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.

Lady Jane Grey: A Firm Faith

“Post tenebras spero lucem. After darkness, I hope for light. This phrase was reportedly etched with a pin onto a wall within the Tower of London shortly before 12 February 1554. The significance of these words arises, in part, because of their author: Jane Dudley, otherwise known as Lady Jane Grey, the so-called ‘Queen of Nine Days.’ She was England’s first female monarch, and her execution at age seventeen remains one of the most moving and mysterious episodes of English political and religious history.

These words are also significant because they were etched within the broader context of that great movement of God five hundred years ago, which we know as the Reformation. …”

– The Australian Church Record has published this excerpt from Mark Earngey’s short biography of Lady Jane Grey. Copies have been sent to Sydney Anglican Rectors, courtesy of the ACR.

Moore College Library Day 2021 – H.W.K. and Dorothy Mowll

From Moore College:

“H.W.K. Mowll (Archbishop of Sydney) and his wife Dorothy are two of the most significant figures in 20th century Australian church history, and had a lasting and godly influence on Moore College, the Diocese of Sydney and beyond.

Our Library Day for 2021 features Moore College faculty and guest speakers who will explore important aspects of the Mowlls’ life and ministry, onsite and via livestream.”

– Details from the College.

The Protestant Understanding of Justification

For Reformation weekend, Ligonier Ministries has this video from R C Sproul. (It’s part of a series.)

Luther: The Life and Legacy of the German Reformer

Thanks to Ligonier Ministries, “For a limited time, watch this documentary in its entirety to discover the events God used in Martin Luther’s life that led him to rediscover the gospel of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.”

– The video is temporarily available on YouTube in celebration of Reformation Day.

Once the link is removed (they don’t say when that might be), the movie will still be available for purchase via these sources.

People and the Reformation

“October 31 is remembered in some places, not as a wretched Halloween Day, as the date when, in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses in Latin to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg in Saxony. In doing so, he unwittingly, to some degree at least, triggered off the Protestant Reformation. …”

– The Rev. Dr Peter Barnes, Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, writes for Reformation Day, this coming weekend.

Luther: In Real Time

From Ligonier Ministties:

“It’s 1520. Martin Luther has been declared a heretic by Pope Leo X, and his books are being burned. How much longer before Luther himself is thrown into the fire?

Enter the dramatic story at the dawn of the Reformation. Each episode is released 500 years to the day after the events described, allowing you to walk in Luther’s footsteps from his heresy charges to his famous stand for God’s Word.

Hear, in Luther’s own words, what Protestants are protesting and why it still matters today.”

– Sounds interesting.

Plagues and Protestants

“It was unprecedented. Indeed, it was only a matter of time before the outbreak of plague in China, spread over the seas to wreak havoc in Italy, and from there, spread like wildfire throughout the whole of Europe.

No, this is not COVID-19. Rather it was the infamous wave of Bubonic plague that hounded humanity in the fourteenth century. Known as the “Black Death,” probably due to the black spots it produced on skin, this pestilence killed around a third of the population between India and Iceland during the years 1345 to 1352 alone. …”

– Church Society has published online this article by Mark Earngey in the Summer 2020 edition of Churchman.

Sydney Church History

“In 1965 John Stott, the Rector of All Souls Langham Place in London, visited Sydney to preach on 2 Corinthians at the CMS Summer School.

‘I heard only one of those Bible studies but I was so taken by the way he stuck to the text and stayed with it. He could show you the logic of the argument in the Scriptures, prior to that I had tended to get an idea from the passage and to leap all over the Bible supporting the idea from other parts, so that the people I taught knew the ‘idea’ but not the passage from which it came or how that passage fitted into some overall argument from the Scriptures. It is to John Stott I owe what ability I have to expound the Bible.’

Those were the words of the esteemed Sydney evangelist and preacher, the late John Chapman…”

– David Cook writes to remind us of our history, and how God works. At The Expository Preaching Trust.

(David Cook has served in parish ministry, as the Principal of SMBC, and as the Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.)

A Prayer for VP Day

A prayer for the 75th Anniversary of Victory in the Pacific – by the Rev Mark Charleston.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said:

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

Almighty God and Heavenly Father,

Whose kingdom rules over all and in whom there is perfect freedom. We give thanks this weekend for all who served in the defence of this country during the Second World War.

As we remember those men and women who served – in the ranks of our Navy, Army, Air Force and Merchant Navy – we thank you for their sacrifices, in conflict and in captivity, for the cause of peace and freedom.

We pray today for peace in our world.

Have mercy on our broken and divided world and banish the spirit that makes for war. We ask that leaders of nations and governments will pursue freedom, justice and the welfare of all peoples.

In an uncertain world, marked by senseless violence and selfishness, we pray for ourselves. Fill us with courage and love to share the good news of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Have mercy upon all who do not know life through faith in Him. By your Holy Spirit, turn the hearts of nations to our risen Lord Jesus – and to the peace with you that passes all understanding.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

– Source: SydneyAnglicans.net.

The Importance of Understanding History

From John Anderson:

“John talks to Professor Geoffrey Blainey, Australia’s most prominent historian, on the importance of a thorough understanding of history, and the dangers associated with establishing too narrow a worldview.”

Christians, of all people, should have an interest in history, and how it shapes the culture into which we want to speak the gospel. Watch at johnanderson.net.au.

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