William Taylor on the wrath of God
William Taylor at St Helen’s Bishopsgate in London preached from Romans 1:16-23 at a lunchtime gathering to explain why everyone needs the gospel.
28 minute audio.
Pride
“According to Solomon, of the seven things God hates, pride tops the list (Proverbs 6:16 – 19).
CS Lewis called pride, “that complete anti-God state of mind – it leads to every other vice!”. Martin Luther claimed that his greatest enemy was not the Pope or Cardinal, but the enemy within, his own pride…”
– Presbyterian Moderator-General David Cook writes.
President’s Address — ACL AGM 2015
Anglican Church League AGM
President’s Address
The fundamental problem with the world continues to be alienation from God.
The solution remains the gospel of peace which proclaims reconciliation by Christ’s death. This is a gospel for all creation and the church remains the pillar, defender and herald of that truth. Read more
Planned Parenthood, Abortion, and the Conscience of a Nation
“Yesterday’s release of a video showing the senior medical director of Planned Parenthood casually discussing the sale of organs from aborted babies is a moral challenge thrown right in the face of all Americans…”
– Albert Mohler writes about the video which has exposed the depths of human depravity.
Russell Moore also writes about it, and Carl Trueman congratulates Planned Parenthood “for having so perfectly summarized the spirit of our age.”
True Repentance — Peter Jensen on Judges chapter 10
From Moore College:
“Former Archbishop (and College Principal) Peter Jensen preached on Judges 10 at St Andrew’s Cathedral on 12 July.
We are convinced this is a message that should be heard by as many people as possible and are pleased to be able to make it available through our podcast.”
Listen to Archbishop Peter Jensen’s sermon here (14MB mp3 file).
Same-sex intimate unions
Moore Theological College Principal, Dr Mark Thompson, has written a very helpful piece to aid Christians in their thinking and discourse in the current debate around same-sex marriage. Read more
Evangelical Ministry Assembly 2015 talks
The Proclamation Trust has made available audio of the talks from the 2015 EMA, held 22-24 June at the Barbican in London.
The theme: “Identity Crisis: Preaching to a Confused World”.
Speakers included –
- Christopher Ash (Director of the Cornhill Training Course)
- Tim Keller (Redeemer Presbyterian, New York)
- Andrew Reid (Holy Trinity Doncaster)
- Vaughan Roberts (St Ebbe’s, Oxford)
- Bruce Ware (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
- John Wyatt (University College London).
The audio files are all on this page.
‘Will the same-sex marriage push destroy the right of churches to dissent?’
“This raises the question about the real ideology of the same-sex marriage campaign. Is it merely to allow gays to marry? Or is its ultimate purpose to impose ‘marriage equality’ across the entire society, civil and religious. Ideologies do not normally stop at the halfway mark…”
– Andrew Bolt at The Herald-Sun quotes from an important article by Paul Kelly in The Australian (which requires a subscription to read in full).
How should we then live — in Babylon?
“Back in the late 1970’s when I was an undergrad at Stanford, our Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship chapter sponsored lectures by Dr. Francis Schaeffer to the whole university. In the wake of the Obergefell decision legalizing same-sex marriage, and its ramifications for the constraint of our religious freedoms, I am reminded of the question Dr. Schaeffer posed in those lectures (and in his book) How should we then live?
I’m a pastor by first calling (an attorney by second), and I’ve been prayerfully reflecting on the answer to Dr. Schaeffer’s most relevant question. So let me respectfully offer some thoughts as we look over the cultural, spiritual and legal landscape we know face…”
– Phil Ashey at the American Anglican Council, has some advice for US churches.
David Cook on Preaching Acts
Weekend encouragement: Here are some very useful videos recorded at a 2 Timothy 4 Trust workshop in Scotland in 2012.
The Reform Steering Group comments on the York Gay Pride event
The Reform Steering Group comments on the York ‘Gay Pride’ event:
July 8th 2015
“As the Steering Group of Reform met last week, the events surrounding the blessing of the Gay Pride march in York could not be ignored.
