The emergence of legal Christian publishing in China

“About the year 2003 it became possible to legally publish some forms of Christian literature in the People’s Republic of China.

Ten years ago, legal Christian publishing was barely on the radar screen, but today the situation is far different. The demographic and publishing statistics are staggering…”

– There are important publishing opportunities in China, according to this article from the current The Banner of Truth Magazine, republished by Desiring God.

Unconsciously recasting the nature of gospel ministry

“Back in Jerusalem, in the early days of the Christian church, the apostles devoted themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word of God (Acts 6:4). Later, the apostle Paul dedicated himself to proclaiming the crucified Christ (1 Cor. 2:1-5) and spoke insistently of his prayers for those with whom he had shared the gospel (Phil. 1:3-11; Eph. 1:15-23; 3:14-18; etc.) This was the pattern of ministry that Paul commended to those to whom he gave responsibility among the churches (1 Tim. 4:11-16). …

In an era when some fear their backs are against the wall and that we must do everything in our power to arrest Christianity’s slide into oblivion, the temptation to rework this classic understanding of Christian ministry is felt keenly…”

– Mark Thompson reflects on the not-so-subtle pressures to change the nature of gospel ministry.

The Authorised Version? – GAFCON and the Anglican Ordinariate

Charles Raven:

“It is sadly ironic that on the first day of the year which marks the 400th anniversary of King James’ Authorised Version of the Bible, which has had such a profound impact on the English speaking world, three Church of England bishops were received into the Pope’s Anglican Ordinariate in Westminster Cathedral.

The fact that the Ordinariate is described as ‘Anglican’ while having no authorization from the Church of England or the wider Anglican Communion is a reminder of just how bold a stroke this is. There are now two fundamentally different forms of Anglicanism in England itself, one of which is part of the Church of Rome…

A GAFCON sponsored mission in England would be an ‘authorised version’ of the Ordinariate because while not part of the Church of England, it would be indisputably Anglican in both faith and order.”

– Read all of Charles Raven’s latest opinion-piece at SPREAD.

(Photo of Pope Benedict during his visit to Westminister Cathedral last year.)

Narnia Invaded

Writing before the release of the most recent film, Steven D. Boyer looks at the Hollywood interpretation of the Narnia books.

“If there is a possibility that Lewis was right—even a bare possibility—then this loss of the original Narnia, this domestication of Aslan, is distressing indeed. It signals nothing less than an invasion by a foreign and hostile power.

The creators of this ‘new improved’ Narnia have taken the single element in Lewis’s tales that twenty-first-century viewers most need to be instructed in, and they have recast it so that it contributes to the error rather than correcting it.”

– In the November–December edition of Touchstone.

Bp of Canberra & Goulburn’s Christmas message

Bishop Stuart Robinson’s Christmas message, 2010 —

“Leo Tolstoy wrote a book in 1879 called A Confession. This work tells the story of his search for meaning and purpose in life. Rejecting Christianity as a child, Tolstoy left university and went out in search of pleasure. In Moscow and St. Petersburg he drank heavily, lived promiscuously, and gambled frequently. His ambition was to become wealthy and famous but nothing really satisfied him…”

– Read it all here.

Seasonal Reflections from Carl Trueman

Carl Trueman has been posting some seasonal reflections at Reformation21. Part 1, part 2 and part 3 are now online.

From part 2,

“The glory of Christmas is the reality of the God in human flesh; and one of the greatest aspects of this incarnation is that which found its clearest doctrinal expression in the so-called Chalcedonian Formula of 451 AD. This rather dusty looking formula emphasized the union of the two natures, divine and human, in the one person of the Lord Jesus Christ.   While many of us instinctively recoil at the language of natures and person, as being somewhat abstract and philosophical, as taming what is really a most explosive biblical truth – that God entered history in human form — this formula is actually the most glorious of practical truths.  Actions are, after all, things performed by persons, not natures. Thus, Chalcedon underlines the fact that, when Jesus looked with pity on the woman with the flow of blood, we know that this was not something that his human nature did while the divine nature was somehow disengaged or hidden or even opposed to what he was doing. No, God manifest in the flesh looked with pity upon her. God saw, God knew, God acted with mercy.

Because God in Christ is a person, not two people or simply two natures spookily floating in the one space, the action of Jesus revealed something deep and wonderful about God himself: the one who created all things, the one who measures the very dimensions of the universe as if they were the mere span of his hand — this God looks with pity upon a poor, nameless woman in her sufferings which, while terrible to her, were of no cosmic significance whatsoever.”

