Dr Billy Graham’s life and influence

Anglican Media Sydney has made available Russell Powell’s 2008 interview with David Aikman on his book “Billy Graham: His Life and Influence”.

Well worth 5 minutes of your time.

Go, Bear the Saviour’s Name…

“In advance of my upcoming trip to Australia and New Zealand, I’ve been studying all I can find on the early history of Christianity in those two nations. Australia was settled by the British first, of course, and served as a kind of staging point for missionaries to reach New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

Australian Christianity begins with Richard Johnson, the chaplain of the very first fleet to reach her shores. He had been hand-selected for the task by William Wilberforce and his associates, and immediately got to work preaching the gospel and carrying out the duties of a pastor. He did so with the blessings and prayers of many in his home country, including John Newton, (author of “Amazing Grace”), who wrote this little poem in his honour. …”

– Tim Challies (who will be in Sydney shortly) quotes John Newton’s words to Richard Johnson.

Image: John Newton, courtesy of Marylynn Rouse at The John Newton Project.

Related: ‘Go, bear the Saviour’s name to lands unknown’.

Martin Bucer and the Reform of Worship

“If Martin Bucer (1491-1551) is not an unsung hero of the Reformation, he is certainly an undersung hero. This particularly is the case when it comes to public worship.

Bucer’s fingerprints are all over Calvin’s Form of Church Prayers (1542) as well as the Book of Common Prayer (1552, 1559, 1662).

Calvin acknowledges that most of his Form was borrowed from Bucer, while Bucer’s 50-page response to King Edward VI’s first Book of Common Prayer (1549), entitled Censura, led to major alterations in a solidly if incompletely Reformed direction.…”

– At Reformation21, Terry Johnson provides a bunch of reasons to give thanks for Martin Bucer. Bucer’s influence on Sydney Anglicans is not insignificant.

See also:

Remembering Martin Bucer – Steve Tong at The Australian Church Record –

“In 1556 the Catholic Queen Mary exhumed Bucer’s remains from Great St Mary’s, chained his bones to a stake in the town marketplace, and burnt them along with all his available works. This unceremonious treatment was overturned by Queen Elizabeth I in a formal act of rehabilitation on 22 July 1560 and a brass plaque was placed on the location of Bucer’s original grave.

Unlike the very public memorial to Latimer, Ridley and Cranmer in Oxford, Bucer’s brass plaque is hidden from everyday sight. So it is with Bucer’s legacy for Anglican evangelicals.”

The Role of Creeds and Confessions in doing Theology

“A wise traveller makes preparations for a trip (Matt. 10:8–10). Any traveller who attempts a difficult journey without a map risks not arriving or worse.

The Christian life is a journey to the heavenly city (Heb. 11:8–15). A map is a record of the journeys of travellers who have gone before us. Strangely, however, many Christians attempt the Christian journey without the benefit of maps – in this case, the ecumenical creeds and Reformed confessions. …”

– Regrettably, many churches have dispensed with creeds and confessions.

In a featured article from Ligonier’s Tabletalk magazine, R. Scott Clark (Westminster Seminary California) writes about their great value.

Giving thanks for Dr. Broughton Knox — 24 years on

Former Principal of Moore College, Dr. David Broughton Knox, departed this earthly life twenty-four years ago, on January 14th 1994.

This is a good time to pause, remember, and to thank our heavenly Father for DBK.

To learn more, see also:

1. The Sermon preached by Archbishop Sir Marcus Loane at the funeral in St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney.

2. David Broughton Knox – What we owe to him – by Archbishop Donald Robinson.

3. Broughton Knox: servant of Christ Jesus – by Dr. Mark Thompson, May 2017.

“We have now come to lay him to rest with great sorrow for a loss we can ill afford. But we thank God upon every remembrance of a good and faithful servant.” – Archbishop Sir Marcus Loane.

(Photo with thanks to George Whitefield Theological College.)

‘Eternity – A tribute to Arthur Stace’

In 2000 and 2001, Sydney artist David Lever painted a series of paintings depicting the life of Arthur Stace.

“Mr. Eternity: The Story of Arthur Stace”, by Roy Williams and Elizabeth Meyers, launched in Sydney last month, reproduces a number of the paintings.

We thought you might enjoy seeing more of David Lever’s “Eternity” collection, now published on his website. (One of our favourites is ‘Preparing for the Eternity run 4.30am – 5.30am’.)

Photo: David and Lorna Lever with Roy Williams (centre) at the book launch.

