CBMW Responds to New NIV(2011)

“Over the past three weeks, the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) has been conducting a review of the recently released and extensively revised new NIV(2011).

As of now, the translation is only available online.  Zondervan’s release of the TNIV in 2002 (New Testament) and 2005 (full Bible) brought about a significant controversy in the evangelical community over Bible translation philosophy in general and translation of gender-related passages in particular.

Given that the Committee on Bible Translation (CBT) used the TNIV as their starting point, and that CBMW was deeply involved in opposing the TNIV, we feel a certain obligation to provide an assessment of the new NIV(2011)…”

– The Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood takes a look at the New NIV, due out next year. (h/t Tim Challies.)

John Dyer also has some resources to help calatogue the changes being made to the NIV. (h/t Justin Taylor.)

47 years ago today

C. S. Lewis—one week shy of his 65th birthday—collapsed and died at 5:30 PM (GMT) at his residence at The Kilns, outside Oxford, England.

Two hours later, U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, TX, pronounced dead at 1:21 PM (CST). He was only 46 years old.

Exactly six hours later, Aldous Huxley, the English writer and author of Brave New World, died at 5:21 PM (PST) in Los Angeles. He was 69.

– Justin Taylor reminds us of 23rd November 1963.

People learn what I’m excited about

“If I have learned anything in 35 or 40 years of teaching, it is that students don’t learn everything I teach them. What they learn is what I am excited about, the kinds of things I emphasize again and again and again and again. That had better be the gospel.

If the gospel—even when you are orthodox—becomes something which you primarily assume, but what you are excited about is what you are doing in some sort of social reconstruction, you will be teaching the people that you influence that the gospel really isn’t all that important. You won’t be saying that—you won’t even mean that—but that’s what you will be teaching. And then you are only half a generation away from losing the gospel.

Make sure that in your own practice and excitement, what you talk about, what you think about, what you pray over, what you exude confidence over, joy over, what you are enthusiastic about is Jesus, the gospel, the cross. And out of that framework, by all means, let the transformed life flow.”

– Don Carson.

From Middle East to Home

“I have just finished my Middle East deployment after six months.

When I arrived in May 10, Nov 10 seemed a long way off but now it is here. I have moved out of my permanent room and into the Transit accommodation. I am finishing up my work here and cleaning my gear in preparation for the plane trip home. I can’t wait and am looking forward to being with my wife and adult sons and daughter again…”

– Moore College graduate Peter Friend is now back in Oz after being the Australian Coordinating Chaplain in the Middle East. Read his reflections at Defence Anglicans – and then for those concerned.

Evangelical Courage

“It is one of the many great sayings attributed to Luther, one which is often quoted in times of controversy or simply as an antidote to the loss of nerve that seems to overcome so many. It is quoted in popular magazine articles, posted on websites, and even referenced in more scholarly work. I know people who have it framed on their wall. If you are a fan of Luther at all, I’d be surprised if you haven’t read or heard of these words. Luther’s famous saying goes like this…”

– Mark Thompson writes about some great quotes, real and imagined, from Martin Luther.

SMBC 2011 Preaching Conference

Learn about plans for the 2011 SMBC Preaching Conference, May 2–5.

Ligon Duncan reflects on the Lausanne Congress

Watch Ligon Duncan’s interview on the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelism. He argues for much greater engagement with Christians in the Global South.

Runs for 9’47”, he was interviewed by Derek Thomas and Jeremy Smith at Reformation21.

A Fatal Blend

“…the Presiding Bishop will be acting on her own in assuming the mantle of a metropolitan, with absolute authority over her fellow bishops. The Canons purporting to confer such powers are a nullity, because they contravene the powers given to the Presiding Bishop by the Constitution. They thus cannot be the source of any such claimed powers; the Presiding Bishop, if she so acts, will simply have assumed them by force of her will.”

– A S Haley at The Anglican Curmudgeon writes about two very different leadership styles – those of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the TEC Presiding Bishop.

(Photo: Jim DeLa, ENS.)

Heidelberg Conference on Reformed Theology audio

The 2010 Heidelberg Conference on Reformed Theology was held (in Heidelberg, of course) October 27–29.

Speakers were Derek Thomas, Carl Trueman, Jon Payne and Sebastian Heck.

The audio of the talks (and some video) is now available on their website.

Very helpful in thinking about what we do in church. h/t Thabiti Anyabwile.

Social Media and Digital Discernment

“Almost overnight, the budding world of social media has revolutionized the way our culture communicates. Even our vocabulary has been affected. Suddenly, people are “tagging” each other, “tweeting” about themselves, and “liking” everything they see.

For the first time, it’s possible to have “friends” you’ve never even met. Those conversant in the language of social media rarely use complete sentences or even complete words (since they are limited to 140 characters). All the while, words like “screenager,” “vlog,” and “cyberslacking,” are finding their way into dictionaries like Oxford and Webster’s. It’s funny to consider that, not too long ago, surfing was just a water sport and a yahoo was a crazy person. But not anymore…”

– John Macarthur has some very sensible advice.

‘Diocese of Niagara litigation costs’

“For the first time that I’m aware of, the Diocese of Niagara has included the cost of suing ANiC parishes in a financial statement. You can find the statement here and the relevant line shows that in 2009 the diocese, while not preoccupied with distributing free hugs, spent $395,895 on lawsuits…”

– from the Anglican Essentials Canada blog.

The English Reformers on ministry and worship

“The English Reformers faced a formidable task when they began the work of revising the ideas of ministry and worship in the Church. …

In view of the fact that the Reformation is so often regarded as a purely political or social upheaval it is necessary to emphasise that it was essentially a movement inspired by the Bible.”

– Church Society has reprinted the 1992 Churchman article “The Teaching of the English Reformers on Ministry and Worship” by Edgar Dowse. It’s available here in PDF format.

A Portrait in his Actions: Thomas Moore of Liverpool

(Re-posted.) Moore College lecturer, Rev Dr Peter Bolt, is launching Part 1 of his biography of Moore College benefactor, Thomas Moore, during the Liverpool Bicentenary celebrations next month.

The book will be launched by the Governor of NSW, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC, CVO, on Monday 22 November, 5pm at the Liverpool City Library.  Everyone welcome.

More info and order form from the Moore College website.

Dr Megan Best’s Synod speech on the Euthanasia motion

In the ongoing debate on Euthanasia, Dr Megan Best’s speech at Sydney Synod last month is well worth reading and circulating.

“I speak as a palliative care doctor. Palliative care is specialty care for terminally ill patients.

Our state and federal parliaments have been asked to consider changing the law to allow euthanasia. We are told that 85% of Australians support such a change. I believe that what this shows us may not be so much how many people support euthanasia, so much as the fact that many people don’t actually know what it is.

Having discussed euthanasia on talkback radio many times over the years, I have come to realise that misconceptions are rife amongst the general public. Confusion abounds regarding what the legalisation of euthanasia means. But first we need to know what euthanasia is not…”

Read Dr Best’s full speech here (PDF file).

The text of the motion to which she was speaking can be seen on pages 1 and 2 of the Business paper for October 19 2010 (PDF).

Stuart Townend on Corporate Worship — notes

On Friday, songwriter Stuart Townend gave a seminar on Corporate Worship at Oak Hill College in London.

Mike Gilbart-Smith (Twynholm Baptist Church, Fulham) has shared his very helpful notes from the seminar at his blog, Loving Church.

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