With thanks for Cranmer
As Reformation Sunday approaches, here’s a helpful article from our archives, by Allan Blanch.
Evangelicals and the end of Christendom
From The Pastor’s heart:
“What happened to the idea of Christian Australia – so long and widely held and so quickly abandoned? …
We are diving back to the middle of last century today and thinking about how different leaders of the evangelical faith navigated the end of Christendom with historian Hugh Chilton from Scots College, Sydney.”
Heroes of the Faith: Apolo Kivebulaya
“Some heroes of the faith are forgotten and deserve rediscovery. One of these being Apolo Kivebulaya, a remarkable church worker in Africa for 40 years and a reminder of the way so many African Christians have spread Christianity on that continent.
Apolo was born into a peasant family in 1864 in Kampala in what is now Uganda…”
– Canon J. John writes of Apolo Kivebulaya in his series on Heroes of the Faith.
Many in Uganda and DR Congo still give thanks for Apolo Kivebulaya.
Also published at Christian Today. (Photo: via J. John.)
Archbishop Welby explains why he wears Pope Paul VI’s pastoral ring
“Wrapping up an interview with Vatican News, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, showed those present the pastoral ring he is wearing. It’s not just any ring, but a very important ‘fragment’ of the history of ecumenism. Indeed, it was given by Pope Paul VI to the then Anglican Primate, Michael Ramsey, on March 23, 1966, during his historic visit to Rome. …
On that day the Italian Pontiff, now a Saint, took off his pastoral ring and put it on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s finger.”
– Story and photo from Vatican News. (Justin Welby is in Rome for a series of meetings with Pope Francis and other religious leaders.)
Related:
Evangelical Religion – by Bishop J.C. Ryle
What is the gospel? – by Dr Mark Thompson
Long Ago and Far Away: Thomas Cranmer, author of the Prayer Book – by Allan Blanch
The Thirty Nine Articles of Religion.
Review of Reformation Anglican Worship
“Reformation Anglican Worship by Michael Jensen is the latest volume in The Reformation Anglican Essentials Library. As its name suggests it provides a thorough survey of the principles of Anglican worship found in the denomination’s Reformation legacy.
For what is obviously a scholarly work, Reformation Anglican Worship is a surprisingly enjoyable read. Jensen has found just the right balance between depth of information and an accessible style which anyone with an interest in the topic will appreciate. …”
– David Ould provides this review, plus a link to a special price from The Wandering Bookseller.
John Piper’s 9/11 Radio Interview
From Desiring God:
“Twenty years ago today, at 8:14 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 was highjacked. And with it began a nightmare no one who lived through it will forget. …
The following morning, Pastor John was called on to be one of the Christians who would speak into the tragedy — for him, on KTIS, a local radio station. Where was God on 9/11? There, for about forty minutes, he spoke wisdom into the shock and sorrow.
We want to share the recording with you today on Ask Pastor John, on this twentieth anniversary. The interview covers the importance of grieving and creating space for sorrow, yet a sorrow under God’s all-encompassing sovereignty. Pastor John explains why 9/11 was a call for national humbling, a wake-up call. God was shaking the foundations of America and calling sinners to come to Christ — a global call not just for Americans but also for Palestinians, Saudis, and Afghans. …”
– Read the background and listen – at Desiring God.
Review: ‘Christians’ by Greg Sheridan
Journalist and author Greg Sheridan has just released a new book titled ‘Christians: The Urgent Case for Jesus in Our World’. He opens with this explanation of why he wrote it:
This book is about the compelling, dramatic, gripping characters you meet in the New Testament. Above all, it is the search for Jesus. It seeks to meet him directly, in the New Testament, and in history, and to meet him indirectly through his friends, both his first friends, and some of his friends today…”
– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Akos Balogh reviews Greg Sheridan’s new book, Christians: The Urgent Case for Jesus in Our World.
The book is available from The Wandering Bookseller.
In a Pandemic, people need to be ready for Eternity
Today is the 91st anniversary of Arthur Stace hearing the gospel at St. Barnabas’ Broadway, on Wednesday 6th August 1930.
In the midst of a global pandemic, the message of Eternity is as relevant as ever.
