Luther, his Friends and his Legacy

“Luther was a gregarious man. During his regime Wittenberg became thronged with people. Thousands flocked to Wittenberg to hear him preach (he preached 4000 times in thirty years). His home was effectively a combination of an inn and a lodging house. When he travelled from Wittenberg to Worms in 1521 he was greeted like a rock star from town to town. Wherever we see Luther, we see a man surrounded by people. …”

– Dr Paul Barnett shares some reflections on Dr Martin Luther, his friends, and his lasting legacy. (Photo via Aquila Press.)

Camino Faith and Christian Faith

“With some friends I recently traversed the beautiful and famous Camino Trail in Spain. Some of our group walked the shorter stretches of the trail but we mostly travelled in the comfort of our coach.

The journey provided opportunity to visit some amazing Cathedrals. The standout was the Cathedral in Leon whose colour-glazed windows were breathtaking.

Some of the pilgrims were walking to meet the athletic challenge of the Camino. For others it was a spiritual exercise, a time of reflection based on the journey of St James Zebedee all those years ago. …”

– In his latest post, Bishop Paul Barnett compares the stories concerning St. James with the historical evidence for Jesus.

Ideas that Changed the World

Re-post:

Here’s a very helpful resource from Matthias Media:

“Around 500 years ago a momentous change was spreading across Europe—a change that has become known as the Reformation.

At the heart of the Reformation were four ideas and four leaders. The ideas: faith alone, grace alone, Bible alone and Christ alone. The leaders: Luther, Calvin, Tyndale and Cranmer.

In the four sessions of this course, join Dominic Steele as he explores these four simple yet profoundly important ideas, the key role these four men played in rediscovering and spreading them, and the stunning European locations where these historic events took place.

But it’s not just a course to watch. You’ll also open up your Bibles and do some exploring of your own, reading the same parts of Scripture that Luther, Calvin, Tyndale and Cranmer read that radically changed their world.”

‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross…’

“Horrible violence was not the fault of one side only in the Reformation struggle.

But that is no reason for us to forget the men and women whose stand for the Reformation of the Church of England in the interests of Biblical truth, cost them their lives. In particular, the fact that the three great episcopal witnesses, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley and Thomas Cranmer were put to death in Oxford during the years 1555 and 1556 is one from which we should draw courage and confidence. …”

– Dr. Peter Jensen, GAFCON General Secretary, writes the fourth of his postsstrong>on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, and reflects on how Latimer, Ridley and Cranmer gave their lives in service of the biblical gospel.

Luther: The Life and Legacy of the German Reformer

Back in January, we noted that this documentary on Martin Luther (featuring contributions by R.C.Sproul, Robert Godfrey, Steven Lawson, Carl Trueman and other reformed theologians) would be released in April. 

It is now available – on DVD or as on-demand video. Check it out and see how you might use it during this 500th year of the Reformation.

“Discover the story behind the man who sparked the Protestant Reformation. Told through a seamless combination of live-action storytelling and artistic animation, Martin Luther’s daring life is presented in extensive detail while still making the film relevant, daring, and accessible.”

Five reasons Reformation Anglicanism is relevant

“The church is meant to be a beacon, marking out the safe path to true wholeness and hope. Sadly, however, the church today often capitulates to the world’s narrative without ever being aware of it. Our preaching can easily reinforce that we are what we do, telling people they must focus on doing things pleasing to God so he will continue to accept them. Yet true Christianity bases all its hope on what God has promised to do in, through, and for us because of his love—not on what we must try to do to earn it.

Here is the core message of Reformation Anglicanism. Forged in a time when the Western church had lost its way, its five characteristics illumine the authentic gospel once again for the 21st century. …”

– from Ashley Null, via The Gospel Coalition.

(Photo courtesy Trinity School for Ministry.)

Twenty resources on the Protestant Reformation

“2017 is the 500th anniversary of an event that strangely ignited the Protestant Reformation.

