Making Bricks for Evangelical Pharaohs
“I worry that an awful lot of modern day ministry is about making bricks for evangelical pharaohs. Whether those pharaohs are actual people, or whether they are systems and philosophies of ministry that have been put in place, doesn’t matter all that much; making bricks is the paradigm of much modern ministry. And it’s leaving a trail of exhausted people in its wake. …”
– Stephen McAlpine’s observations may resonate with many in ministry.
Practical tips for sharing the gospel with a stranger
“How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?… Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Rom 10:14, 17)
How often do we consider the urgency of Paul’s words here? In 2017 McCrindle Research did a nation-wide study of faith and belief in Australia. It found that at least 1.5 million people don’t know a Christian. In fact, 1 in 29 people have never heard of Jesus. But the survey also found that 10 percent of Australians – that’s 2.4 million people – are interested in having a conversation about Jesus.
I once had no Christian friends or family, and I first heard the gospel from a stranger…”
– ACL Council member Mike Taylor shares encouragement and a challenge. At the Australian Church Record.
More on Ephesians
ACL Council member, Dr Lionel Windsor, is continuing to post insightful and encouraging reflections on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians.
See them at Forget the Channel. (Scroll down to Recent blog posts.)
Reform resources now available through Church Society
Following the recent merger of Reform with Church Society, many Reform resources are now available on Church Society’s website for free download – with much more to come.
A Tender Lion: The Life, Ministry, and Message of J.C. Ryle
ACL website readers might be interested in this book about J. C. Ryle. Commended by Phillip Jensen, it’s currently on special at Reformers bookshop in Stanmore.
“J. C. Ryle is to Anglican evangelicals as C. H. Spurgeon is to Baptist evangelicals. The lives of great servants of God deserve our careful study to understand the trajectory from which we have come, to remove the cultural blinders of living in the present, and to find exemplars of gospel ministry, that we may imitate their faith. Bennett Rogers has done us all a great favour by writing this book on J. C. Ryle with detailed scholarship and eminently readable prose.” – Phillip Jensen.
Also other items on special of possible interest –
Letters of John Calvin (reduced to $24.99) and Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian (now $35).
(The ACL does not have any business relationship with Reformers Bookshop. We just thought you might be interested.)
Gospel Flourishing in a Time of Confusion — new book from Church Society
At Church Society’s website, there’s news of a new book to help evangelicals in the midst of a very confused Church of England.
Creating a culture of doctrinal literacy
“My favourite book on Christian doctrine is Peter Jensen’s At the Heart of the Universe.
It’s short, sharp, soaked in Scripture, and came about as a result of research for presenting the material orally. Best of all, it begins with eschatology – something that sets it apart, in a good way, from most (if not all) other approaches to Christian doctrine.
But whenever I pick up a book on Christian doctrine, I expect to hear some sort of apologetic for its very existence, and Dr Jensen’s work is no exception. In the introduction he writes …”
– Ben Pakula shares some ideas at The Australian Church Record.
“Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast”
“Culture can eat Strategy for breakfast. But here is a possible tactic to create a culture that serves God’s infallible strategy …”
– Good stuff from Richard Chin, via The Gospel Coalition Australia. (Image: AFES.)
The Power of the Gospel and the Meltdown of Identity Politics
“American politics increasingly resembles a soap opera and, at least for now, Virginia has taken center stage. The drama in the state continues to unfold as the Commonwealth’s top three Democrats face pressure to resign. …
Virginia serves as a prime example of the self-destructive nature of identity politics – a political philosophy that expansively designates identity by race, social background, or gender at the expense of other identities.”
– Southern Seminary President Albert Mohler argues that “the biblical worldview is the only antidote to identity politics” in his latest column.
Glorify God in Your Body – new book from Martin Davie
The latest Podcast from Church Society discusses an important new publication by Martin Davie – Glorify God in your Body. The book’s subtitle is Human identity and flourishing in marriage, singleness and friendship.