(Photo of Arthur Stace by Les Nixon, December 1952.)
The Election of Archbishop Mowll: A Decision with Consequence
“The Conservative Evangelicalism which permeates the diocese of Sydney today has not always characterised the diocesan leadership. Although Sydney may always have had an Evangelical flavour, in the early 20th century the leadership of the diocese represented a more liberal emphasis.
The election of H.W.K. Mowll as Archbishop (1933-1958) changed the trajectory of the diocese toward a more conservative theological position. The significance of Mowll’s leadership was not merely a result of his duration in office, but rather the growth, innovation and theological consolidation which he instigated. …”
– Dr. Ed Loane, Warden of St. Paul’s College, University of Sydney, reflects on a turning point for the Diocese of Sydney.
Judging the Macquaries — with Peter Adam
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“In reconciliation week we turn our attention to Colonial Australia and a new book out from John Harris, ‘Judging the Macquaries’ – with Peter Adam.
The Black Lives Matter movement is bringing the characters of powerful people in colonial times into sharp focus, particularly their attitudes and actions towards slavery and indigenous peoples.
Lachlan and Elizabeth Macquarie are among those being scrutinised and reassessed.
John Harris paints a more spiritually positive picture of Governor Lachlan Macquarie than had previously been understood. His wife Elizabeth Macquarie was a clear evangelical. Lachlan Macquarie’s Christian faith causes him to stand out in significant policy areas from the dominant views of the time: in his attitudes, behaviour and policies relating to both convicts and indigenous persons.”
Luther and the Diet of Worms @ 500
“On April 18, 1521, Martin Luther—age 37—gave his famous “Here I Stand” speech at the Diet of Worms.
On April 17, 1521, Luther arrived in Worms after completing his 15-day, 300-mile journey from Wittenberg. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition, Justin Taylor reminds us of this key moment in history.
Related:
From Article VI of The Thirty Nine Articles:
Of the Sufficiency of the holy Scriptures for salvation
“Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation.”
Dr. Stephen Chavura on the history of Western civilisation
In his latest Conversations video, John Anderson speaks with historian Dr. Stephen Chavura on the history of Western civilisation, Western thought and the historical roots of freedom, democracy and the rule of law.
Timings from the video on YouTube –
00:00 – Intro
2:02 – Why history?
4:16 – Western civilisation
12:01 – Slavery & racism
23:32 – The American Revolution
26:25 – The Enlightenment
28:34 – Nietzsche
33:57 – Created equal
49:24 – Enlightened thinking?
52:15 – Australian history.
Review: Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen
“To Machen, liberalism was not simply a different style of churchmanship, or a rival Christian theology. It was an entirely different, and man-made, religion founded on a sentimental and superficial view of God. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Andrew Prideaux commends an excellent book, J. Gresham Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism.
(Free versions of the book are available for download at Monergism.)
We Believe — The Story of the Apostles’ Creed
“The Augsburg Confession. The Helvetic Confession. The Gallican Confession. The Belgic Confession. The Westminster Confession and Catechism. The Second London Baptist Confession. The Canons of Dort.
What do these historic evangelical confessions have in common? Each of them has its roots in the Apostles’ Creed.
The Creed, also known as the Twelve Articles of Faith, expresses essential biblical doctrines that have been articulated, defended, and embraced for nearly two thousand years of church history. …”
– At Desiring God, Brian Hanson gives a helpful backgrounder to The Apostles’ Creed.
See also:
Andrew Moody’s series on The Apostles’ Creed at The Gospel Coalition Australia.
Marriage has always been…?
“The purpose of this paper is to provide a short account of the development of marriage within the Christian faith.
It is sometimes argued that the presence of incidental changes to the practice of marriage throughout the history of the Christian church legitimises any kind of further change. It will be demonstrated that while aspects of Christian marriage have changed throughout history, the substance of the doctrine of marriage as a union between one man and one woman does not change. The reasons for the persistence of the core doctrine of marriage fundamentally relate to the Church’s continual effort to remain faithful to Holy Scripture…”
– At The Australian Church Record, Mark Earngey publishes what he wrote as part of the Diocese of Sydney submission to the recent Appellate Tribunal.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…