null’s lecture series on repentance in classical Anglicanism have been superb. So far he has spent time unfolding the place and nature of repentance in Thomas Cranmer’s thinking and then in the thinking of Richard Hooker. …”
– ACL President Mark Thompson blogs about Ashley Null’s lectures.
Let’s swap bank accounts
“I once heard the following illustration from one of the finest preachers in Wales:
Two brothers were talking one day. One of them had made a great success of his business career and had amassed a fortune. The other brother had made one bad decision after another and in the end racked up debts that he had no way of paying for. …”
– A useful sermon illustration at Martin Downes’ Against Heresies.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…