The Final Days of Jesus: Palm Sunday
Justin Taylor introduces the first of a series of videos to be released this week on the theme of “The Final Days of Jesus”.
Professors Douglas Moo (pictured) and Andreas Köstenberger provide valuable background to the events of Holy Week.
They are an accompaniment to the book “The Final Days of Jesus”. (Availability.)
Leon Morris and the Cross of Christ — Ridley lecture
The Rev. Neil Bach, who is writing a biography of Leon Morris, delivered this lecture at Ridley College Melbourne to mark the Centenary of Morris’ birth.
See also Peter Adam’s words of thanksgiving.
The life and ministry of Deaconess Mary Andrews
The life and ministry of Deaconess Mary Andrews is the focus of this year’s Moore College Library Day – Saturday, May 10th 2014. Details from the College.
The False Teachers: Charles Taze Russell
Tim Challies has been writing a series on false teachers.
This week he turns to Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916), founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Mohler on Spurgeon
Albert Mohler delivered the annual Spurgeon Lecture at the Reformed Theological Seminary in Florida last week. He looks at Spurgeon in his intellectual and cultural context.
See it here via the Gospel Coalition.
(From 23:20, there’s mention of Bishop Colenso, whose actions precipitated the first Lambeth Conference.)
Remembering Leon Morris on the Centenary of his birth
Australian theologian Leon Morris was born one hundred years ago this weekend – on March 15th 1914.
The current Principal of Ridley College Melbourne, Dr, Brian Rosner, has a tribute. (Photo: Ridley College.)
If you are not familiar with the writings of Leon Morris, you can read three articles on the Church Society website:
The Person of Christ (1960).
The Authority of the Bible Today (1961, PDF file).
Christian Worship (1962, PDF file).
And if you can obtain a copy (and especially if you have some Greek), take the time to read his The Apostolic Preaching of The Cross – The Tyndale Press, London, 1955) – an enormously important book still today.
That book “is an attempt to understand certain key words, words which are crucial to the New Testament picture of the atonement, by seeing them against the background of the Greek Old Testament, the papyri, and the Rabbinic writings. Armed with our discoveries, we then proceed to examine them in their New Testament setting…” – from the Preface to the First Edition.
Update: Sandy Grant has just published this at The Briefing.
The False Teachers: Pelagius
“Pelagius believed that man had not been entirely corrupted by Adam’s fall and that he could, by his own free will, do works that pleased God, and thus be saved.”
– In his new series on The False Teachers, Tim Challies turns to write about Pelagius.
Happy 70th Birthday to Tyndale House
“70 years ago today, with the War still raging, Tyndale House was purchased for just 4,500 pounds Sterling to be established as a residential centre for biblical research.
Since then many hundreds of scholars have been supported and equipped through Tyndale House to serve the church. Around 300 PhD theses have been substantially written in our library. The Bible translations alone that have been produced by scholars who have spent time here have reached millions, and the impact of scholarship from Tyndale House has been global. We’re thankful to God for this and look to him for the future.”
– from an e-mail from Tyndale House in Cambridge.
A young Broughton Knox, then in the UK, was convinced of the worth of such an institution. According to the minutes of the meeting of the group that set up Tyndale House, the motion that it be a residential library and not simply a library, was moved by DBK.
See this video introduction to Tyndale House.
The False Teachers: Arius
“This morning I am setting out on a new series of articles that will scan the history of the church – from its earliest days all the way to the present time – and pause to examine some of Christianity’s most notorious false teachers. …
We will begin this morning with one of the very first, and certainly one of the most dangerous, false teachers: Arius.” – Tim Challies begins a new series.
The Execution of Lady Jane Grey: 460 years ago
“Lady Jane Grey… is a daughter of the Reformation whose story of faithfulness and grace deserves to be better known.”
– Justin Taylor at Between Two Worlds remembers Lady Jane Grey, who was executed on this day in 1554.
Amazing Grace’s lasting impact — the John Newton story
Marylynn Rouse from The John Newton Project was interviewed about the impact of the hymn “Amazing Grace”. Along the way, she spoke about the background to the hymn, and about John Newton’s conversion.
Most encouraging – see it on Vimeo.
‘Downton Abbey’ and the Modern Age — What are we really watching?
“Americans by the millions tuned in to watch the premier of Downton Abbey’s fourth season, eager to enjoy the continuation of the saga of the Earl and Countess of Grantham and their household. …
And yet, most viewers are likely unaware of what they are actually seeing. They are not merely watching an historical drama, they are witnessing the passing of a world. And that larger story, inadequately portrayed within Downton Abbey, is a story that should not be missed. That story is part of our own story as well.”
– Albert Mohler writes.
Slavery’s Abolition and History’s Truth
“Memories shape us powerfully. For all of us there are defining events, the memories of which stay with us and determine how we view the world. Not only individuals, but communities and nations have landmark memories. The Gettysburg Address of Abraham Lincoln is one such. …
Nowadays it is taken for granted that equality is a value which everyone respects, but we should never forget that it was not always so.”
– Dr Mark Durie, Vicar of St Mary’s Caulfield in Melbourne, writes in Quadrant about the cultural amnesia afflicting so many today.
(Longer, original version, at his blog.)
The English Reformers’ teaching on Salvation
Church Society has posted a talk given by Donald Allister, now Bishop of Peterborough, at the 1991 Church Society Conference. (At the time, Bishop Allister was Rector of St. Mary’s Cheadle, near Manchester.)
How can you be right with God? Hear the “joyful and liberating truth” Bilney, Tyndale, Cranmer, Latimer and other English Reformers discovered.
60 minute talk – it’s a 30MB mp3 file. Take the time to listen – a very good way to start the new year.
Jesus’ Improbable Plan
“Jesus and the apostles expected the nations of the world to be won for him. This is a historical statement that is historically true that will stand in the face of even the most stringent, critical analysis.
Consider how improbable such a vision must have been.
‘Make disciples of all nations’ he said but those to whom he said it were but eleven in number, simple uneducated men, without friends in high places. Their own track record had not been good; one was a betrayer, another a denier and all were deserters.
He, their leader, had been handed over by the temple hierarchs and crucified by the Romans.
Yet he expected world conquest, but not achieved by naked power but by mere words backed up by an ethical life. …”
– Bishop Paul Barnett looks at Jesus’ ‘improbable plan’.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…