Don’t forget Charles Simeon
“I first became aware of the extraordinary influence of Charles Simeon on the Church of England when I was an undergraduate at King’s College Cambridge where he was once vice-provost. Sadly, at the end of the 20th century he had largely been forgotten in that college. It would be an even greater sadness, however, if he were to be forgotten by the Church of England as a whole, especially evangelicals…”
– Tom Watts, at Church Society’s blog, reckons we must not forget Charles Simeon.
(Charles Simeon was a key figure behind the decision to send a Chaplain on the First Fleet – and also in the founding of the Church Missionary Society and in evangelical witness at universities in the UK and abroad.)
Happy 97th Birthday, Billy Graham
“This is the best documentary I have seen on Billy Graham, the most famous and significant evangelist since George Whitefield…”
– Justin Taylor provides links to a 120 minute documentary on Billy Graham.
Is the Reformation Over?
“There have been several observations rendered on this subject by those I would call ‘erstwhile evangelicals.’ One of them wrote, ‘Luther was right in the sixteenth century, but the question of justification is not an issue now.’ A second self-confessed evangelical made a comment in a press conference I attended that ‘the sixteenth-century Reformation debate over justification by faith alone was a tempest in a teapot.’…”
– Dr R.C. Sproul writes of the danger of forgetting the reason for the Reformation.
See also: Dr Carl Trueman, “Why the Reformation Isn’t Over”.
What is Reformation Day?
“What is Reformation Day? To answer that question, let’s ask another question. When is Reformation Day? It’s October 31; it commemorates the events of October 31, 1517…”
– Ligonier Ministries’ Stephen Nichols answers the question at Five Minutes in Church History.
Reformation Sunday 2015
It’s Reformation Sunday this weekend, and the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals has some free (and some paid) downloadable resources for your edification.
When Billy Graham (almost) gave up on the Bible
“…what do we do when we experience doubts that might cause us to give up on Christ, or even to radically alter our views about the Christian faith? …
Having recently read his autobiography, I found it very interesting to learn how Billy Graham faced a crisis of this kind…”
– A most encouraging piece from Moore College’s Dr. Peter Orr. Read it all.
(Photo: Archbishop Marcus Loane and Billy Graham at the 1979 Crusade. Courtesy Ramon Williams / Worldwide Photos.)
Biography of Sir Marcus Loane launched in Sydney
A large crowd gathered in Sydney on October 14th for the launch of a substantial biography of Sir Marcus Loane, Archbishop of Sydney 1966-1982.
From Strength to Strength – A Life of Marcus Loane, was written by Canon Allan M. Blanch, who is also an Emeritus Vice-President of the Anglican Church League.
The book was launched by Dame Marie Bashir.
From Strength to Strength promises to be an important contribution to Australian Church History. It also introduces Sir Marcus to new generations of Christians who, until now, may have known little about this towering figure.
A paperback edition is now available for order through the publisher’s website.
Top photo: Allan Blanch at the book launch.
Related: Archbishop Marcus Loane photo gallery.
A Tale of Two Archbishops — ACL Synod Dinner talk 2015
Dr Ed Loane from Moore College spoke to a packed ACL Synod Dinner at the Chapter House on Monday 12th October, 2015.
His topic: A Tale of Two Archbishops: Christian Unity in the Ministries of Archbishop Temple and Archbishop Mowll.
What were the key differences between these two towering figures? What lessons can we learn? Listen to Ed’s fascinating talk which has many contemporary applications:
Or right-click this link to download the 9.7MB mp3 file.
Update: You can also read Dr. Loane’s notes, in this PDF file.
Archbishop Howard Mowll, painted by Alfred G. Reynolds, 1958. On display at Mowll Village, Castle Hill. (Click the image for the full painting.)
Below: Attendees chat over dessert and coffee.
Related links: ACL Membership application.
The Synod Survival Guide.
What does the Bible say about Mary?
From Moore College’s Priscilla and Aquila Centre:
“What does the Bible say about Mary, mother of Jesus? Is she the second Eve? Find out at the last Priscilla & Aquila Centre Evening Seminar this year. Peter Jensen, Former Archbishop of Sydney, will look into this topic.
When: Wednesday 21st October 2015 7:00 – 9:00pm
Where: 15 King Street, Newtown
Pre-registration is necessary, register online here.”
