Jesus Calling — and the Presbyterian Church in America
“Perhaps you are unaware of the controversy surrounding Jesus Calling among Reformed and Presbyterian churches. But there are good reasons why the book has generated so much resistance and strong critiques even as it has sold in the tens of millions and generated dozens of spin-offs. The problems with Jesus Calling begin with its origins. …”
– At Reformation21, Todd Pruitt explains why the Presbyterian Church in America discussed and voted on Jesus Calling at their recent General Assembly.
It’s worth being aware of the book and its many derivatives.
The article at Reformation21 references this 2015 post by Tim Challies: 10 Serious Problems with Jesus Calling:
“Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling is a phenomenon that shows no signs of slowing down. … Yet it is a deeply troubling book. I am going to point out 10 serious problems with Jesus Calling in the hope that you will consider and heed these warnings.”
How do we diagnose complex problems within our church?
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“All the time in church there are unexpected things happening. We or someone else makes a decision to change something which then relationally or missionally impacts another area of church life that we didn’t expect. …
Whatever size your church is – the church system is complex, interdependent and interconnected.”
– Dominic Steele speaks with Greg Lee from Newcastle’s Hunter Bible Church.
Made in Our Image
Recently, on The Pastor’s Heart, Dominic Steele interviewed Stephen Driscoll about the coming AI tsunami.
Stephen’s book Made in Our Image, is now available from Matthias Media.
“Artificial intelligence is coming. And this tech revolution, perhaps more than any such revolution that’s gone before, will change the world. No life will be left untouched.
How do Christians navigate their way through these momentous changes? What does Christianity have to say about this brave new world? What will living for Jesus look like in a world where humans, made in God’s image, coexist with intelligent machines made in our image?
Author, pastor and self-confessed ‘tech realist’ Stephen Driscoll sets out to answer those questions with a deep dive into the intersection of faith and technology. Avoiding the extremes of both the tech worshippers and the ‘doomers’, Driscoll offers accessible and illuminating insights into the nature of AI, along with practical tips on how Christians might use this technology for good. Most of all, he shows how the deepest structures of biblical thought will equip Christians to live with AI.
This book is a must-read for tech-savvy optimists and sceptics alike.”
You can watch the promo video above – and order the book here.
A Theology of Reproductive Technology
“For the last few decades, Oliver O’Donovan’s Begotten or Made? has been difficult to find and expensive to buy. Thanks to the foresight of the Davenant Institute, an organization aimed at renewing the intellectual life of contemporary Protestantism, that’s no longer the case.
This ‘New Edition for the 21st Century,’ published some 38 years after the original, is now both readily available and affordable – at least on Kindle, and also in paperback for those in the U.S. and Canada. What’s more, it comes with a new introduction by Matthew Lee Anderson, which helpfully highlights the significance of the work, and a fresh afterword from O’Donovan himself.
Begotten or Made? is the published version of the London Lectures in Contemporary Christianity delivered by O’Donovan in 1983. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition, Rob Smith and Andrew Spencer provide an introduction to the second edition of “this increasingly important work”.
From the page for this book on Amazon, Carl Trueman writes:
“Though written decades ago, this little book by O’Donovan is a masterpiece and still one of the best reflections on what it means to be human in our modern world. It transformed my own thinking on key issues and deserves to be widely read by a new generation of theologians, philosophers, and pastors.”
Albert Mohler comments on the first US Presidential debate
Dr Albert Mohler comments on today’s US Presidential Debate under four headings –
“A Human and Political Tragedy: President Joe Biden’s Underwhelming Performance in the First Presidential Debate Last Night
‘Aggressive Panic’: Democrats Respond to President Biden’s Debate Performance — The Democrats are in Major (And Complicated) Crisis
Both Candidates Flopped on Abortion: Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump Disappoint on the Sanctity and Dignity of Human Life
Credibility in Leadership and Abortion: Americans Face Two Huge Issues in the Aftermath of Last Night’s Presidential Debate.”
– Whatever our interest (or lack thereof) in US politics, the Bible calls on Christians to pray for those in authority –
1 Timothy 2:1-4
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” – ESV.
Gospel ministry in winter
Bishop Jay Behan writes in the latest Ministry Matters of the Church of Confessing Anglicans Aotearoa NZ –
“Back in late 1996, my wife Jaimee and I moved to London for me to study. We had only been married a few months, so arriving in England was a time of great change in our lives. We had only been there a short time, and autumn was just starting to change to winter, when we found ourselves listening to a radio programme which described something else that was new to me: Seasonal Affective Disorder, with perhaps the most appropriate acronym of all time—SAD!
What was described was a significant change in mood and behaviour brought about by the change of season, particularly the change to winter. Seasonal Affective Disorder apparently caused “winter depression”, marked by low energy and generally feeling down as a lack of sunlight and increased time indoors took effect. I remember listening to the programme and not only completely rejecting this thing called ‘SAD’, but also ridiculing the English for making up things and not being able to cope with the cold and dark.
Needless to say, a few weeks into the English winter and after many days of no sunshine, not only did I believe in SAD; I was convinced it was the root of all the problems people living in the UK experienced!
As I write this, we in Aotearoa have arrived in winter, which seems an appropriate time to consider the way the winter season can affect life and ministry. …”
– Read the full newsletter here.
