The named Jew and the name of God: A new reading of Romans 2:17–29
Lionel Windsor at Moore College has something to exercise your thinking:
“I’ve just had an article published in the journal Novum Testamentum. In the article, I provide a detailed defence of a new reading of Romans 2:17–29.
Most commentators don’t spend much time in this passage. They tend to concentrate much more attention on the previous passage (Romans 2:1–16). This means commentators tend to be far too quick to make assumptions about what Romans 2:17–29 is “all about” (i.e. the topic), and so – I argue – end up misconstruing what Paul is actually trying to say in the passage (i.e. the argument). English translations of the passage tend to reflect these assumptions and so perpetuate the misconstruals. …”
Review: Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen
“To Machen, liberalism was not simply a different style of churchmanship, or a rival Christian theology. It was an entirely different, and man-made, religion founded on a sentimental and superficial view of God. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Andrew Prideaux commends an excellent book, J. Gresham Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism.
(Free versions of the book are available for download at Monergism.)
Prayers for the Nomination of Candidates for Archbishop of Sydney
The period for Synod members to nominate candidates for election as Archbishop of Sydney is almost over.
Nominations must be received by the Nomination Officer by 5:00pm on Tuesday 23rd March 2021.
Please pray for all who may be considering nominating someone, and those who may be nominated.
Please pray that the whole process will be to the Lord’s honour and glory.
The significance of sex — can it be recovered through consent alone?
“Responding adequately to the sad news of the Kambala sexual assault petition — the latest spotlight on the sexual assault epidemic — is a sobering challenge for us all. Leading educators in our secondary schools, depressed by the recent revelations and struggling to find solutions, are themselves revisiting calls for better “consent training” for students. But, as others have argued, “consent training” is bound to be an inadequate response on its own.
Why is “consent training” not enough to combat the toxicity of what we are seeing in relations between the sexes? Why have so many young women been hurt, and why are so many young men insensitive to the seriousness of sexual assault? The answer to these questions will require some preparedness to challenge a number of deeply held and culturally popular assumptions about the nature of sex itself. …”
– At ABC Religion and Ethics, Dr. Emma Wood provides a very helpful (secular) engagement with the ‘consent’ approach to sexual assault. Worth reading.
Also see:
Do we have a boy problem? – Marshall Ballantine-Jones writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Prayers for North East Nigeria
From GAFCON:
“Rev Hassan John reports: ‘we rejoice for the release of one of our pastors, Bulus Yilkura, who was kidnapped in Peni village on 24th December 2020 and has been released by Boko Haram.
We still have Rev Polycarp Zongo being held captive. We need prayers for his release.’ (Photo is of Bulus Yilkura on his release).”
See the GAFCON website for daily prayer updates.
Happy 90th birthday to Harry Goodhew
We wish the Rt Rev Dr Harry Goodhew AO (Archbishop of Sydney 1993 – 2001, and currently one of the Anglican Church League’s Emeritus Vice-Presidents) a very happy 90th birthday today.
We pray for many continued blessings from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Photo courtesy Ramon Williams.
History’s Biggest Hoax? What the Resurrection Means for Us
“For us, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 is a precious historical source-document. For the Corinthians, it was an embarrassing and pointed re-telling of the basics. It would be like going to a prestigious university to hear a lecture from an eminent theologian, only to have them begin with a verbatim recounting of Two Ways to Live, complete with the cartoon drawings.
You see, the problem in Corinth wasn’t what they believed about Jesus; it was what they believed about us. Their issue wasn’t Jesus’ resurrection, but ours. They managed, somehow, to simultaneously affirm the resurrection of Jesus and deny the resurrection of believers. We still have the same problem. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Rory Shiner looks at the implications of The Resurrection.
Image from The Pastor’s Heart.
What would a conversion therapy ban mean for gay Christians like me?
“As a gay Christian, I’m worried about the calls to ban ‘gay conversion therapy’.
Of course, it’s right that gay people are protected and some of the practices referred to as conversion therapy are deeply wrong. But there’s a danger that badly-drafted legislation could make life impossible for those working in churches when gay people come to us for help. …”
– Ed Shaw writes at The Spectator.
Photo courtesy Living Out.
Anglican Aid: See the grace of God overflowing to a world in need
Anglican Aid has produced this short video to introduce their work.
Vatican bars gay union blessing, says God ‘can’t bless sin’
“The Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response on Monday to a question about whether Catholic clergy have the authority to bless gay unions. …”
– Report from The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 March 2021.
For background, here is the statement from the Vatican:
Responsum of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
to a dubium regarding the blessing of the unions of persons of the same sex.
Marty Foord appointed Principal of Evangelical Theological College of Asia
The Evangelical Theological College of Asia in Singapore has announced the appointment of Marty Foord as its new Principal from 1st July 2021.
“Rev Dr Marty Foord joined ETCAsia in 2019 and lectures in Systematic Theology as well as serving as the Dean of Studies for the College.
Prior to his appointment at ETCAsia, he was the Senior Lecturer in Systematic Theology and Church History at Trinity Theological College in Perth, Western Australia for 18 years.
He originally trained as a pastor and worked on the staff of a large church in Manly, Sydney. Marty is passionate about the gospel as the organising principle for our lives, the church, and mission.”
Details at the college website.
Photo: Marty and Jenny Foord via ETCAsia.
God’s Plan for Corporate Worship – podcast
From Crossway’s podcast series:
“In this episode, Matt Merker discusses the central importance of corporate worship for the life of the Christian. He shares his thoughts on the effect that the COVID-19 pandemic could have on church gatherings in the future, explains why the concept of a church liturgy is a good and necessary thing, and offers encouragement to the person who may be toying with the idea of not returning to church once the pandemic is over.”
– This podcast episode is a real encouragement – for pastors and congregational members.
There’s also praise for Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past for the Present, the fruit of much painstaking work by Jonny Gibson and Mark Earngey.
Related:
On how the Reformation changed Sunday gatherings.
We ask Mark Earngey about ‘Common Prayer for Homes’.
“He Will Hold Me Fast” — The Story Behind the Song.
Photo of Matt Merker: Together for the Gospel.
Frayed about the Edges
“It is a common failing of any writer, teacher or preacher to impose one’s individual circumstances on a whole community – to assume that what one is going through, all are going through.
Nevertheless, it is a reasonable diagnosis to say that Australian society, and Western society in general, is looking very frayed about the edges. …”
– Peter Barnes, Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, writes to encourage Christians to be confident in the God who reigns over heaven and earth.
Moore College Open Events 2021
Here are some dates for your diary from Moore College.
A Tale of Two Liturgies
At The Gospel Coalition website, Justin Taylor draws attention to “An insightful excerpt from Matt Merker’s new book, Corporate Worship: How the Church Gathers as God’s People, 9Marks, Building Healthy Churches series (Crossway, 2021).”
He quotes Matt Merker who writes,
“…imagine two different church gatherings. Each congregation is the same size. They use the same musical instruments: keyboard, guitar, bass, and drums. More importantly, they affirm the same basic theological beliefs. But their liturgies differ in consequential ways. …
What do these different liturgies communicate? What values do they reveal? …
Look at the structure of your church’s most recent gathering. What is the “story” that it tells through the arrangement of the various elements? Is it a story worth instilling in your congregation, week after week?”
– Read it here.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…