The Execution of Lady Jane Grey: 460 years ago
“Lady Jane Grey… is a daughter of the Reformation whose story of faithfulness and grace deserves to be better known.”
– Justin Taylor at Between Two Worlds remembers Lady Jane Grey, who was executed on this day in 1554.
J. I. Packer on Personal Holiness
“At the age of 87, Dr. Packer is not travelling to lecture much these days, but a few weeks ago (January 16th, 2014) he spoke at the Trinity School for Ministries on a subject of his choice.
He says that his desire in his remaining days is to ‘campaign for a renewal of personal holiness, as a project, as a focus of interest, as a reality – which our churches need, which our country needs, which the world needs at this time in its history’.”
– Justin Taylor has the link. 51 minutes. Well worth watching and contemplating.
Adultery: When ‘love’ is a ‘tragedy’
“…So common has it become to describe an extra-marital affair as ‘loving’ that even the dictionaries now define a ‘love affair’ as ‘a romantic or sexual relationship between two people who are not married to each other.’ We know words evolve over time; and the journalist and barrister may just be reflecting the now common meaning of the word.
However, if that is true, our Bible translators and we Christians need to find a different word to describe God’s character, his disposition towards us and his actions on our behalf.”
– Phillip Jensen writes about true love.
Things we’ll never say once we’re in Heaven
Here’s a thought-provoking reflection on Romans 8:18. (h/t Steve Kryger and many others.)
The power of The Search
The Diocese of Sydney’s Department of Evangelism and New Churches has released a couple of videos on how to use The Search – the special edition of the Gospel of Luke produced for the ‘Jesus Brings’ mission.
The Prayer of the Lord — free eBook
During February 2014, Ligonier Ministries’ Reformation Trust is giving away the eBook edition of R.C. Sproul’s The Prayer of the Lord.
To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism
The Anglican Church in North America has released an updated Catechism for their Province. Dr J I Packer is the General Editor. (h/t Anglican Ink.)
Related:
Fighting heresy in churches and small groups. – Interview with Jim Packer.
The Good News We Almost Forgot. – Tim Challies reviews Kevin DeYoung’s book on the Heidelberg Catechism.
The New City Catechism – Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York via Andy Naselli.
Revolutionary Sex
From St. Helen’s Bishopsgate in London –
“Our recent sermon series ‘Revolutionary Sex’ gave us opportunity to examine the Bible’s teaching on marriage, sex, sexuality and singleness. William Taylor helpfully pointed out that in a society that is confused about these issues the Bible calls Christians everywhere to be sexual revolutionaries.”
See the videos here:
1. The Call to Revolution.
2. Revolutionary Sex and the Gospel.
3. Same Gender Sex.
4. Singleness and Marriage.
5. Q&A Compilation.
Audio files at this link.
Update: William Taylor talks about the rationale behind the series in the latest Preaching Matters (9 minute video).
Broadside from Canterbury and York
“The English Archbishops of York and Canterbury have fired the equivalent of a broadside into the respective Anglican Provinces of Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria, and naturally it has to do with the Western hot button issue of homosexuality. …
When the head, nominal though he be, of the Anglican Communion lectures and cautions any Province, the implications and threat cannot be missed. It is odd that this lecture and caution would be directed toward the orthodox Anglicans of the Communion and not against the heterodox Anglicans both in North America and indeed within the Church of England itself…”
– Bishop David Anderson, President of the American Anglican Council, looks at the extraordinary intervention during the week.
Seeger: The Seeker?
“Like most young people, I spent my teenage and young adult days restlessly tasting the different music that popular culture was serving me. By my mid-teens I was sick of the mindless lyrics of 1950s rock ‘n’ roll. I explored the jazz scene, even hearing the great Satchmo at the old Stadium at Rushcutters Bay. I found the classics and pounded my poor families’ ears with the constant re-playing of Ravel’s Bolero – as if it was not sufficiently repetitive itself!
And then I discovered folk music; a place where the lyrics of protest and morality could find voice. It was not just the polished commercial performers like Peter, Paul and Mary (whom I also saw at the Stadium) but behind them the deeper thinking of Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger.”
– Phillip Jensen, Dean of Sydney, writes his weekly column for the Cathedral congregation.
Praying for ‘Jesus Brings’
This weekend, Anglican churches across Sydney and the Illawarra will be uniting in prayer to the Lord of the Harvest as we commit into his hands the “Jesus Brings” mission.
Archbishop Glenn Davies has recorded a brief message of encouragement to be shown this Sunday.
Amazing Grace’s lasting impact — the John Newton story
Marylynn Rouse from The John Newton Project was interviewed about the impact of the hymn “Amazing Grace”. Along the way, she spoke about the background to the hymn, and about John Newton’s conversion.
Most encouraging – see it on Vimeo.
Latimer Fellowship website updated
The Latimer Fellowship of New Zealand have updated their website.
‘Work of ARCIC irrelevant to most Christians, says Lord Carey’
“Catholics and Anglicans involved in formal ecumenical dialogue might as well be ‘talking on the moon’ because no one is listening to them, a former Anglican leader has said.
Lord Carey of Clifton said the work of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) was ‘irrelevant’ to most Christians…”
– from The Catholic Herald (UK).
Prosperity Gospel
The latest 9Marks Journal is on the topic of the Prosperity Gospel. Editor Jonathan Leeman writes:
“Here’s a prediction: as Western culture increasingly turns against Christianity, the prosperity gospel will keep growing, at least for a time. …
This trade is hot! God wants to provide you with gabled double-front doors, leather interiors, satisfying sex, and an all-around better you. It’s like a wedding between a Wall Street shark and a self-help guru, all decked out in the paraphernalia of a Christian bookstore.”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…