Create a Contrast Culture in your Church
“Church leaders who stop by our little house of worship in Washington sometimes ask what we have done to produce all the discipling, evangelism, and hospitality they see. What programs are we using?”
– Jonathan Leeman at Capital Hill Baptist Church shares what they do – at The Gospel Coalition.
Toward a Biblical Theology of Marriage
John Richardson in the UK has been exploring a Biblical Theology of Marriage. Here are his posts to date –
Toward a Biblical Theology of Marriage – Old Testament
Toward a Biblical Theology of Marriage – New Testament (1)
Toward a Biblical Theology of Marriage – New Testament (2)
Worth checking out – at The Ugley Vicar.
BC cathedral congregation backs same-sex blessings
“The congregation at Christ Church Cathedral [in Victoria, British Columbia] has voted more than 90 per cent in favour of blessing married homosexual couples. … Rev. Logan McMenamie, dean of the cathedral, said he was pleased with the result of the vote and proud of the way the cathedral’s parishioners came to the decision.”
– Report from The Times Colonist. h/t Anglican Essentials Canada blog. Photo: Christ Church Cathedral.
Moore College Graduation 2013
Moore College 2013 Graduation Tuesday 12th March –
“Moore encourages you to extend this invitation to others in your church, lay members, clergy and staff.”
Strengthening the Churches: William Taylor on Acts
In a newly posted video, William Taylor at St. Helen’s in London speaks about Paul’s passion in Acts for planting and building churches.
He says it has changed his thinking about ministry and church planting. Runs for 14 minutes on Vimeo.
Good news for Braidwood
The Diocese of Canberra & Goulburn’s Bishop Stuart Robinson is continuing his ‘150th birthday [of the diocese] pilgrimage’ – and is using every opportunity to preach evangelistically.
This morning he and his wife Jane, with members of the local church, entered Braidwood and Stuart preached evangelistically in the park. He reports that more than 20 people made commitments or recommitments to Christ.
Bishop Robinson would appreciate continued prayer support (next “Bungendore, then Goulburn (Good Friday) then on Easter Saturday, Reid in Canberra and on Easter Day around Parliament House to the lawns of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture for a sunrise evangelistic service at 7.15am.”)
Photo courtesy Alex Rea at The Braidwood Times.
Page CXVI 7th anniversary giveaway
US-based Christian band Page CXVI formed seven years ago with the aim of making hymns accessible and known again –
“To celebrate our 7-year anniversary of making music, we’re giving away our entire catalog of music for the month of March…”
Indaba with an MBA?
“It would be wonderful for His Grace to take note of the grave errors and blatant misconduct of the American Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada, reflect on the evidence already provided during his predecessor’s tenure, and if, as some suspect, there is a need for the two North American Provinces to repent and return to Jesus Christ in the historic and Biblical sense, that they be called to do so and set to one side until they have.
What is not called for is making nice, photo ops, smiles and handshakes with those who have broken covenant and relationships unilaterally by their stubborn independence and arrogance.…”
– Bishop David Anderson of the American Anglican Council writes about the true nature of reconciliation and the task ahead of the new Archbishop of Canterbury.
Related: The Archbishop of Canterbury’s latest sermon – on Reconciliation – “Faith and Conflict”.
Idolatry and the God of History
“I love art. I have to say that because nobody believes I do when I speak on idolatry. It’s the same with music. I have to protest my love of music whenever I question something about the use of music in Christian life. My protestations matter little to those who have art or music as their idols. However, I hope that you, dear reader, will not dismiss my criticisms as the mere prejudice of a Philistine…”
– Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen writes in his column for the Cathedral.
New Testament scholar Ralph P. Martin dies
“Ralph P. Martin, a prominent Bible scholar and author of numerous studies and commentaries on the New Testament, died Monday in Southport, England. He was 88.”
In a little while – thanking God for Chappo
“My generation missed Chappo. I think I heard him preach once, maybe twice. By the time I went through Moore Theological College he was no longer the one giving sermon feedback. Others were the regular evangelists up at the Katoomba conventions when I attended them.
I heard a number of his jokes — even I knew of his encouragement of younger Christians with words along the lines of ‘Don’t worry, the first 40 years are the hardest’ — but I heard most of these stories from others who knew him better, or had heard him more often.”
– Coinciding with the day of a special Thanksgiving service in London, Sam Freeney explains why The Briefing (March/April 2013) will carry some special appreciations of our dear brother John Chapman.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…