‘Another day, another reason to dislike WikiLeaks’

“Listening to Radio 4’s Sunday programme this morning, there was an interview with Andrew Brown from the Guardian in which he said something like this: that the reason the WikiLeaks cables were so useful was that, unlike journalists, they could disclose their sources, because those who sent them assumed that they were speaking confidentially — “But of course, they were not.”

Now this was interesting, coming as it did from a journalist…”

– This last week John Richardson has been posting some thoughtful comments on the Wikileaks saga – at The Ugley Vicar. Today’s is no exception.

‘The Anglican Church League’

“In his book The Chosen Ones – The Politics of Salvation in the Anglican Church journalist Chris McGillion paints a somewhat unflattering picture of the inner workings of the diocese of Sydney over the 1993–2001 period. Crafted chiefly from interviews with some of the protagonists, it is a story of manoeuvrings, tactics, parties and vote-counting…”

– Michael Jensen writes about Sydney and the Anglican Church League – at The Blogging Parson.

Part 2.

How churches lose the plot

“I have spent the last few weeks reflecting on the general question as to why churches lose the plot and end up going liberal. Of course, the simple answer is, ‘Because of human sinfulness,’ but that is not particularly helpful as an explanation of why particular churches lose the plot at particular points in time.

Thus, over the next few days I want to offer a series of posts, in no specific order of priority, about more particular, immediate causes for the phenomenon of theological decline within churches. I should add that my reflections are avowedly Presbyterian, and I make no apologies for that; but I do believe that the causes I outline have their parallels within other Christian ecclesiological traditions such as evangelicalism etc.…”

– Carl Trueman has been exploring the question at Reformation21.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

Something funny is happening to our Bible readings

“Something funny is happening to our Bible readings at church. I noticed it last week.

We use the NIV at St Michael’s for our public reading of Scripture and preaching. … Everyone on our reading roster knows we use the NIV.

But last week some of the readings were different from what we had in front of us. And others noticed too. What was going on?…”

– Sandy Grant at St. Michael’s Wollongong writes about the changes to the NIV – at The Sola Panel.

The hole in our holiness

Does Bishop J.C. Ryle’s call to holiness (example) seem a little quaint these days? Kevin DeYoung:

“I find it telling that you can find plenty of young Christians today who are really excited about justice and serving in their communities. You can find Christians fired up about evangelism. You can find lots of Generation XYZ believers passionate about precise theology. Yes and amen to all that. But where are the Christians known for their zeal for holiness? Where is the corresponding passion for honoring Christ with Christlike obedience? …

When is the last time we took a verse like Ephesians 5:4–“Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving”–when is the last time we took a verse like this and even began to try to apply this to our conversation, our joking, our movies, our you tube clips, our t.v. and commercial intake?…”

– Kevin DeYoung is writing in a US context – doubtless with much relevance here too.

From Middle East to Home

“I have just finished my Middle East deployment after six months.

When I arrived in May 10, Nov 10 seemed a long way off but now it is here. I have moved out of my permanent room and into the Transit accommodation. I am finishing up my work here and cleaning my gear in preparation for the plane trip home. I can’t wait and am looking forward to being with my wife and adult sons and daughter again…”

– Moore College graduate Peter Friend is now back in Oz after being the Australian Coordinating Chaplain in the Middle East. Read his reflections at Defence Anglicans – and then for those concerned.

Evangelical Courage

“It is one of the many great sayings attributed to Luther, one which is often quoted in times of controversy or simply as an antidote to the loss of nerve that seems to overcome so many. It is quoted in popular magazine articles, posted on websites, and even referenced in more scholarly work. I know people who have it framed on their wall. If you are a fan of Luther at all, I’d be surprised if you haven’t read or heard of these words. Luther’s famous saying goes like this…”

– Mark Thompson writes about some great quotes, real and imagined, from Martin Luther.

Ligon Duncan reflects on the Lausanne Congress

Watch Ligon Duncan’s interview on the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelism. He argues for much greater engagement with Christians in the Global South.

Runs for 9’47”, he was interviewed by Derek Thomas and Jeremy Smith at Reformation21.

A Fatal Blend

“…the Presiding Bishop will be acting on her own in assuming the mantle of a metropolitan, with absolute authority over her fellow bishops. The Canons purporting to confer such powers are a nullity, because they contravene the powers given to the Presiding Bishop by the Constitution. They thus cannot be the source of any such claimed powers; the Presiding Bishop, if she so acts, will simply have assumed them by force of her will.”

– A S Haley at The Anglican Curmudgeon writes about two very different leadership styles – those of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the TEC Presiding Bishop.

(Photo: Jim DeLa, ENS.)

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