Review of Packer’s ‘Proclaiming Christ in a Pluralistic Age’
“I was eating pizza the other night with two young men, one a Christian, the other a seeker. We talked about what it means to be a Christian and some of the challenges of the Christian life.
The first surprise was that they/we couldn’t get through two family-sized pizzas. The youth of today!
The second was that they thought that becoming a Christian in 2024 was a way of rebelling.
One told how his boss, a Gen X Roman Catholic, explained that young men shouldn’t be going to church but should instead be finding a girlfriend to sleep with and getting drunk. The young man found this boringly orthodox, ignoble, and distasteful. He felt certain that there must be a better way to live.
I’m having conversations like these more and more these days. Are we seeing early signs of a spiritual awakening among young people? I wonder whether the Lord is beginning a new work among these younger generations.
What I know for certain is that the Church must be ready to receive young seekers. That means that our churches must be refuges of radical, self-sacrificial love. Parched and thirsting for meaning and community in today’s desert of online isolation and spiritual desolation, nothing will attract young people more than an actual flesh-and-blood loving Christian community. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
This kind of strange Christ-like love can arise only from an intimate relational knowledge of Jesus himself.
This is where a book like Proclaiming Christ in a Pluralistic Age comes in.
J. I. Packer (1926–2020) was a British theologian, author of the now-classic Knowing God (1973), who for most of his working life was a professor of theology at Regent College in Vancouver. He stands alongside John Stott, F.F. Bruce, Michael Green, Dick Lucas, Martyn-Lloyd Jones and other superb conservative-evangelical British preachers and theologians of the twentieth century.
The book is in fact a lightly edited transcription of five lectures that Packer first delivered at Kuyper College in Grand Rapids in 1978, and then at Moore College in Sydney. …”
–At AP, Campbell Markham reviews J I Packer’s Proclaiming Christ in a Pluralistic Age. (Bold added.)
And you can also see or hear Packer’s five lectures at the Moore College Annual Lectures in 1978 – in glorious grey and white, thanks to the Donald Robinson Library at Moore College.
His series title was “We Preach Christ Crucified”. Very much worth watching.
At about an hour each, why not consider watching these with your Bible Study?
Lecture 1 – We’ve a Story to Tell.
Lecture 2 – The man Christ Jesus.
Lecture 3 – He emptied himself: the divinity of Jesus Christ.
Lecture 4 – The wonderful exchange.
Lecture 5 – No other name: the uniqueness of Jesus Christ.
Related:
The Moore College Annual Lectures 2024 with Tom Schreiner.
A way back from disillusionment and disappointment in ministry — The Pastor’s Heart
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“Disillusionment is one of the great threats to the Christian life and to Christian ministry
A wise man said the worst thing in ministry was not a pastor who quits, but a pastor who doesn’t quit, but who keeps going when they’ve given up.
Sydney Missionary and Bible College Karl Deenick shares his own experience of hitting a major wall after seven years of pastoral work.
We unpack how ministry challenges can lead to a sense of disillusionment, especially among millennials, plus a way back.”
– Many will resonate with this one. Watch or listen here.
Related:
Gathered Together by Karl Deenick. (Matthias Media.)
Peter Adam’s talks at the 2001 Proclamation Trust Senior Ministers Conference:
The Making of a Man of God – 1.
The Making of a Man of God – 2.
The Making of a Man of God – 3.
A culture of winning souls for Christ
“In 1 Corinthians 9:19-22 the apostle Paul famously gives insight into one way Jesus’ love drove him to create deeply meaningful, personal connections to bring people the gospel:
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.
Key to Paul’s strategy is using culture – understanding and adapting himself to others’ life patterns – to win souls for Christ. Moreover, this is not for Paul alone. He also calls on the Corinthians to “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). All Christians are to become all things to all people, so that by all possible means we might save some.
Understanding culture is vital for Christians. However, it can also seem daunting – reserved for quirky, safari-suited academics studying strange tribal rituals in a remote place! I want to give a simple, accessible description of culture I’ve found very helpful in putting 1 Cor 9:22 into concrete, real-life practice. …”
– Here’s some encouragement from The Rev. Dr. Dan Wu at Moore College. (via SydneyAnglicans.net.)
Albert Mohler: President Biden Drops a Political Bomb
Dr Albert Mohler at Southern Seminary has released another ‘special edition’ of his The Briefing podcast to comment on the withdrawal of President Joe Biden from the Presidential race.
Obviously, his opinions are his own, but Australians who might not have been following events closely will find this a helpful overview, along with his critique of some of the positions held by candidates or potential candidates.
– Listen here. (26 minutes.)
