It’s all in the projection

“Most of us preside over church meetings/services (choose your language as appropriate). And an increasing number of us do that in churches which don’t use hymn books or printed sheets but by means of projection.

There are good reasons for this being a good idea. People tend to sing into books/sheets. Most churches notice, when switching from paper to projection, that the singing improves and, I think, it is far easier for singing this way to be the encouraging corporate thing it ought to be.

But we’d be naïve to pretend that there were not issues with it…”

– Adrian Reynolds at the Proc Trust has a simple observation worth considering.

The Archbishop we don’t need (but will probably get)

“Central to the role of the next Archbishop of Canterbury will be his views on human sexuality, not because that is the most important thing about Christian theology (though it is quite important), but because the agenda of our society will make it so…”

– John Richardson calls for an Archbishop of Canterbury who will ‘uphold sound and wholesome doctrine, and … banish and drive away all erroneous and strange opinions’. At the Ugley Vicar.

Farewell Rowan Williams

ACL President Mark Thompson offers these thoughts on the legacy of Rowan Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury –

“Rowan Williams has occupied Lambeth Palace at an extraordinarily difficult period in Anglican history.”

“It is now official that the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, will resign at the end of this year. The news is not really a surprise. Rumours have abounded for the past year about an early retirement and return to academia. It is generally recognised that the last decade has been an extremely taxing time for Rowan Williams and the pressure upon him from all sides has been extreme.

Already a great number of valedictory notices have appeared on the net and in the church press. His intellectual prowess is universally acknowledged, even if it is often qualified with exasperation at his highly abstract way of communicating his ideas. He has been described in one recent piece as ‘the theologian’s theologian’, no doubt a reference to the fact that he has never been satisfied with easy answers and has preferred oblique approaches to thorny issues rather than a direct frontal assault. He has challenged his readers and others to deep thought and a refusal to foreclose on the answers. Perhaps too, it might be said, his difficult and abstract prose has had a particular appeal to those too ready to assume that the difficulty lies in the profundity of his ideas rather than an unwillingness to nail his colours to the mast, those who prefer asking questions to giving answers. And yet, it must also be said, there have been fleeting moments of remarkable lucidity in which he has confessed faith in Christ in the midst of uncertainty, suffering and brokenness.  Read more

The Challenges we face

“The church, like the Bible, is not primarily concerned with human sexual behavior. Our main concern is to seek the glory of God in all things, and to bear witness to the saving power of Christ’s gospel. But the Bible makes clear that God’s glory is inherently connected to our sexual behavior and our identity before the Creator. Furthermore, the gospel requires a clear understanding of human sinfulness, including, very specifically, sexual sins.

One thing is clear – the church has to learn how to speak honestly and courageously about sexual morality, but also to speak with true gospel humility. In other words, we must make clear that we are not moral superiors speaking to moral inferiors, but those who have been redeemed by God’s grace pointing others to his grace to us in Christ…”

– Albert Mohler outlines some of the key issues facing a new generation of ministers of the gospel.

What marriage is, and why it matters

“Why do Christians care about marriage, and what does it mean to them? The answer is quite simple, though it demands a considerable amount of unpacking: just as, according to Genesis 1:27, human beings ‘image’ God, so marriage ‘images’ the relationship between Christ and the Church, or to put it another way, the relationship between the Creator-Redeemer God and his created-redeemed people…”

– John Richardson in the UK seeks to flesh out (so to speak) the significance of marriage – at The Ugley Vicar.

After-birth Abortion: Atheist Ethics at Work

“Whenever I mention Professor Singer’s views, I am assured that he is an extremist who in no way represents atheism itself. … However, Professor Singer is a leading ethicist and atheist, holding the chair of Bio-ethics at Princeton University and in 2004 voted as the Australian Humanist of the Year by the Council of Australian Humanist Societies. His views are those of reasoned atheism … His views are not held by him alone.”

– Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen writes in his weekly message for the Cathedral.

Something deadly this way comes

“This article in the Journal of Medical Ethics is a clear signal of just how much ground has been lost to the Culture of Death. A culture that grows accustomed to death in the womb will soon contemplate killing in the nursery. The very fact that this article was published in a peer-reviewed academic journal is an indication of the peril we face…”

– Albert Mohler speaks out on the JME paper.

