Reading the Bible in 2013

As he has done in previous years, Justin Taylor has posted links to resources to help us, and our congregations, read the Bible consistently. (As well there are reading plans available from YouVersion.)

Of course, you don’t have to read the Bible on an electronic device – these plans can be used in conjunction with a printed Bible too!

Related:

How Not to Read Your Bible in 2013. (Gospel Coalition.)
Bible Reading Plans for 2013 (Ligonier Ministries.)

Amazing Grace — a hymn for the New Year (1773!)

John Newton wrote his most famous hymn, Amazing Grace, 240 years ago.

Over at The John Newton Project, you can read his original words, as well as extracts from his diary for 1st January 1773. He wrote the hymn to accompany his sermon on 1 Chronicles 17. See the video (2:18) here.

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Feeling Blue?

Mark Thompson writes: “Following the interest in yesterday’s posting on the preaching question, and in preparation for more detailed work to be done in the future, here is a initial contribution from guest blogger, Peter Bolt.”

“With three short e-books downloadable from Christmas Day, Zondervan has released a new series, ‘Fresh Perspectives on Women in Ministry’. Well, even the authors admit there is nothing really fresh here, but ‘Regifted Perspectives …’.

Since these three booklets have been released in the public sphere, they deserve the more considered critique which will follow in kind, that is, in the same public sphere in which any proper discussion of ideas must take place. However, since discussion has already begun in the subterranean depths of the online realms, and since two of the three e-authors who have come up for air in this series, John Dickson and Michael Bird, are my fellow Aussies with whom I share no little history, some interim and quick responses may be appropriate in these dark realms as well!  My thanks go to Mark for allowing me several pieces of his blog-time across the next little while.

Each of these pamphlets seek to entangle their readers in what has been identified as a ‘Shift Story’. … This personal journey tells of a shift from ‘Point A’ to ‘Point B’: ‘I used to believe that, but now I believe this’. …”

– read it all at Theological Theology.
(Dr. Peter Bolt is Head of the New Testament Department at Moore College.)

The Preaching Question

“There has, it seems, been quite a flurry of publishing activity on the question of preaching lately, especially by those seeking to make a case for the propriety of women preaching to mixed congregations…

It is important that we keep testing our conclusions both on theology and practice by the teaching of the Bible. …”

Mark Thompson, Principal-elect of Moore Theological College, looks at a hot topic, and commends a couple of excellent expositions, at Theological Theology.

Archbishop Peter Jensen’s Christmas message 2012

With thanks to SydneyAnglicans.net.

And here is the text of the message formatted to A5 (two-up on an A4 sheet) – perhaps you could use it as a church newsletter insert. (180kb PDF.)

Reminder: Carols from St. Andrew’s Cathedral rebroadcast

Last year’s Christmas Eve Celebration from St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney is being replayed this year on Christmas morning.

ABC 1 at 7:00am Christmas Day

Let your friends and neighbours know – and you could watch it over breakfast before heading to church.

If you enjoy it , you could contact the ABC to thank them for broadcasting it again.

Are the Atheists right about Christmas?

“This Christmas the American Atheists have posted a large billboard in Times Square New York. It has two pictures: one of Santa Claus and the other of Jesus on the cross. The captions under the pictures are “Keep the Merry” and “Dump the Myth”. Apart from having the captions under the wrong pictures, the sentiment is one I agree with. …”

– Read the latest from the Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen. A great article to share this Christmas.

Making the most of Christmas

“Here are a few rough and ready suggestions I jotted up for our church about “making the most of every opportunity” (Col 4:5 NIV) for the gospel from the Christmas season…”

– Sandy Grant shares some good ideas at The Briefing.

Peter Adam on Powerful Preaching

Dr Peter Adam was interviewed at St. Helen’s in London for their video series ‘Preaching Matters’.

Most encouraging. (h/t Paul Levy.)

Don Carson at Geneva Push – talks online

Don Carson’s talks from this week’s Geneva Push conference (Multiply ’12) are now online.

In Praise of Singing

“Music is emotional: be it happiness or sorrow it engages us emotionally (e.g. Psalm 137, James 5:13). Singing gives voice to our emotions. Congregational singing unites us in expressing our common belief by articulating how Christians feel.

A fortnight ago, at the thanksgiving for the life of John Chapman, the force and beauty of congregational singing was palpable. Maybe it was because I was standing in the middle of the congregation, between the organ and the brass, that I was overwhelmed by the sheer power of the music, but others have commented to me about the effects of the hymns. …”

– Phillip Jensen, Dean of St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney, writes.

The Kirk without the People

“In PR terms it has been a disaster for the Church of Scotland and one entirely of their own making.”

– Peter Robertson at St. Peter’s Free Church in Dundee writes a detailed response, from his outside perspective, to the Church of Scotland’s public statement on the departure of the congregation of St. George’s Tron.

Related: A new home for our church family

“The Tron church family has moved. Sunday morning 9 December 2012 was our last meeting in the St George’s building in Buchanan Street and we are now preparing to formally hand over the building as soon as possible to the Presbytery of Glasgow as requested. We have begun a new stage in our life as a church family, meeting as normal but in our new location: 25 Bath Street. It’s just a block away from the old building and we’ll have all our services there from now.”

(To see something of the building, check this video.
And please pray for the members of The Tron.)

A new old translation

A newly digitised text of The Revised Version of 1885 has been added to the Bible translations available at YouVersion. The RV was a key precursor to the RSV and the ESV.

It might not be for everyone, but Dr. Broughton Knox, who would often be seen carrying his battered copy of the RV, would be pleased.

Luke’s Acts as a Historical Source for Paul

“The Acts of the Apostles is critical to historians for establishing (a) the connection between Jesus and earliest Christianity, and (b) a chronology of the life of Paul and its relationship with his letters. In this brief paper we will direct our attention to (b). …”

– Bishop Paul Barnett explores New Testament historicity – at his blog.

Oak Hill magazine – Winter 2012-13

The latest Commentary magazine from Oak Hill in London is now on their website – it’s downloadable as a 12MB PDF file. Individual articles are also available – from this page.

Well worth a read.

← Previous Page — Next Page →