Grafton appointment exposes massive differences in the Anglican Church in Australia
“I wrote last week about the appointment of Rev Dr Sarah Macneil as the new Bishop of Grafton diocese in NSW, Australia. Not only is she due to be Australia’s first female diocesan, but far more troubling she is on the record as holding what many consider to be heterodox views on human sexuality and the atonement. …”
– At his blog, David Ould continues to explore the implications of the election of a new Bishop of the Diocese of Grafton. (Related posts.)
Living Out
“We’re a group of Christians who experience same-sex attraction, and we want to share our stories, answer your questions, and recommend resources about Christianity and same-sex attraction.”
– David Ould draws attention to what he describes as “a wonderful website full of stories of Christians who seek to live godly lives while being honest about their experience of same-sex attraction”.
At Ref21, Paul Levy writes, “This looks to be a great resource for the church and is worthy of our prayers and support, do visit the site and pass it on.”
Extinction in a generation?
“Have a read of this report from the Daily Telegraph: ‘Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, warns Christianity “a generation away from extinction” in Britain. Clergy are now gripped by a “feeling of defeat”, congregations are worn down by “heaviness” while the public simply greets both with “rolled eyes and a yawn of boredom”, he said.’
Lord Carey goes on to say how in particular ‘we’ have let down young people and that we must deploy ministers to get children and youth back into church.
There’s much here to admire. Lord Carey may no longer be Archbishop of Canterbury, but it still takes courage for such an establishment figure to point out just how bad things are. But he’s quite right: Christianity is a generation away from extinction in the United Kingdom. This is something both very old and very new. Let me explain. …”
– Oak Hill College Principal Mike Ovey writes.
Exult in the Saviour’s Birth
Songwriter Matt Boswell shares a new song for Advent. Don Carson wrote the words, and Matt wrote the music.
It’s generously available as a free download from The Gospel Coalition.
CMS Summer School 2014 promo video
CMS has released a 4 minute video introducing Andrew Reid who is giving the Bible studies on Exodus at CMS Summer School Katoomba in January.
Camelot and Narnia and the myths of our time
“There are still those who feel a stirring in their heart before an image of the young couple with the movie star good looks frolicking with their children on the beach at Hyannis Port or in the Oval Office. But even the most devoted of Kennedy supporters these days must admit that the story is at best a tarnished and tawdry version of the original.”
– In this opinion-piece for the ABC, Simon Smart looks at the legacies of President John Kennedy and C.S. Lewis, both of whom died 50 years ago today. (Photo: NASA.)
Evangelical Theological Society 65th Annual Meeting
“I have been spending the last couple of days in Baltimore at the 65th ETS Annual Conference. This year’s theme has been Evangelicalism, Inerrancy, and ETS. It has been a fascinating time with upwards of 2400 people in attendance. It has also been a great opportunity to meet with old friends and to make new ones and to discuss an important aspect of the evangelical doctrine of Scripture. I am very glad I’ve come. …
It has been great to see spirited, well-informed, humble and scholarly accounts of the absolute truthfulness and trustworthiness of Scripture. It was also terrific to hear testimonies from around the world (certainly not just the USA — Asia, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Australia too) of the importance of biblical inerrancy and the necessity of giving a clear and unambiguous account of this doctrine to a fresh generation of Christian men and women.”
– Moore College Principal Mark Thompson writes at Theological Theology.
Good News of Great Joy by John Piper — Daily Readings for Advent
John Piper writes:
“I’m excited to announce that our Advent eBook is newly revised and ready for December 2013 — and free of charge. It’s called Good News of Great Joy.
As you know, Advent is just around the corner. It starts the fourth Sunday before Christmas — this year, that’s December 1 — and is a season of preparation for Christmas Day.
Our prayer is that this eBook would help you keep Jesus as the center and greatest treasure of your Advent season. The candles and candies have their place, but we want to make sure that in all the Christmas rush and hubbub, we adore Jesus above all.”
Why I ran to Confessionalism
“So, in August of 2013 I ran to confessionalism. Specifically my ordination was transferred to the Presbyterian Church in America and I became the Lead Pastor of a PCA congregation.
The experience has been like finding an oasis in a desert. It has been like discovering a GPS after meandering blindly through an unknown country. Too dramatic? It does not feel that way to me. It is nearly impossible to effectively put down error and nurture unity within a church whose minimal statement of faith is only able to identify the grossest of heresies.”
– Todd Pruitt, who blogs at 1517, and co-hosts The Mortification of Spin with Carl Trueman, shares his discovery.
Related: The Thirty Nine Articles.
J. I. Packer: Fighting Heresy in Churches and Small Groups.
Grounded in the Gospel – J I Packer on The White Horse Inn.
The definitive work on Definite Atonement
From Heaven He Came and Sought Her: Definite Atonement in Historical, Biblical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspective, edited by David Gibson and Jonathan Gibson, is a major publication. …
David Wells says, “This is the definitive study. It is careful, comprehensive, deep, pastoral, and thoroughly persuasive.”
Michael Horton calls it “the most impressive defense of definite atonement in over a century.”
Read about it from Justin Taylor, see John Piper commending it, check out the book’s website and read an excerpt (PDF).
J. I. Packer: “I count it an honor to be asked to supply a foreword to this massive product of exact and well-informed scholarship.”
Does the Cross save?
At Stand Firm, David Ould asks what the Bishop-elect of the Diocese of Grafton believes about salvation – and about what she describes as a “rather mechanistic and grim understanding of atonement” (among other things).
Chappo’s splendiferous life
“As I reflect on Chappo’s life, a year after his death, my mind floods with so many splendiferous memories.”
– At SydneyAnglicans.net, David Mansfield remembers Chappo.
Read The Litany lately?
Thought not. UK evangelist Roger Carswell writes,
“I have found that using the Litany from the Book of Common Prayer has been a real help in covering issues that I would normally neglect. I hope you find it helpful.”
Here’s the 1662 version.
St Helen’s Training — Mark overview
At the St. Helen’s Bishopsgate website, the last two of Roger Day’s overview-of-Mark’s-Gospel videos have been posted.
Effective personal evangelism: summary
At Reformation21, Jeremy Walker has completed his series of posts on ‘Effective personal evangelism’.
“Not all Christians will be on the streets of our towns and at the doors of our communities. Some of us will do it sitting down over a cup of tea… around the dinner table or at the bedside, night after night, with our children…
I trust that these marks, rightly cultivated, will help us to be immediately effective in communicating the gospel faithfully to those who do not know our Saviour, and ultimately effective when we see God give the increase.”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…