William Taylor on preaching the early chapters of Genesis
William Taylor shares some observations on preaching through (or reading through) Genesis 1-11 – at St. Helen’s Preaching Matters.
To go Forward we must go Back
“Since the Primates gathering in January I have been trying to assess its significance for the Anglican Communion.
I am not alone in thinking that the GAFCON movement and its Primates played an important role in the outcome. But it is possible to lose clarity in the midst of all the talk and interpretations. We need to go right back to basics to be sure of our identity, our purpose and our policies as a Communion.
We need to go back to basics to make sure that our witness is heard…”
– Dr Peter Jensen, GAFCON General Secretary, has released the first of six reflections on the fundamentals underpinning the Christian faith.
Headscarves and Hashtags — Other voices in the Same-God Debate
“Many voices have weighed in on the debate as to whether Christians and Muslims worship the same God. Wheaton’s Professor Hawkins was only reflecting the sentiment of half the country — and perhaps a third of self-described evangelicals — when she declared that Christians and Muslims worship the same God.
The ‘same God’ controversy is the kind of ‘debate’ that plays out mostly on social media and largely among Christians and secularists. So it’s really more of a political statement than a debate. But there are other voices that ought to be heard on the subject — stories of men and women who don’t have access to blogs or Facebook because they are being hunted like animals at this very moment…”
– At Desiring God, Tim Keesee adds some realism to the debate.
Islam, women’s seating and discrimination
“In a very interesting recent decision, Bevege v Hizb ut-Tahrir Australia …, the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal has found that an Islamic group unlawfully discriminated against a female member of the audience for a seminar they were running, by requiring her to sit in a “women only” area.
In my view the decision is somewhat disturbing, and has the potential, if followed in the future, to undermine the appropriate recognition of religious freedom in NSW. The implications may extend beyond Muslim groups to a range of religious groups…”
– Assoc. Professor Neil Foster asks some thoughtful questions about a decision that’s been in the news.
Impossible to Believe: The Endgame of Secularism
“The story of the rise of secularism is a stunning intellectual and moral revolution. It defies exaggeration. We must recognize that it is far more pervasive than we might want to believe, for this intellectual revolution has changed the worldviews of even those who believe themselves to be opposed to it…”
– The third post in a four-part series on Secularisation and the Sexual Revolution from Albert Mohler.
Two Worlds
“I live in Sydney, a beautiful city, what a pleasure to show friends from overseas around the harbour, the beaches and the mountains.
And yet, like all believers, my home is the eternal city which is above.
The writer of the Hebrews reminds his readers “For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14)…”
– In his latest Moderator’s Comments, Presbyterian Moderator-General David Cook reflects on living in two worlds.
New Priscilla and Aquila Centre website
The Priscilla and Aquila Centre at Moore College has a brand new website.
Check it out – including their Resource Centre.
From the Vault No. 4
Learning to speak Christian in an online world
“On March 17, I’ll be speaking at Moore College’s first Centre for Christian Living event for 2016. The topic: Learning to speak Christian in an online world. …
Christians need to be online – or at least some of us do. That’s because there are real people who spend a large part of their lives online, and these people need to hear (or read!) the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?” (Romans 10:14). If we Christians aren’t there with them, they will not hear of Jesus. All they will hear is the “noise” – the endless frivolous chatter, and worse.
But – we need to be very serious about how we speak. That’s because God takes our speech incredibly seriously. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, for example, when he talks about living God’s way, much of the time he’s talking about the way we speak…”
– Lionel Windsor at Moore College previews an event coming up at The Centre for Christian Living.
Equipped to Preach the Word — A new resource by David Jackman
Here’s an exciting new (and free!) resource from the Proclamation Trust –
“Equipped to Preach the Word is a new resource we’ve put together as a series of videos and accompanying manuals to put resources into the hands of those who long, under God, to train up a new generation of faithful and effective Bible preachers.
Topics include: the nature and necessity of revelation, interpretation and application; apostolic priorities and practice; contemporary challenges in the culture and the church; careful reading and thoughtful analysis of Scripture; watching your life and doctrine; the Word of Christ dwelling in us richly.
This course helps you to train others to acquire and develop the necessary practical tools and skills to expound the Bible’s message.”
– Read more about it, download the Leader’s and Trainee manuals, and see the videos – all on this page.
What the Anglican Homilies say about Justification by Faith Alone
“How old is the doctrine of justification by faith alone? Was it just invented at the Reformation? Was it the brainchild of Martin Luther or John Calvin?
Well, the Church of England’s official view on that subject is that justification by faith alone is an ancient doctrine — taught by the Bible itself and found in the best theologians of the early church in both East and West. So despite what some today might say, it is not a mere ‘distortion due to the heated atmosphere of the time.’…”
– At Church Society’s blog, Lee Gatiss goes on to provide a comforting extract from the Homily of Salvation.
Spiritually Discerning the Redefinition of Marriage
“Between the 11th and 15th of January 2016 the Primates of the Anglican Communion met to deliberate over a number of issues, including the question of a growing demand for affirming homosexual unions within the Western provinces.
This week, in his Presidential address to the General Synod, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby spoke of the Primates meeting, the beauty and energy of the Anglican communion coming together in unity, as well as the crucial process of decision-making and development not being a matter of canons and rules, but one of discernment by the Spirit, based in relationship – but apparently not in revelation. Amidst all the Christian-sounding terminology, what is it that the archbishop was actually saying?
When Welby’s address is read in conjunction with the recently published letter of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to Jayne Ozanne, a homosexual activist and director of Accepting Evangelicals, a clear pattern and approach to the questions of marriage and human sexuality on the part of the Anglican church emerges, which reflects the radically changed priorities of the established church – a process that has been going on for many decades – to declare man’s word for the cultural moment rather than God’s unchanging word to the world. …”
– So, whose word is our authority?
Dr Joe Boot, Senior Pastor at Westminster Chapel, Toronto, has published this strong piece at the Ezra Institute of Contemporary Christianity. Read the full article here.
Mohler: The Secularization of the West and the Rise of a New Morality
“The claim that humanity can only come into its own and overcome various invidious forms of discrimination by secular liberation is not new, but it is now mainstream. It is now so common to the cultures of Western societies that it need not be announced, and often is not noticed. Those born into the cultures of late modernity simply breathe these assumptions as they breathe the atmosphere, and their worldviews are radically realigned, even if their language retains elements of the old worldview…”
– Albert Mohler publishes Part 2 of a four part series on Secularisation and the Sexual Revolution. See also Part 1.
Why evangelistic courses are like a good joke
Stephen Liggins writes to encourage you to continue to run evangelistic courses.
Here’s why he reckons it’s worth it – at GoThereFor.
The future of liberalism
“Does Liberalism have a future? Or is it only parasitic on the real life of the church? What are the respective fruits of Liberalism and Evangelicalism?
Whilst we might instinctively feel we know the answers to such questions it is highly insightful to see if history corresponds to theory. And it does!
In this highly interesting and informative article, Barry Shucksmith traces the historical development of Liberalism in the Church and the decline of Church life that resulted from it alongside the story of Victorian Evangelicalism with a particular focus on the 1857-1860 revival in Great Britain.…”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…