The Nameless One
Carl Trueman writes about the ‘young, restless and reformed movement’ – and more – at Reformation21. –
“One striking and worrying aspect of the movement is how personality oriented it is. It is identified with certain big names, rather than creeds, confessions, denominations, or even local congregations…
Often cults of personality can degenerate in short order into cults, pure and simple, especially when every word of the guru figure becomes virtual Holy Writ…”
Update:
Tim Challies writes of this article –
“I had something else to post today but wanted to put it on hold for a day or two so I can draw your attention to what I consider a very important article… In the past few months I’ve sat down again and again to write out some of my thoughts about the whole Young, Restless, Reformed movement we are experiencing today. But never have I quite been able to convey my thoughts on it as clearly and succinctly as I’d like. I’ve wanted to share both praise for what God is doing and misgivings for what I think we, the church, are doing poorly. Never was I able to strike the balance, so I just left it rotting in my drafts folder.
Trueman, though, has nailed it. …”
815’s Day of Reckoning approaches
(‘815’ is the nickname for the TEC’s headquarters at 815 Second Avenue, New York.)
“[San Joaquin, Fort Worth, Pittsburgh and Quincy] are the four dioceses which have thus far voted to leave the Church, and each departure has spawned a lawsuit. ECUSA from the beginning has adopted a high-stakes, winner-take-all strategy which depends for its success on its ability to prove in court the proposition that a diocese is not free to withdraw from the voluntary unincorporated association which ECUSA has been since its formation at common law in 1789…
The fact is that ECUSA has never – until now – had to prove its unwritten prohibition against leaving in a court of law. But there are four court cases currently pending in which it will have to do so, sooner or later…”
– Christian lawyer A.S. Haley writes at Anglican Curmudgeon.
Image adapted from the TEC donation website.
Davies and Spong agree
“It is not often that I find myself in agreement with Bishop Jack Spong.
According to the Church of England Newspaper report of 21 August, the former Bishop of Newark has rejected Presiding Bishop Katharine Schori’s contention that nothing had changed as a result of the 76th General Convention’s votes on gay bishops and blessings…”
– Bishop of North Sydney, Glenn Davies, writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Preach on Alienation — to Reconcile
“Of course, there are great temptations not to preach on sin(!) Brian McLaren tells us that this is not the way to reach Gen-Xers. Robert Schuller told us this was not the way to reach Boomers. Harry Fosdick told us this was not the way to reach Moderns. I am sure we could find such sentiments all through history, and the reason is that we do not like to be told that we are sinners…”
– Chad Brand. (h/t Unashamed Workman)
Wearing the disguise of Faithfulness
“The inevitability of the votes to allow the affirmation of homosexual unions and the calling of homosexual ministers is rooted in decisions made prior to those crucial votes. The actions in Minneapolis would be inconceivable but for the fact that the denomination has for decades allowed increasing theological pluralism to mark its membership and its leadership…”
– Al Mohler writes on the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s decisions last week,
Albert Mohler on the Future of the Southern Baptist Convention
President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Albert Mohler, last week spoke at The President’s Forum at the seminary. His topic was “The Future of the Southern Baptist Convention”.
Interesting listening and an insight into growing up as a Southern Baptist, US culture, and whether the Southern Baptists will be mission-minded or bureaucratic. While the culture is different, listeners will pick similar challenges for Sydney Anglicans.
Worth hearing. The 57 minute audio file is available at the SBTS website.
“Do not worry” — a devotional and a testimony
There’s a lot of worry in the Anglican world these days, and especially here in North America. “What will happen to the orthodox in TEC if we decide to stay?” “Will Canterbury act to provide a place for the orthodox to sign the Covenant and be on the ‘inside track’ without retaliation from 815?” “Will my bishop inhibit and depose me for even thinking about leaving?” “What if we lose our buildings…?”
The American Anglican Council’s Phil Ashey shares a story of the Lord’s kindness.
Related earlier posts – 1, 2, 3. (Photo: Screenshot from WBNG News, NY.)
Get a Bible with all the words
In this 2 minute video clip, John Piper explains why we need a Bible translation that has all the words.
It promises far too little — the false gospel of prosperity theology
“‘God knows where the money is, and he knows how to get the money to you.” That was the message of Gloria Copeland as she was speaking at the Southwest Believers’ Convention recently held in Fort Worth, Texas. …
This ‘turbocharged’ theology offers a false hope, presents a failed message, and is a False Gospel.”
– Al Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, writes bluntly about the false gospel of ‘prosperity theology’.
See also this from last year on Word of Faith preachers.
(Oh, and if you must see for yourself the messages given at “the Southwest Believers’ Convention”, you can do so here. Note: the mp4 video files are around 1GB each.)
The historic episcopate: a response
“I appreciate the feedback on the historic episcopate, following my blog of last fortnight, reflecting upon article 3 of the ACNA constitution.
3. We confess the godly historic Episcopate as an inherent part of the apostolic faith and practice, and therefore as integral to the fullness and unity of the Body of Christ. …”
– Bishop Glenn Davies expands his earlier comments about one article of the ACNA Constitution (PDF) – at SydneyAnglicans.net. (Photo: Russell Powell.)
The power of God
“The statistics concerning the Church of England continue to make grim reading. The decline in attendance has not abated, the number of clergy continues to fall and there are signs that even if there were more clergy many dioceses cannot afford to pay their stipends. The Church is also losing influence in the national life …
There is much ground for pessimism and it may be that we are witnessing the judgement of God on our Church and nation. Our first response to such things must always be to repent and to cry out to God for mercy. But we are called to do more, and part of what we must do is reform the Church. …”
– David Phillips, General Secretary of Church Society, writes the editorial in the current issue of Cross†Way. (PDF file.)
Cranmer & Hooker on the saving power of the word
“The first two of Ashley Null’s lecture series on repentance in classical Anglicanism have been superb. So far he has spent time unfolding the place and nature of repentance in Thomas Cranmer’s thinking and then in the thinking of Richard Hooker. …”
– ACL President Mark Thompson blogs about Ashley Null’s lectures.
Whither Evangelicalism?
“… I’d be inclined to say that the singular characteristic that stands out most among contemporary evangelicals is their distaste for drawing any clear lines between truth and error. They don’t like to handle doctrine in a polemical fashion. They especially don’t want to be thought “negative” when it comes to declaring their doctrinal convictions. …
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones saw this trend coming and warned against it. In 1971, during a visit to Australia, he gave a series of lectures that were compiled and published as a booklet, ‘What Is an Evangelical?’ If you haven’t read it, you should. …”
– Phil Johnson writes of evangelicalism in North America. Is Australia far behind?
Tong: Defending my take on Schori
My last blog remarked on Presiding Bishop Schori’s breathtaking rejection of the gospel of salvation, “the great Western heresy – that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God”.
The blog drew some debate about my use of Scripture but I take comfort from the report of Bishop David Bena’s sermon at an ordination where he attacked Schori by saying…
– Read Robert Tong’s post at SydneyAnglicans.net.
The Wrighteousness of God
“Bishop Wright’s views on Paul, Israel and justification have been known for many years, and have often been debated in scholarly circles.
As this latest book makes clear, those views have not been widely accepted—indeed, they have been openly opposed by almost everyone engaged in the field, from the most conservative Evangelicals to the most ardent liberals. …”
– In his editorial to the June 2009 issue of Churchman, Gerald Bray gives a helpful summary of Bishop Tom Wright’s teaching, and the response of John Piper and others. It’s available from Church Society as a PDF download and is worth reading.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…