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.
Choosing a Minister
Phillip Jensen and Kel Richards speak about Choosing a Minister – in ‘The Chat Room’. Plenty of good advice.
Satisfied only with utter Destruction
“Satan always aims for the utmost. He always aims at the furthest possible extent of any sin. He is willing to claim small victories on the slow march to his final goal. … If this is true, and I believe it is, Satan’s plan is not to redefine marriage but to destroy it. He hates marriage because he hates God and marriage is a godly thing.”
– Tim Challies sees Satan’s agenda in the redefinition of marriage.
St. Helen’s training videos: Mark Tookit parts 3 and 4
In the two latest St. Helen’s Training videos, Andrew Sach is in the kitchen to cook up a clearer understanding of the structure of Mark’s Gospel.
A terrific resource.
The power of stories
Mark Gilbert explains his new book, Stepping out in Faith, to Sam Freeney:
“For me it was hard to imagine that I and my bunch of evangelical friends could be right and the massively impressive Catholic church could be wrong. No-one in my life experience had ever done what I was thinking about doing — a book like this would have been very helpful for me.”
Read Mark’s interview about this very helpful book – at The Briefing.
New Life newspaper — 15 June 2013
The latest issue of New Life newspaper is out. Published for many years in Melbourne as a print newspaper, it’s now available in PDF format only. This issue covers expansion plans for Moore College, and the farewell service for Archbishop Jensen.
Latest issue here (PDF).
Calvin’s chair
“Calvin’s original pulpit is no longer there within St. Pierre’s, though a similar one has been built on the spot he preached. Not many relics can survive nearly 500 years of history, but one remains: his chair.”
– Tim Challies continues his series on the history of Christianity in 25 objects.
The Gospel Coalition National Conference 2013
Audio and video files from this year’s Gospel Coalition Conference are now available. The main talks –
Jesus the Son of God, the Son of Mary (Luke 1:26-38; 2:1-21) – John Piper
Jesus Despised (Luke 4:14-30) – Colin Smith
Jesus’ Transforming Power on Behalf of the Afflicted (Luke 8:26-56) – Crawford Loritts
Jesus’ Resolve to Head Toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:18-62) – Don Carson
Jesus and the Lost (Luke 15:1-32) – Kevin DeYoung
Jesus and Money (Luke 16:1-31) – Stephen Um
Panel Discussion: Did Jesus Preach the Gospel? – Don Carson, Kevin DeYoung, Tim Keller, John Piper
Jesus Betrayed and Crucified (Luke 22:39-23:43) – Gary Millar
Jesus Vindicated (Luke 24:1-53) – Tim Keller
And many more talks and workshops here.
Sydney’s next Archbishop — The Briefing
“While it is perhaps inevitable that some silly things will be said and done during this ‘homework’ period, it is still a necessary and good process in my view. There has to be some means of weighing up the pros and cons of different candidates, and to do so openly and honestly in advance, in fellowship with another, seems both wise and necessary…”
– Tony Payne briefly explains the Archbishop’s election process to an outsider.
(And don’t forget the Prayer Meetings being run across the diocese this week and next. All welcome.)
The Heart of Marriage — Loving your spouse with a Christian mind
“There is no other book on marriage like this one. It is threaded with scholarship: we see moments where the arcane world of biblical scholarship is put to very good use. It gives a basic primer in biblical anthropology—that is, in the Bible’s unexpected way of describing what it is to be human.
It uses biblical theology: rather than plucking out isolated texts and pressing them into service, Hill works with the whole counsel of God, the entire story arc of the Bible. It exhibits philosophical nuance, as he makes distinctions that helpfully change our thinking.
But all of those big-sounding things are very readable. He visits them with a light touch, using crisp sentences. And it’s woven with stories and examples. It’s a book that is good for anyone who can read at a senior-high level.”
– Andrew Cameron at Moore College reviews Dr Michael Hill’s latest book, The Heart of Marriage.
It’s available from Christian Education Publications in Sydney, Pilgrim Books in Orange and other bookshops, and can be pre-ordered in the UK from IVP.
Canterbury’s Lords Speech leaves door open for Same-Sex Blessings
“Welcome though the Archbishop of Canterbury’s opposition to the same-sex marriage bill is, Dr Justin Welby’s speech in the House of Lords on Monday made some significant concessions that bode ill for local churches. …”
– Julian Mann takes a look at Archbishop Welby’s address in the House of Lords this week.
The Gentle Temeraire
“The book is a devotional gem.
It is also a reminder that perhaps the most important voices in the church are not those of the young and the beautiful, of the middle aged who cannot accept that their teenage years are behind them, least of all of the Twittocrats who can reduce any profound and subtly beautiful truth to 140 banal and clichéd characters; instead, they are the voices of the old and the weak who know whereof they speak when it comes to the cross and suffering and weakness.”
– Read all of Carl Trueman’s commendation of J I Packer’s Weakness is the Way.
Christian Freedom
In a 9Marks Leadership Interview, Mark Dever speaks with Carl Trueman, Mike McKinley, and Andy Johnson on Christian Freedom.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…