‘Reserve Bank governor Sir Harold Knight offered distinguished service in war and peace’
“Sir Harold Murray Knight KBE, DSC was an Australian economist, best known as the third governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, serving from 1975 to 1982. …
Though his career in central banking featured prominently in his life and demanded much of his time, “it was not what motivated him or gave his life meaning,” his son, Dr Andrew Knight, said. His strong, personal Christian faith drove his core values and led him to devote decades of leadership to the Scripture Union, the Crusader Union, the Bible Society and the Anglican Church.”
– The Sydney Morning Herald has published this obituary of Sir Harold Knight.
(Image: Portrait of Sir Harold Knight by Bill Leak from the RBA Collection via SydneyAnglicans.net.)
‘What shall I render unto the Lord?’ — Richard Johnson’s text
In his farewell address before leaving the office of Prime Minister of Australia, Tony Abbott quoted from Psalm 116, the text read by Chaplain Richard Johnson during the first Christian service in Australia.
Who was Richard Johnson? What was his passion? Learn about him here – and read of his concern for the inhabitants of the Colony in his parting message (PDF) –
“I have told you again and again, that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and that there is no coming to God with comfort, either in this world, or in that which is to come, but by him. He has told you so himself. And the apostle assures you, that there is no other name under heaven, given unto men, whereby they can be saved. Look unto him, and you shall be saved; if not, you must be damned. This is the plain truth, the express declaration of the Bible. Life and death are set before you.
Permit me then, as your minister, your friend, and a well-wisher to your souls, to press these serious and weighty considerations home upon your consciences once more. I hope and believe that I have asserted nothing, but what can be proved by the highest authority, the word of the living God.
They certainly deserve your closest and most careful attention, since it is plain beyond a doubt. that upon your knowledge or ignorance, your acceptance or rejection of this gospel, your everlasting happiness or misery must depend.”
Thomas Cranmer and the fear of death
“On 21st March 1556, Thomas Cranmer, was marched out to Oxford’s University Church.
However many thousands of services he had attended in over twenty years serving as Archbishop of Canterbury, this was to be his last. Condemned as a heretic, he was to be burned, like so many of his protestant colleagues and friends under the short but bloody reign of Mary. A small cobbled cross on Oxford’s Broad Street still marks the spot to this day…”
– For Church Society’s Formulary Friday, Sam Brewster draws us to consider the ninth Homily, ‘An Exhortation Against The Fear Of Death”.
How did we get to Now? — NSW Presbyterians challenged to remember
“Before I belonged to the Presbyterian Church I was a member of another Australian denomination that has now completely lost its way theologically.
I used to attend the Katoomba Convention and the CMS Summer School for my annual Bible teaching. I know what it’s like to go to church week after week and hear minister after minister have nothing to say from the Bible. Some of you can’t imagine a situation like that. Some of you have lived through it. We can’t afford to forget those days. We must make sure that we don’t become complacent.
That’s one reason why we need to play our part in meetings like Assembly and Presbytery. Where does theological liberalism begin to take its hold? It’s often in the decisions of Assemblies and Presbyteries. Carl Truman says that liberalism enters a church when evangelicals don’t bother turning up to the decision making meetings while the moderates and liberals slowly change the theological temperature. We must each play our part in making sure that we are a denomination that sticks to the Bible…”
– In his address to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in NSW recently, Moderator Kevin Murray challenged his hearers against complacency.
Read it on pages 8 and 9 of the August–September 2015 edition of The Pulse (PDF).
The illustration given above is also why the ACL is committed to its task. If you share our commitment, consider joining. Photo credit: Peter Merrick.
Be a Gospel Patron
At GoThereFor, Tony Payne interviews John Rinehart, an advocate of ‘gospel patronage’.
And his book is available at Matthias Media.
Reckless Abandon by the Sea
“This week marks the 150th anniversary of Hudson Taylor’s Brighton Beach experience – one of the seminal events of the Gospel’s advance in China and in the history of missions…”
– Tim Keesee marks a significant anniversary – with the hope of stirring hearts today.
Update: Tim Keesee has a guest post at Challies.com –
“One of my favorite quotes from Hudson Taylor, the very quotable pioneer missionary to China is ‘There are three stages in every great work of God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.’ Taylor knew about impossible…” – read it all here.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…