If you want to learn more about the Protestant Reformation, consider these helpful resources. I combed through about 800 relevant resources in my Zotero library and selected only twenty — including some picture books and videos.”

– Thanks to Andy Naselli who has compiled this useful list.

Article 29 — Of the Wicked which eat not the Body of Christ in the use of the Lord’s Supper

“Sometimes it is only when you sit down and do a worked example that you understand a truth thoroughly. When I was 15 my local Roman Catholic priest asked me to choose whether to be a Roman Catholic or an Anglican. As we discussed Scripture and Salvation the worked example of just one person, Mary the mother of Jesus, was very helpful to me. If she was sinless then I should be a Catholic; if she was sinful like everybody else then I should be a Protestant.

The example of ‘the wicked… in the use of the Lord’s Supper’ does the same job with the Sacraments. …”

– At the Church Society blog, Charlie Skrine looks at Articles 29.

Reformation Rally at Moore College, Saturday 18th March


Read more

‘First Anglican evensong in Catholic St Peter’s Basilica’

“The first ever Anglican choral evensong has been celebrated in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. … It marks closening ties between the Anglican and Catholic churches and is one of several examples of ecumenism between them in the last year.”

– Report from Premier Radio in the UK, featuring an interview David Moxon, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Representative to the Vatican (and formerly Archbishop of NZ). Photo courtesy Vatican City State.

Related: Reformation Rally at Moore College, Saturday 18th March.

When good friends dream big for the gospel: Newton, Wilberforce & Johnson

“In the mid-1780s John Newton, the celebrated slave-trader turned preacher, became re-acquainted with one William Wilberforce, a young MP who had recently become an Evangelical. It was the start of a remarkable partnership.

1786 saw their first great project. The British Government had announced plans to establish a convict colony at Botany Bay in New South Wales. Newton had been thinking about mission to ‘the South Seas’ for a long time. …”

– From The Australian Church Record – an edited extract from a paper by Craig Schwarze, first presented at the Moore College Library day in 2013.

Related:

Giving Thanks for John Newton.

(This painting of John Newton by John Russell hangs in the CMS building in Oxford. Photo © Marylynn Rouse / The John Newton Project, used with permission.)

From Strength to Strength — A Life of Marcus Loane — reviewed

In the Autumn 2017 issue of Australian Presbyterian, Bruce Murray briefly reviews From Strength to Strength – A Life of Marcus Loane, by ACL Emeritus Vice-President Canon Allan M. Blanch.

“Together with a good supply of appropriate photographs, this book gives an excellent coverage not only to Loane’s life but also to the history of the Anglican Church in Australia.”

It’s on page 21 of this 7MB PDF file.

The book was launched in October 2015. Copies are available through the publisher.

Why they went to the Huaorani

Jim & Elisabeth Elliot’s daughter, Valerie Shepard, recounts the death of her father and his companions in 1956, for the BBC’s Witness.

(via Tim Challies. Photo courtesy BBC.)

Free Seminary-Level Course with Carl Trueman on the Reformation

From Justin Taylor at The Gospel Coalition:

“Thanks to the generosity and permission of Carl Trueman – Paul Woolley Chair of Church History and professor of church history at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, as well as the author of Luther on the Christian Life – and The Master’s Seminary, you can basically take Professor Trueman’s course online for free. (You just don’t have to take any tests, write any papers, or get any credit!)”

– This might keep you busy for a while.

(Dr. Trueman will be delivering the Annual Moore College Lectures in August, as part of the College’s celebration of 500 Years of the Reformation.)

500 years on – does the Reformation still matter?

“When all is said and done, the fundamental question for every human being is, ‘How can a sinner like me stand before God on the Day of Judgement?’

Does this still matter? There is only one answer. …”

– In the first of a series of posts on the Reformation, Dr. Peter Jensen writes on the sinfulness of the human race and the danger of the soul.

← Previous Page — Next Page →