Themelios — December 2015
The latest issue of the online theological journal Themelios has just been released.
In the editorial, General Editor Professor D A Carson looks at ‘disputable matters’. Where is there room for Christians to disagree? And how should we respond to the argument that same-sex marriage should be adiaphora?
The issue is available from The Gospel Coalition.
Reading Challenge
Tim Challies has a challenge for readers in 2016.
Relativity, Moral Relativism, and the Modern Age
“This intellectual revolution began with four lectures in late 1915 presented to the Prussian Academy of Sciences. The lectures were given by Albert Einstein, and before the end of the year Einstein would publish his argument for a ‘General Theory of Relativity.’ Those lectures launched an intellectual revolution, and Einstein’s theory of relativity is essential to our understanding of the modern age…
By the middle of the twentieth century, moral relativism was a major influence in the cultural revolutions that reshaped entire societies.”
– Albert Mohler looks at the cultural impact of Einstein’s theories.
Divorce, annulments and dissolutions in the Catholic Church
“On the 25th October the general assembly of the Synod of Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in Rome concluded what was popularly known as the Synod on the Family. …
The Synod finished with a consensus document that passed with a narrow two-thirds majority…”
– At GoThereFor, Mark Gilbert provides some insights into the Synod on the Family, and when grace is replaced by law.
Preaching Jesus in the Gospels
In the latest Preaching Matters from St. Helen’s Bishopsgate, William Taylor speak about bringing out the author’s purpose, making Jesus the central focus, when preaching from the Gospels. Do we jump to personal application too quickly?
The message of Galatians: Dick Lucas to the St Helen’s Staff
From St. Helen’s Bishopsgate in London:
“Having just turned 90 in September 2015, Dick Lucas is still firing on all 48 cylinders.
In late October he came to address the staff team on the message of Galatians. The session is introduced by William Taylor.
Highly recommended listening!”
Report on the Good Governance Workshop
Following Rob Bell: The Edges of Orthodoxy and the Center of the Zeitgeist
“This past Sunday, Kent Dobson, successor at Rob Bell’s famous Mars Hill Bible Church, stepped down as teaching pastor. He opened his announcement/sermon by reading the Scriptural story which gives name to the church, the account at Mars Hill. …”
– Even if you’ve never heard of Rob Bell’s successor, this piece by Dustin Messer at Reformation21 is challenging and disturbing. (Image: Mars Hill Bible Church.)
Good Governance Workshop — Report
The Anglican Church League takes a special interest in finding gospel-minded Christians to serve on the many councils and committees of the Sydney Diocese, and in assisting those elected to serve well.
To support our brothers and sisters, the ACL organised and ran a Good Governance Workshop on Thursday evening, 26th November.
The evening was open to all, and its purpose was to help members of boards and councils – especially newly elected members – to think about how the gospel shapes the way we practice governance. It was well attended, with more than forty people coming to increase their skills in governance and to share their wisdom and insights with others.
The basic concepts of evangelical governance established on the evening could easily serve as the basis for future workshops of this sort exploring these matters further for boards and committees, and even parish councils.
For more detail and our summaries of insights from each of our excellent speakers, read on! Read more
Good News of Great Joy — daily readings for Advent
John Piper has re-released a book of daily Bible readings for Advent. First published in 2013, it’s a great way to meditate on the truths of Scripture this Advent season.
Download it (in various formats) from Desiring God – and be encouraged to pass on the link.
From the Vault: What’s really important
Need Ministers be Theologians?
At Church Society’s blog, Kirsty Birkett (who now teaches Pastoral Counselling and Youth and Children’s Ministry at Oak Hill College) reminds readers of a 1994 Churchman article by the much-missed John Richardson.
In his article, John draws some important conclusions for evangelicals in the Church of England, reflecting on his year of study at Moore College.
(Readers can also rightly give thanks to Almighty God for the growth of Oak Hill College in London in the years since John wrote that article.)
The Coming Darkness: An Interview with Archbishop Glenn Davies
At his blog, Akos Balogh (Moore College graduate, and currently working with AFES) asks Archbishop of Sydney Glenn Davies about the biggest challenges facing Western Christians:
“The top challenge for the Church at a social level would be same-sex marriage. Any change to societal principles that God has put down in the Bible is always a challenge to Christians. Because marriage is a creation ordinance of God, and not for Christians only, then I think that we as Christians have a responsibility to inform society of the dangers of moving away from the time honoured definition of marriage…”
What was the Star of Bethlehem? — is this the answer at last?
“Readers should be appropriately skeptical any time they hear about a new theory revealing the true star of Bethlehem.
But reading the comments below from various experts – in biblical studies and apologetics and science and cometography – should encourage readers to give Colin Nicholl’s groundbreaking work, The Great Christ Comet: Revealing the True Star of Bethlehem, serious attention…”
– Justin Taylor on a fascinating new book – and there’s an 85 minute interview of the author, Colin Nicholl, by Eric Metaxas.
From the book:
“When it comes to claims of major advances in the understanding of long-debated Biblical mysteries, many people are naturally very skeptical. We have all seen too many television documentaries on mysteries of the Bible. A grandiose claim is made at the start of the program, and we wait patiently – or, more often, impatiently – through commercials and a long, drawn-out build-up for the narrator finally to unveil the supposedly great discovery. When the program does eventually get there, almost without exception we end up rolling our eyes and regretting that we have just wasted an hour of our lives. The most common, but by no means the only, problem is that key details of the Biblical text have been twisted or ignored in order to accommodate the featured hypothesis.”
– from this excerpt (PDF) on the Crossway website.
Two big issues… One word answer
“I have noticed that articles on Facebook are often headlined: ‘Three reasons why…..’ or ‘Four ways to ….’ or ‘5 key thoughts on ….’.
So I thought I would finish this year in that vein: Two big issues… A one word answer?
Having now been back in parish/pastoral work for four years, I find that there are two issues that often crop up and they are each answered by one truth. …
The first is the issue as to whether Jesus’ life and work is enough to make us right with God, or, that His work needs to be supplemented by our good works. …
The second issue, in my opinion, even more common in evangelical circles than the above, is the expectation that God still has more to say than He has said in the Bible.”
– Read the full post by Presbyterian Moderator General David Cook.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…