Whilst the Reform Steering Group stands opposed to homophobia, nevertheless they were unanimously of the view that it was an offense to all bible-believing Christians for the Minster to endorse, without qualification, the activities of York Pride with the intention of ‘affirming the LGBT community’.
They appreciated the Archbishop of York’s statement affirming the ‘traditional Christian understanding of human sexuality, orientation, and behavior’ and agreed with him that God loves and values all people, whatever their sexual orientation, and that that same love should be shown by Christians. They hope that the Archbishop of York is prepared to stand by the whole of Lambeth Resolution 1.10, which rejects ‘homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture’ and the Dromantine Conference of Anglican Communion Primates Communiqué which affirms this teaching.
Susie Leafe, Director of Reform, said ‘We long for all churches to model Jesus Christ’s welcome to all people – a welcome that loves us enough not only to walk with us in self-sacrificial love but also to warn us of God’s judgment and call us to repent of our rejection of God’s ways.’
They therefore wish to express their unequivocal support for the stand that Rev Melvin Tinker, a founder member of Reform, has taken and they applaud his courage in being prepared to speak graciously and clearly of the Church’s responsibility to teach and act according to biblical principles.”
– See the Reform page for the list of members of the Steering Group.
Related: The Archbishop of York’s statement, 22nd June 2015.
Reform Response to TEC Resolution on Marriage
“In rejecting this definition of marriage, the bishops of the US Episcopal Church have rejected Jesus’ own teaching. As such, they have denied the faith they profess to teach, forfeiting any right to be regarded as true bishops of the church of Jesus Christ. Jesus warned us to “watch out for false prophets” who come in his name (Matthew 7.15, 22)…”
– Read the full Reform statement here. Photo: Episcopal News Service.
‘Redefining Sex and Marriage: how to think, live and speak as Christians’
The next event at the Centre for Christian Living at Moore College is on Wednesday August 26.
The topic is: “Redefining Sex and Marriage: how to think, live and speak as Christians when the world heads in a different direction”.
Sandy Grant and Tony Payne will be speaking. Details here.
TEC decision ‘a mistake with serious consequences’ — GAFCON
“The recent decision of the General Convention of The Episcopal Church, to remove reference to gender in the marriage canon and introduce rites for conducting ‘same-sex marriage’, is a mistake with serious consequences.
The problems for the rest of the Anglican Communion have already been noted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. But the fundamental reason that it is a mistake – and the reason why it is so destabilizing – is that it is a significant departure from Holy Scripture. This is a departure which Christians are not at liberty to make…”
– Read the full statement from Archbishops Eliud Wabukala and Nicholas Okoh, the Chairman and Vice Chairman, of the GAFCON Primates Council.
Abp Wabukala photo: ACNA.
‘Anglicans respond to Presbyterian SSM vote’
“Senior Anglican leaders have responded to a move by the Presbyterian Church in NSW to consider ministers handing back their marriage licences if marriage is redefined to include same-sex couples.
Kevin Murray, the moderator of the NSW Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, wrote to churches about debate at the annual assembly in Sydney last week…”
– Story by Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Related:
- ‘Leading Christian denomination is preparing to take drastic action if same sex marriage’ (SBS TV). Includes responses from Dr John McClean and Bishop Robert Forsyth.
- ‘Til law changes do us part’ – Dr John McClean, Convenor of the Gospel, Society and Culture Committee of the Presbyterian Church in NSW, writes in The Sydney Morning Herald.
“Last week the Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in NSW took a step which may mean the church ends its co-operation with the government in marriage matters and leaves the Marriage Act. … It was not an easy decision and the assembly had a careful debate. Many speakers for the proposal also expressed sorrow at the prospect…” - David Cook, Presbyerian Moderator General, gave the expositions at the NSW General Assembly. On Romans 1, 5, 8 and 12. Very encouraging.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…