Reading the News the Biblical Way
“The news can be overwhelming on a good day and depressing on a normal day. Wars, scandals, financial crises, social decline, and political buffoonery are enough to make anyone exhausted.
We need to learn to read the news the biblical way. Revelation can help us. …”
– Darryl Dash at The Gospel Coalition Canada reminds us of two important truths from the Book of Revelation.
Discover Serving in the Bathurst Diocese — on Zoom, Monday 22nd July
This is coming up on Monday – from the Diocese of Bathurst:
“Are you interested in ministry opportunities and pathways outside of the city? Are you curious about what it actually looks like to minister out west? Are you keen to hear about what it is like to SHARE JESUS for LIFE in the Bathurst Diocese?
Come and join current workers and their spouses online as they answer these and other questions. This session is for anyone who is interested or curious!”
– on Monday 22nd July on Zoom. Details at this link.
Very much related:
On Sunday, Bishop Mark Calder wrote:
“Warm, welcoming, keen to grow and learn. Without a pastor for nearly three years. Who will come?
Great to be at St Ambrose Memorial Anglican Church Gilgandra this morning – meeting with the Uniting Church across the road as our building needs some work.”
– On the Bathurst Diocese Facebook page.
FREEDOM24 conference August 5
From Assoc Professor Neil Foster at Law and Religion Australia:
“Freedom for Faith is hosting the FREEDOM24 Conference 9am-4pm on Monday August 5th at Village Church Annandale in Sydney. I highly recommend this conference!
Livestream tickets are free, to maximise access for those who cannot attend in person.
FREEDOM24 conference will develop your understanding of threats to religious freedom in Australia from historical, theological and policy perspectives.
Historian Sarah Irving-Stonebraker will examine the history of religious freedom, while John McClean of Christ College will share a theological perspective on how the church is to respond to legal threats to ministry. We will also have a number of experts unpack the major religious freedom concerns in Australia, as well as implications and paths forward for advocacy.
Issues examined will include: …”
– Details and link for tickets.
Savour Christ in Every Psalm
“For the greater part of church history, Christians have viewed the Psalms through the lens of fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
In particular, they have read the Psalms as the songs of Jesus — songs sung by Jesus in his life on earth, and songs in which the risen and ascended Jesus still leads his church in singing on earth. …”
– At Desiring God, Christopher Ash encourages us to do what millennia of Christians (including centuries of Anglicans) have done.
Things I wish I heard in a Funeral Sermon
“Several months ago, I attended a vaguely Christian funeral. It was Christian in the sense it had familiar elements of our faith: a Bible reading, a short sermon and a cross adorning the hall. Yet it was vague because I left uncomforted and unconfronted by the substantive truths of our faith.
The guests came and went without hearing the gospel. Our hope of seeing the dearly deceased was not articulated beyond the ethereal mention of faith, hope and love. …”
– This article by Renee Zou, published by The Gospel Coalition Australia in May, is an encouragement to all who have an opportunity to speak or preach at such difficult times.
“They are really growing!” — Good news from Kenya
The Archbishop of Sydney’s Anglican Aid shares this encouragement from Norm Gorrie in Marsabit, Kenya –
“This is Joseph, our first MTS apprentice in the Department of Mission (with the Anglican Church of Kenya), powerfully teaching 2 Ways to Live to around 600 students. …”
Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney Statement regarding decisions of the Church of England General Synod 2024
Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has published this Statement on behalf of the Diocese of Sydney:
Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney
Statement regarding decisions of the Church of England General Synod 2024Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. John 17:17
Jesus prays for his church that they would be made holy by the truth of God’s word. Anglicans affirm the ‘ultimate rule and standard of faith’ (ACA Constitution, Fundamental Declarations s2)) of the teaching of Jesus Christ and the word of God revealed in scripture. The decision of the Church of England Synod to approve the use of prayers of blessing for same-sex marriages and to begin moves to allow clergy to enter into same-sex marriages, is a grievous abrogation of its responsibility to uphold the primacy of scripture in the life and ministry of the church. To reject God’s plan for human sexuality is a failure to love people experiencing same-sex attraction and who, like all humanity, are made in his image and designed for his purpose.
This decision is contrary to scripture and to Anglican expressions of the teaching of scripture in our formularies, including the Book of Common Prayer, and Lambeth resolution I.10, clearly affirmed by the Archbishop of Canterbury as the standard of Anglican doctrine as recently as the Lambeth Conference in 2022.
I’m very grateful for the gracious and courageous way in which many English brothers and sisters in Christ have taken a stand in their General Synod for biblical authority and the trustworthiness of Jesus’ teaching on human identity and sexuality.