Clear biblical teaching on these topics is much in need in today’s church.
From the cover of the book:
“This study, written by Dr Martin Davie in collaboration with a representative group of other Evangelical theologians, is commended by the Church of England Evangelical Council as a resource in the discussions taking place in the Church of England in relation to the House of Bishops’ ‘Living in Love and Faith: Christian teaching and learning about human identity, sexuality and marriage’ project.
It explores a Christian approach to human identity, marriage, singleness, friendship, sex and family life in the light of the worldview that is laid out for us in Scripture and the classical Christian tradition. It considers the current challenges to this approach arising from the sexual revolution and from technological developments in the fields of birth control and infertility treatment and looks at how Christians should respond to them in ways that will enable them to fulfil St. Paul’s injunction to ‘glorify God in your body’. (1 Corinthians 6:20).
From the Church of England Evangelical Council website, you can download the complete 324 page book as a PDF file, or in Kindle and ePub versions. There’s also a link to purchase printed copies from the Latimer Trust.
Read the Press Release accompanying the publication of the book (PDF file).
Two current stories highlight the need to not only understand God’s word, but also to live by it.
The Reality of Sexual Abuse Hits Home: What Happened? What Do We Do Now? – Albert Mohler.
“A massive investigative report appeared in the Sunday editions of the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News. The headline was direct — ‘20 years, 700 victims: Southern Baptist sexual abuse spreads as leaders resist reforms.’…”
Thomas Brown elected 10th bishop of Maine in historic vote – Episcopal News Service.
“Brown will become The Episcopal Church’s only openly gay and married bishop currently leading a diocese. … The church currently has one other openly gay bishop. The Rt. Rev. Mary Glasspool was elected as bishop suffragan of the Diocese of Los Angeles in December 2009…”
Taking our biblical rest — Encouragement from Archbishop Glenn Davies
“The rhythm of work and rest is a biblical rhythm, founded in creation and expressed in the fourth commandment. The seven-day pattern of six days of work and one day of rest continues into the new covenant, because the end of the age when we enter God’s Sabbath Rest has not yet arrived. …”
– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Archbishop Glenn Davies encourages a biblical view of rest.
#inChrist (Ephesians 1:3)
More treasures from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, thanks to Dr. Lionel Windsor.
Posts already published at Forget the Channel:
- Lift Your Eyes: Introducing Ephesians.
- Paul: in his own words (Ephesians 1:1a).
- Amazing holiness (Ephesians 1:1b).
- This God (Ephesians 1:2).
- #inChrist (Ephesians 1:3).
– with plenty more planned.
The Bible Theft: Guarding Against Those who Steal God’s Word from the Church
Dr. Peter Sanlon (pictured), Vicar of St. Mark’s Tunbridge Wells, has recently published “The Bible Theft” – a book to help Christians spot the various kinds of anti-Biblical teaching running rampant in the Church of England.
It’s a very timely book, and Julian Mann draws attention to it:
“This tremendously accessible and intelligent book from the pastoral front line breathes the excitement of Christian truth and thus commends the Faith to both Christians and non-Christians.”
Australian readers can order copies from these booksellers (and, doubtless, others).
Knowing where we stand
“Sometimes, in just one public argument, all the worst winds gather together as a perfect storm. Perhaps no article in recent months fits that mould more than an opinion piece that ran just days ago in The Washington Post by veteran columnist Richard Cohen. The headline of the article reads, ‘It’s Not Just Northam. Republicans Must Confront the Bigotry of the Pences Too.’ …
Cohen makes a now familiar argument – he creates a moral parallel between the question of racism and anyone who believes that LGBTQ behaviors and relationships are sinful. He equates discrimination based on skin color with the moral agenda of gay rights.”
– Once again, Albert Mohler reminds Bible-believing Christians of the challenges coming.
9Marks Journal: Ecclesiology for Calvinists
The latest 9Marks Journal – February 2019 – is now available as a free download.
Plenty to think about.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…