How to pray for God’s work
How is your prayer for the Archbishop’s election going?
Dick Lucas preached from 1 Kings 18 at The Tron Church in Glasgow last month. He reminded his hearers that first of all, we must pray that the Lord will be known, and that hearts be turned back to him – a crucial prayer for Glasgow, and a crucial prayer for Sydney. Hear or see his sermon at The Tron’s website. (It starts 38 minutes into the video.) Most edifying.
It’s also a good reminder to continue to pray for the saints in the Tron, for all of these reasons.
‘The New Theist’
“When, during a conversation in a swank hotel lobby in Manhattan, I mentioned to Richard Dawkins that I was working on a story about William Lane Craig, the muscles in his face clenched. …”
– from a story on William Lane Craig in The Chronical Review. (h/t Tim Challies.)
Related: Dr. William Lane Craig and Prof. Lawrence Krauss will be debating in Sydney on Tuesday 13th August.
Moore College Library Day — 27 July
Some think of him as “the flogging parson”, but across the Tasman, he is remembered as “The Apostle to New Zealand” and a missionary statesman. In January 1814, the Rev. Samuel Marsden brought the good news of Christ to the Bay of Islands.
As the Bicentenary approaches, Moore College’s 2013 Library Day will focus on the start of Marsden’s mission.
Update: College Principal Mark Thompson adds:
“Come to the 2013 Moore College Library Day and hear of the real Marsden and his lifelong passion to see the lost won for Christ.”
“In a few week’s time there will be a celebration of Samuel Marsden and particularly his involvement with the earliest Christian mission to New Zealand two hundred years ago this year. He will be the subject of a day conference at Moore College on Saturday 27 July. I must confess this is an aspect of the great man’s life of which I was blissfully unaware until recently.
Marsden is sometimes misunderstood and his enormous positive contribution to the cause of Christ in Australia and New Zealand overshadowed by such less than flattering epithets as ‘the flogging parson’.
Come to the 2013 Moore College Library Day and hear of the real Marsden and his lifelong passion to see the lost won for Christ. Hear too of his ceaseless efforts to overturn one of the most horrendous miscarriages of justice in those early years. Here was a man of integrity and courage who sought above all else to diligently serve his Lord.
Details of the Library Day can be found on this advertisement. See you there!”
Resources for pastors — on same sex attraction
Adrian Reynolds’ blog, The Proclaimer, at The Proclamation Trust has links to some resources mentioned at the Evangelical Ministers Assembly last week.
Fourth of July Reflections on a Changing America
“For Christians, the issue of patriotism is always complicated by our citizenship in two realms, one earthly and one heavenly. The Bible teaches that we have duties to our earthly nation, including obeying laws, paying taxes, and honoring our leaders (Rom. 13:1-7).
At the same time, we are subjects of the eternal kingdom of Christ. Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mt. 22:21). This dual citizenship presents serious complications when the civil and the divine authorities strongly conflict…”
– At Reformation21, Rick Phillips looks at America on the eve of Independence Day.
Latest George Whitefield College newsletter
In the latest newsletter from George Whitefield College in Capetown, new Principal Mark Dickson asks, “Please pray that God will enable me to continue to build upon the legacy of David Broughton Knox and David Seccombe in leading GWC to realise its vision.”
– Get the latest from the college in this 1.2MB PDF file from their website.
100 Days with Pope Francis
“Roughly one hundred days ago, March 12th 2013, Cardinal Bergoglio was elected to the chair of Peter becoming Pope Francis…”
– At Reformation21, Leonardo De Chirico looks at the new Pope’s first hundred days.
“Waiting for the Other Shoe” — The Supreme Court rules on Same-Sex Marriage
“On the last day of its term, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled today on two same-sex marriage cases. Both are important cases, and both will go far in redefining the most basic institution of human civilization…
Even though the Court did not rule today that all states must legally recognize and allow for same-sex marriages, the handwriting is on the wall. Justice Kennedy’s majority opinion implicitly invites any citizen who resides in a state that does not allow for same-sex marriage to claim that his or her constitutional rights are violated on the basis of the Court’s opinion handed down today.”
– Albert Mohler writes on today’s big news in the USA.
A vision for 21st century Anglicans — Church Society Conference audio
Church Society held a half-day conference on 1st June – the topic: Reformed Foundations, Reforming Future: A vision for 21st century Anglicans.
Audio files are now available – direct links to mp3 files.
Guest speaker was Peter Adam. His topic was Trusting our Saviour and Reforming the Church Today. Very encouraging talk.
“It is fatal to trust Christ for the invisible Church, and not to trust him for the visible Church… God has already appointed his Messiah – we need not apply for the job.”
Church Society Director Lee Gatiss also spoke, on
‘Confessional’ Anglicanism and the 39 Articles.
SPCKA winter newsletter 2013
The latest SPCKA newsletter is now out.
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Dr Megan Best, palliative care doctor and ethicist, was recently interviewed by Justine Toh on some of the moral issues facing our nation. It’s a two-part interview (9:25 and 5:38) here.
And see her book, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: Ethics and the Beginning of Human Life, from Matthias Media.
Governed by Addiction
“Even in a fallen world there is great joy in living. God has created a wonderful world in which his pleasures seem prodigal in their distribution. At every turn there are more things to enjoy. While sin mars and distorts our joys, it does not seem to overcome them.
Amongst the pleasures of this world are eating and drinking. …”
– Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen writes about alcohol in this week’s column.
John Shelby Spong on the Gospel of John — the same old
“[John Shelby] Spong claims … that The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic is the result of an ‘intensive five-year-long study’ of the Gospel of John and of Johannine scholarship. ‘I have now read almost every recognized major commentary on John’s gospel that is available in English from the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries’ (Fourth Gospel, 8). Unfortunately, it doesn’t show …”
– Rob Bowman at Reclaiming the Mind reviews Jack Spong’s latest offering.
Related: See this lecture by Peter Williams on “New Evidences the Gospels were Based on Eyewitness Accounts” (Lanier Theological Library.)
Christian Voices in the Public Square
The next Moore College Centre for Christian Living open night is at St. Barnabas’ Broadway on Wednesday 26th June.
Archbishop Peter Jensen is speaking on ‘Christian Voices in the Public Square’.
Bookings essential. Website & booking here. Flyer here.
Student Reading for the Summer
“I am still convinced that one of the major weaknesses in modern preaching is our failure to have a theology of preaching. That is why so many sermons can end up as either lectures or conversations or stand-up routines.”
– In mentioning books he recommends for students, Carl Trueman gives a plug for Speaking God’s Words by Peter Adam.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…