We express our support for the coalition known as The Alliance which has, in love and integrity, been a clarion voice for truth. The Alliance is a broad grouping of faithful Anglicans from across the spectrum of the church who have in common, fidelity to the scriptures in matters of faith and life, a deep love for the Church of England and commitment to its mission to the nation. Importantly, the Alliance includes Anglicans who experience same-sex attraction and who gladly and courageously affirm the teaching of Jesus concerning marriage and sexuality. We honour them all.
I’m humbled and encouraged by the stance of The Alliance and offer them the hand of fellowship and the assurance of our prayers and support as they contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints.
I’m grateful too for those whose conscience has not allowed them to remain in the Church of England but who remain committed to Anglican doctrine and mission as members of the Anglican Network in Europe under Bishop Andy Lines and assure them too of our friendship and fellowship in the mission of the gospel in which we are fellow workers.
We note statements from global Anglican fellowships representing the majority of Anglicans worldwide, such as the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans, GAFCON and GAFCON Australia. We rejoice in our common hope, the Lord Jesus Christ, and remain committed to the faithful proclamation of his gospel in love and truth.
…the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. Col 1:5,6 (NIV)
Archbishop Kanishka Raffel
17 July 2024.Source: SydneyAnglicans.net. (PDF file)
More background here.
New UK Government sparks fear among marriage supporters
“Sir Keir Starmer has been in office less than two weeks and the evident shift in support for LGBT ideology amongst senior Government figures is already sparking concern from real marriage supporters and more widely.
The last Government’s crackdown on rainbow lanyards in the civil service has already been dropped, according to inews.co.uk. Whitehall diversity and objectivity guidance is also being reviewed.
Now, a group of church leaders representing more than 1,300 churches has written to the Prime Minister warning that Labour’s proposed conversion therapy laws could criminalise them as they put into practice their teaching on marriage. …”
– Anglican Mainstream has re-posted this message from the Coalition for Marriage.
Hate Speech – Vilification Laws and Threats to Religious Speech
Associate Professor Neil Foster writes at Law and Religion Australia –
“I have presented a paper today surveying Australia laws on ‘hate speech’ and ‘vilification’, as they have an impact on religious free speech. The paper can be downloaded here…”
Gafcon Stands with the Alliance
Here’s a press release from the Chairman of Gafcon, 16 July 2024:
With faithful Anglicans around the globe, including Gafcon and GSFA Provinces, we grieve that our Mother Church, the Church of England, has abandoned her children who wish to uphold the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ on marriage and his apostle’s clear denunciation of all forms of sexual immorality.
The recent decision of the General Synod to approve the use of prayers of blessing for same-sex couples is to bless what God does not bless, and is nothing less than prayers which sanctify sin.
In answer to a question asked at General Synod (Q52), which requested assurance that such prayers were not a departure from the doctrine of the Church, the Bishop of Leicester replied that they did ‘not involve any departure from doctrine in “any essential matter”.’ Yet the apostle Paul indicates quite clearly that those who engage in sexual immorality, including homosexual acts, will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Ephesians 5:3-5), for on accounts of such behaviour, the wrath of God is coming (Colossians 3:5-7; Revelation 22:15). How can any bishop, let alone the majority of the House of Bishops claim that sexual immorality is not an ‘essential matter’ of doctrine when it affects one’s salvation?
Like the Pharisees of old, they incur the same judgment of Jesus that they are blind guides, who will be uprooted, for they refuse to believe that sexual immorality defiles a person (Matthew 15:10-20).
Gafcon provinces stand with the members of the Alliance who desire a third province in the Church of England, and who recently commissioned overseers to provide pastoral care for those who are in impaired communion with their bishops. We endorse these developments. While we recognise the legal complexities of the Church of England, we support the creation of a third province for those who wish to remain in the Established Church. While we have already made provision for the Anglican Network in Europe, which includes three biblically orthodox dioceses operating in England and Europe, Gafcon supports all faithful Anglicans, whether they choose to stay and provide a witness to the truth in their home church, or whether they wish to leave for the sake of conscience. Wherever faithful Anglicans find themselves, Gafcon is ready to support, encourage and defend them—they are not alone.
The Most Revd. Dr. Laurent Mbanda
Chairman of the Gafcon Primates Council
Archbishop & Primate of Rwanda (EAR)
Bishop of Gasabo.
– Also published at the Gafcon website.
What I wish I knew before becoming a senior minister
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“What would Dave Keun and Jon Kwan like to tell their younger selves if they could travel back in time before they took on the position of senior minister?
How has their sense of ownership changed?
What has been most difficult about the transition to the role? What mistakes have they made?
Dave Keun has been senior minister of Kellyville Anglican Church in Sydney’s North West since March 2022.
Jon Kwan has been lead pastor of St David’s Forestville (on Sydney’s Northern Beaches) since May 2022.”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…