Mr Eternity: The Story of Arthur Stace, launched in Sydney

The long-awaited biography of Arthur Stace, ‘Mr. Eternity’, was launched by Bible Society Australia in Sydney yesterday.

Appropriately, the launch was held in Darlinghurst, at the Eternity Playhouse, formerly the Burton Street Baptist Tabernacle. It was there, in 1932, that Arthur Stace heard evangelist John Ridley, and felt called to write Eternity on the streets of Sydney – something he did for the next 34 years. (Stace had become a Christian at St. Barnabas’ Broadway two years earlier, saved from a life of despair and alcohol.)

‘Mr. Eternity: The story of Arthur Stace’ is the fulfilment of a long-term project by Elizabeth Meyers, daughter of the Rev. Lisle Thompson, Minister of Burton Street Tabernacle 1951 – 1964. She was joined by Roy Williams (author of ‘In God They Trust’) who continued her research to help complete the book. The pair uncovered previously unpublished details of Arthur’s life and background.

Roy Williams introduces the book. Photo by Trevor Dallen.

To coincide with the publication, Lisle Thompson’s 1956 tract, ‘The Crooked Made Straight’, has been updated and reissued.

Photo: At the launch, Elizabeth Meyers, with Fairfax photographer Trevor Dallen, who took several iconic photos of Arthur Stace in 1963.

The book, published by Acorn Press, is available from these sellers.

Companion material has also been published here.

Unfamiliar with the story of Arthur Stace? You can read our earlier potted version here and related posts.

Forgiveness Reformed

“In a nut shell the reformation may be said to be about this question of how to obtain forgiveness from God.

It may not seem very relevant these days as most people don’t feel the need of forgiveness…”

– The Australian Church Record has republished this 40-year old editorial. It’s just as relevant today.

Charles Simeon

From Church Society:

“As the Church of England remembers Charles Simeon today, a few Church Society articles which celebrate particular aspects of his ministry for us to learn from today.”

– Links here.

Why were the 95 theses so revolutionary? — Watch the video

“Last week the College held its final Reformation 500th anniversary event with a lecture on Reformation Day – October 31. Principal Mark Thompson delivered the lecture on the 95 theses and the video is now available online.”

– Story and video from Moore College. A most encouraging and enlightening evening.

The Reformation, Then and Now

“Is the Reformation over? Does it matter today? Michael Reeves unpacks the story and theology of the Reformation and exhorts Christians to study the Reformation for the sake of the gospel.”

– Back in 2010, Mark Dever spoke with Michael Reeves about The Reformation and his book, “The Unquenchable Flame”.

An encouraging conversation.

Why were our Reformers burned? — Ryle

“It is fashionable in some quarters to deny that there is any such thing as certainty about religious truth, or any opinions for which it is worth while to be burned.

Yet, 300 years ago, there were men who were certain they had found out truth, and content to die for their opinions. –

It is fashionable in other quarters to leave out all the unpleasant things in history, and to paint everything of a rose-coloured hue. A very popular history of our English queens hardly mentions the martyrdoms of Queen Mary’s days. Yet Mary was not called ‘Bloody Mary’ without reason, and scores of Protestants were burned in her reign. –

Last, but not least, it is thought very bad taste in many quarters to say anything which throws discredit on the Church of Rome. …”

– Church Society draws attention to, and republishes (PDF) Bishop J.C. Ryle’s Church Association Lecture, given in 1867. Well worth reading.

Oft-Forgotten Reformers: Katherine Zell

“Katherine Zell was a woman who trusted God at his word. Her writings don’t show someone fake, sterile, sanitised. Rather, in their pages we meet a real woman – with strengths and weaknesses. So who was Katherine Zell?”

– At The Australian Church Record, Jane Tooher tells the story of a courageous Christian lady.

Here We Stand

“Martin Luther’s great moment of theological clarification came at the climax of a command performance. Facing the threat of martyrdom and execution, Luther appeared on trial at the Diet of Worms before the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Asked on what authority he dared to defy the Pope and the magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church, Luther famously replied:

‘Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Holy Scriptures or by evident reason – for I can believe neither pope nor councils alone, as it is clear that they have erred repeatedly and contradicted themselves – I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my basis; my conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus I cannot and will not recant, because acting against one’s conscience is neither safe nor sound. God help me. Amen.’…”

– Albert Mohler marks Reformation Day with a call to the churches to make a clear stand in a number of vital areas.

Reformation contribution

Here’s a plastic brick contribution to the 500th anniversary of the 95 Theses, using Lego®, from Richie Dulin.

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