Tell your children what Hitler did

“Tell these stories to your children. Tell them with passion. Tell them with tears. Send your children into the world with their eyes sharpened with the bright light of history.”

– John Piper thinks it’s time to recall the horrors of Nazi Germany.

Related:
After-birth abortion: why should the baby live?
Commentary from Andrew Bolt, Herald Sun.
Interview on Iowa radio. (starts 12:30 into clip.)

Reforming a diocese from within

“What can you do if you are a small group of evangelicals in a diocese where it seems that nothing organized by the institution ever reflects a sound theological agenda or is likely to feed the mass of God’s people?

That was the question raised almost thirteen years ago at a committee meeting of the Chelmsford Diocesan Evangelical Association, following a diocesan conference for laypeople…”

– John Richardson shares his experiences and offers encouragement – in the Winter 2012 Crossway. (Article: PDF file.)

When the Accounts are called: A Christian understanding of gambling

“The Bible is clear on this issue. The entire enterprise of gambling is opposed to the moral worldview revealed in God’s Word. The basic impulse behind gambling is greed—a basic sin that is the father of many other evils. Greed, covetousness, and avarice are repeatedly addressed by Scripture—always presented as a sin against God, and often accompanied by a graphic warning of the destruction which is greed’s result. The burning desire for earthly riches leads to frustration and spiritual death…

Why are Christians so silent on this issue?“

– Albert Mohler demonstrates that gambling is an issue not unique to New South Wales. (Idea: try preaching against gambling and see what response you get.)

Peter: Rock or Stumbling Block?

“Last week when preaching on Matthew 16, I made no mention of the erroneous claims of the Papacy. Several congregation members raised concerns with me about the way this passage is commonly misunderstood. So let me address this misunderstanding and in the process offer some insights into the challenges of preaching…”

– Read the full article by the Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen.

All we need to know

Bishop of Armidale Peter Brain writes:

“How good it is to know that we need never face a day alone or a circumstance with fear.”

“We were walking down the road to the railway bridge, my son and son-in-law with their two little boys and daughter, hand in hand. Then when we heard the sound of a dog barking, I could feel their grip tighten. Neither I nor their fathers pushed them away. Indeed the two youngest moved closer and found reassurance in their father’s presence.   Read more

New Atheism — Sound and fury, signifying nothing

“Over the next several posts I’m going to outline some of my thoughts about the relative strengths and weaknesses of New Atheism, and things I think people should keep in mind as they think about addressing its claims and its criticisms of God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ. This series is aimed primarily at Christians who have some sort of public evangelistic or teaching role…”

– Over at The Briefing’s website, Mark Baddeley has begun what looks to be a very helpful series.

The ‘must read’ Christian book of the year?

Mark Thompson gives notice of what he thinks will be the ‘must read’ Christian book of the year:

“Graeme’s convictions about the authority of Scripture, its dual authorship, its profound and textured unity, its Christological centre, and its vital relevance for all who want to know God and to live as his forgiven people are not only expressed but explained with all the care and skill of this master teacher.”

“All over the world Moore College is known for its approach to biblical theology. Biblical theology in this sense is attention to the unfolding unity of Scripture with its focus on the fulfilment of God’s promises in Jesus Christ. It has proven to be not only a productive way to see how the parts are related in an overarching whole, but also an aid to responsible application of individual narratives. Before jumping straight from the story of, say, David and Goliath, to our situation today, that story is located in the unfolding purposes of God. We see God’s anointed deliverer winning the battle against the enemies of his people while the beneficiaries enjoy the victory without achieving it themselves. Seen in this light, the story of David and Goliath anticipates the victory of Christ on the cross, a victory won for us rather than by us.  Read more

Carl Trueman reviews The Iron Lady

“Yet the greatness of the film lies not in its depiction of Mrs Thatcher’s life; indeed, it is not really a conventional biopic at all. It lies rather in its portrait of the merciless cruelty of old age and the omnipresent tragedy of mortality that lies at the heart of the human condition…”

– At Reformation21. Worth pondering.

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