Is the Reformation over?
At last month’s Together for the Gospel conference, Carl Trueman spoke at a breakout session on ‘Why the Reformation isn’t over’. He gives five reasons why the Reformation matters in our churches today –
“The Centrality of the Cross, the Centrality of the Word, the Centrality of Assurance, the Centrality of the Pastor, and the Centrality of more than just the gospel.”
Titanic: A Glasgow church recalls Pastor John Harper
In the icy water, Pastor John Harper asks a man if he is saved, and gives him his life jacket.
And more details from Baptist Press.
7 Lessons from the German Liberal Theologians
“Despite standing in the shadow of the Reformation, many German Protestant theologians abandoned the historic truth claims of biblical Christianity due to the mounting popularity of Enlightenment rationalism.
In so doing, they shipwrecked their own souls while simultaneously devastating the faith of millions of others…”
– Nathan Busenitz draws some sobering lessons from the German Liberal Theologians –
- The way to reach skeptics with the gospel is not by watering down the gospel.
- True religion can be lost in just one generation.
- German liberalism does not represent merely a divergent form of Christianity, but – in actuality – a completely new religion.
- The liberals honoured doubt as being noble and intellectually honest. In reality, doubting God’s word is a heinous sin.
- German liberalism teaches us that ideas have consequences, and that bad ideas have very bad consequences.
- The social gospel of the liberals is still alive and well in many mainline Protestant churches.
- Higher criticism, in particular, is built on the notion that the wisdom of man trumps the revealed wisdom of God.
– Very relevant to the Anglican Communion. Read it all at The Cripplegate. (h/t Tim Challies.)
A significant anniversary
February 19th marks the 200th anniversary of the departure from Massachusetts for Burma of Adoniram and Ann Judson. Sandy Grant has the story at The Briefing. (Image via Mission Partners.)
Earliest New Testament fragment discovered?
Dr Daniel Wallace, at Dallas Theological Seminary, offers a little tantalising information about a recent manuscript discovery –
“It was dated by one of the world’s leading paleographers. He said he was ‘certain’ that it was from the first century. If this is true, it would be the oldest fragment of the New Testament known to exist. …
Not only this, but the first-century fragment is from Mark’s Gospel.”
– Read his post here. (h/t Tim Challies.)
Trinity now and then
Mark Thompson makes some interesting observations on the Trinitarian thought of the Church Fathers…
“Patristic trinitarian thinking had a more overtly doxological element than much modern writing in this area. Writers such as Athanasius and Augustine, not to mention the Cappadocians and later Eastern writers, were very aware that they did their theologising in the presence of God and in service of the church. It was not, and could never be, a simply abstract and intellectual endeavour…”
– read it all at Theological Theology.
The story of ‘Amazing Grace’
The John Newton Project’s Marylynn Rouse helps tell the story of John Newton’s hymn Amazing Grace in this 15 minute feature on Vimeo. (h/t Gary Ware.)
Paul and Mission in a Pluralistic World
“Religious pluralism, which has become new to us in western culture in recent times, was not new in the broader historical background of the New Testament era. It was, in fact and in particular, a distinguishing mark of the Graeco-Roman culture of the world in which the heralds of Jesus went forth to proclaim him as the unique Lord and Christ…”
– Bishop Paul Barnett looks at the world in which Paul preached the gospel.
Knox/Robinson for today
“You might be unfamiliar with the term ‘Knox/Robinson’, but you may well have come across the substance of these two men’s teaching if you’ve ever looked into the doctrine of church.
Observers of Anglicanism in Sydney have often remarked on a confident and distinctive approach to the nature and purpose of church, led by such men as Howard Mowll, TC Hammond, Marcus Loane, Donald Robinson and Broughton Knox. The source of this approach is undoubtedly the teaching of Donald Robinson and Broughton Knox at Moore College from the early 1950s until the early 1980s, though both men denied they were teaching anything unusual and could point to others who were saying similar things.
For us, nearly thirty years after the last published piece by either of them, how should we respond to the theological legacy of Donald Robinson and Broughton Knox? …”
– Read Mark Thompson’s paper at The Briefing.
The Lure of Rome
Dr. Robert Godfrey, Professor of Church History at Westminster Seminary California, speaks about why some evangelicals and other Protestants in the US are becoming Roman Catholics.
35 minute interview here. (h/t Ligonier Ministries.)
New Evidences the Gospels were Based on Eyewitness Accounts
In March 2011, Dr Peter Williams, Warden of Tyndale House in Cambridge, gave a public lecture at The Lanier Theological Library in Houston.
His topic: New Evidences the Gospels were Based on Eyewitness Accounts. The 62 minute video is well worth watching.
Christmas — Myth or History?
Bishop Paul Barnett responds to an article in last weekend’s newspaper.
“So don’t let the sceptics and atheists take away your hope.”
“You cannot but be impressed with the zeal of the modern sceptic and reciprocally unimpressed with the lethargy of the contemporary Christian. Right on track the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Weekend (3rd December, 2011) has a lengthy and well-researched article, ‘Divine Intervention’ (Fenella Souter) in which she debunks the historical basis for the first Christmas.
Her two main arguments are that there are only two gospel accounts and that they are contradictory, with the addition of many fictional details…”
– Read the full article on Paul Barnett’s website.
Update: If it comes in handy, here’s a PDF version formatted to suit a double-sided A4 sheet.
From Reformation to Revival
Lee Gatiss has been speaking in Cambridge at the ‘Saturday School of Theology’ on the theme ‘From Reformation to Revival’.
The audio of the first two sessions is now available, with the third to come. Below are the descriptions of each session: Read more
The Sydney Family Album — 8, Howard Mowll
“It really is rather hard to overplay the contribution of Howard Mowll to the shape and character of the contemporary Anglican Diocese of Sydney.
His election as Archbishop in April 1933 was a critical moment in the diocese’s history, a decision for its evangelical heritage rather than the more eclectic theology others were advocating at the time. His tenure of the office during World War II and the equally critical post-war years set directions, embedded principles and fostered a new generation of leaders who enabled Sydney Anglicanism to remain unambiguously Protestant and evangelical while engaging seriously with the challenges of a new era…”
– Mark Thompson continues his series on those who shaped Sydney Diocese.
Some recent books on Church History
“It remains as important as ever for the church not to lose sight of where it has come from, to be inspired by the great examples of the past as well warned by the mistakes that we are in danger of repeating.”
– Lee Gatiss reviews seven recent books on church history to see how solid and how useful they might be for the church, in Churchman.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…