Christianity and the Tolerance of Liberalism
In three talks Lee Gatiss looks at the crisis which hit American Presbyterianism in the 1920s and 30s. The conservative hero of that struggle was J. Gresham Machen, whose Christianity and Liberalism remains a classic.
What does Machen’s battle with liberalism have to teach us today in a church still ravaged by liberalism and those who tolerate it?
– Hear the talks at The Theologian. See also an extract “When a Theological College Goes Wrong”, from Lee’s book on the topic.
(Image of J. Gresham Machen: The Theologian.)
The 1928 Prayer Book
Why are we running an article on the 1928 Prayer Book now? A new ‘orthodox’ province has been established in North America (only a day ago as I write). It has set out in a provisional constitution its doctrinal position but has not adopted any formal liturgies. The Jerusalem Declaration from GAFCON affirms the 1662 Book of Common Prayer but in the United States in particular the traditional prayer book before the 1970s was their 1928 book. That book is not the same as the English 1928 book, a matter that has caused considerable confusion in some discussions, but nevertheless it is also not the 1662 book. …
– David Phillips, General Secretary of Church Society, writes in the current issue of Cross†Way and the article is available as a PDF file (direct link).
The open Bible in England — F.F. Bruce
“When William Tyndale, as John Foxe tells us, uttered his dying prayer at the stake at Vilvorde on 6 October 1536, ‘Lord, open the king of England’s eyes’, he could not have known that his prayer was already beginning to be fulfilled.
Twelve months earlier, a complete English Bible had been printed on the Continent (probably at Cologne, the setting of the first and abortive attempt to print Tyndale’s New Testament ten years before). This English Bible, the work of Tyndale’s associate Miles Coverdale, was largely dependent on Tyndale’s translation of the New Testament, the Pentateuch and Jonah …”
– Church Society has republished this 1988 Churchman article by F.F. Bruce (PDF file direct link).
Christianity and the Tolerance of Liberalism
Brand new from The Latimer Trust in the UK:
Christianity and the Tolerance of Liberalism: J.Gresham Machen and the Presbyterian Controversy of 1922–1937 by Lee Gatiss.
At the beginning of the last century a more liberal way of interpreting Christianity began to grow in popularity. Traditional believers in many denominations are currently reaping the fruit of a failure to heed the stark warnings about liberalism given at that time by American theologian J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937). Much of what happened in the Presbyterian Church of which he was a part will sound eerily familiar to Anglicans today.
This book examines key battlegrounds in the conflict between conservative, liberal, and so-called ‘moderate’ Christians in the early 20th Century – training for ministry, the denomination’s attitude towards money, and competing notions of mission.
Machen’s principles eventually led him to leave both his seminary and his denomination to create new institutions. But did Machen get it right about how to combat liberalism? Even while we acknowledge his theological insight, should we also be wary of repeating his mistakes?
Lee Gatiss is Associate Minister of St. Helen’s, Bishopsgate in the City of London and Editor of The Theologian: The Internet Journal for Integrated Theology at www.theologian.org.uk.
The book can be ordered from The Latimer Trust.
What we do matters
One impact of Tractarianism has been that practices that had not happened in the Church of England for 300 years were reintroduced, tolerated, permitted and now in a few cases almost prescribed.
Although evangelicals at first opposed these things as springing from a different gospel, along the way many seem to have become numbed to them and even adopted the practices for themselves…
– Church Society General Secretary David Phillips writes on vestments, eucharistic practice, and international Anglicanism. (Direct link to PDF file, courtesy of Church Society.)
The Manifesto of the Reformation
The Manifesto of the Reformation
Luther vs. Erasmus on Free Will
The clash between Martin Luther and Desiderius Erasmus over the issue of free will is “one of the most famous exchanges in western intellectual history”…
Read the article by Lee Gatiss (editor of The Theologian) via the PDF file here (direct link).
The Oxford Movement
“It is likely that we will see a growing interest in the Oxford Movement in the wake of proposals by Roman Catholics to declare one of its founders a saint…”
– David Phillips, General Secretary of Church Society, points out that “many of the practices that were opposed by our evangelical forebears are common within the Church of England” today.
Read his article from Crossway as a PDF file at Church Society.
Evangelical Religion – J C Ryle
Written 130 years ago, Bishop John Charles Ryle’s tract on “Evangelical Religion” is still essential reading. The first Bishop of Liverpool in the UK, Ryle fought valiantly for the authority of the Scriptures in the Church of England.
“Since many religious disputes have arisen solely because there has been a lack of accurate definition, I am beginning this paper by explaining exactly what I mean by ‘Evangelical Religion’.”
The precise challenges faced by Ryle have changed, yet the need to ground the Christian life in the Bible remains. You can read his tract here.
J I Packer – A History of the English Puritans
Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson Mississippi is placing online a great deal of free sermon and lecture audio through iTunes U. Recently added are their recordings of J. I. Packer’s 1988 lectures on the English Puritans.
What did the much-maligned Puritans believe and what can we learn from them about ministry? These lectures provide a valuable insight into the Puritans and are well worth hearing.
To access the material, go to the RTS website (it has a link to download iTunes if you need it) and then select the ‘Click to Launch iTunes’ button. Once there, click on ‘Courses in Church History’. On the next screen, go to ‘History and Theology of the Puritans’ – and you will be able to download all 16 lectures and the syllabus.
Hugh Latimer – Apostolic Preacher
The Church Society has made available a helpful piece on Hugh Latimer, bishop and martyr of the English Reformation. Written by David Streater and originally published in Crossway in 1996, the nine page article can be downloaded as a PDF file.
Take the opportunity, this quiet time of year, to learn of and to thank the Lord for Bishop Hugh Latimer.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…