“ Winter may seem like a time to batten down the hatches, but it’s also a season ripe with evangelistic opportunities. As always this requires thought, intentionality, courage and clear-mindedness. But the best day for gospelling is today. God will give us opportunities we did not have yesterday and may not have tomorrow.”
Ministry families and adopting and foster care
This week on The Pastor’s Heart:
“How do you balance the instability and chaos of external ministry with adding a foster child or adopted child to a ministry family?
What are the implications of taking children in crisis into the ministry home? What motivates ministry families to become foster parents or to adopt? How do older children and the church respond?
Sarah and Mat Yeo serve at Hurstville Grove Anglican Church in Sydney.
Matt Wilcoxen pastors St John’s Darlinghurst in inner Sydney.”
Update:
See also “Creating a circle of support for foster children” – SydneyAnglicans.net.
The book on truth a government wanted to censor
“When the Rev Dr Lionel Windsor set out to write a book on the importance of objective truth in a post-truth world, he never imagined it would be so controversial that a significant overseas government would want to censor it.
Yet before Truth be Told even hit bookstore shelves, it was proving why it was so necessary. …”
– Recently, SydneyAnglicans.net featured Lionel Windsor’s book Truth Be Told. (It was also in the May-June Southern Cross magazine.)
For a promotion with a difference, you can now see the book’s (mostly true) Photo Tour.
Jesus’ Prayer: (1) Glorify
“Our prayers say a great deal about us. Are your prayers like that of AA Milne’s, Christopher Robin who, in the midst of his child-like bedtime prayers, prayed that God would bless his parents as well as himself?
Or do your prayers reflect the shape of the honest and humble yet bold petitionary prayers of people such as Moses, David and Daniel or the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples?
In John chapter 17 we read Jesus’ prayer on the eve of his arrest. It’s a prayer that tells us a great deal about him and his relationship with God the Father, his concern for his disciples, as well his concern for all his people throughout time.
Over three Wednesdays I’ll be touching on these three themes. …”
– John Mason begins a three-part reflection in his Word on Wednesday series at The Anglican Connection.
Acting like men? – with Phillip Jensen, Craig Hamilton, Adrian Russell and Robin Kinstead
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“What is it to be #likeaman? There are not many places in the New Testament where men are spoken to specifically.
Today we are thinking about being a Christian man.
In the ESV and NASB the translation of 1 Corinthians 16:13 has ‘Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong’. (ESV)
But what does that mean? Dominic Steele put that question to panelists at the recent Men Meeting the challenge conference:
Adrian Russell, senior minister of Northmead Anglican Church.
Craig Hamilton, senior minister at Pitt town.
Robin Kinstead, senior minister of Figtree Anglican.
And Phillip Jensen who heads up Two Ways Ministries.”
Church Society Podcast: Kirsten Birkett on Class
From Church Society, an Australian looks at Class:
“In this week’s podcast, Lee Gatiss chats to Kirsten Birkett about her new book on class in the evangelical church in England. English evangelical churches are overwhelmingly middle-class – but why is the gospel of Christ not bringing in people from all walks of life? The issue of class is a challenge for all biblically-minded churches.”
– Very English – and yet, which people groups in Australia are not being reached with the gospel? And how can we reach them?
Alistair Begg on 2 Timothy 4:1-8, Fulfil your Ministry
At a Truth for Life conference for pastors last month, Alistair Begg spoke on 2 Timothy 4:1-8, “Fulfil Your Ministry”.
A great encouragement on a Monday morning, especially for pastors.
This link seems to default to an audio recording. If so, click on the toggle switch just above the Player window to Watch.
Preaching Mentoring
“Part of the ministry of the Expository Preaching Trust is to provide preaching mentors.
The Trust has five experienced preachers who offer mentoring on a regular, usually weekly, basis.
The mentor usually listens to the mentee’s Sunday sermon and then they reflect together on the sermon’s engagement with the Bible text and the people. …”
– Read about this extraordinarily gracious offer to preachers from The Expository Preaching Trust.
Related:
David Cook speaks with Mark Powell on Preaching, for the AP’s Australian Christian Life Podcast.
Really encouraging.
Can the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans chase the snakes out of the Anglican Communion?
“Yesterday, in a monastery in the Egyptian desert, the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans (GSFA) met for their first Assembly, under their new covenantal structures. Their purpose? To reset the Anglican Communion.
In his keynote address, the current Chair of the GSFA, the Primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, Archbishop Justin Badi, set out their plan. …
The Global South Fellowship of Anglicans has waited twenty-five years for the Instruments of the Anglican Communion to bring order to the divided church community, but they will wait no longer.”
– Susie Leafe writes at Christian Today.
The Assembly videos can be seen here.
Strategies to increase the retention of the children of members
From The Pastor’s Heart –
“There are three different ways that the adult population of churches can grow:
- Adults being saved.
- Christians transferring from another congregation within your denomination of switching from another denomination.
- Children of members growing up in the church and taking on their parents faith for themselves.
Most evangelical churches – even growing churches – are underperforming in the first and third ways. …”
– At The Pastor’s Heart this week, Dominic Steele speaks with Al James from Sydney Anglican Youthworks.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…