Why aren’t ‘Emerging Adults’ emerging as Adults?

Albert Mohler writes about a significant shift in US culture (it’s also happening in Australia).

The Gospel for those broken by the Church

This talk by Dr. Rod Rosenbladt (known to many through The White Horse Inn broadcast) on the topic ‘The Gospel for those broken by the Church’ is well worth your time.

It runs for 50 minutes and is available from New Reformation Press (direct link to 36MB mp3 file).

“For all of you who have been given morality lessons instead of the Gospel, hear how Dr. Rod Rosenbladt succinctly presents Christianity as first and foremost a genuine truth claim about Christ as our righteous substitute, instead of a never ending list of popular religious recipes for personal success.”

(Photo: Bryan Johnson.)

Trivia served up for the twittering classes

“Saturday night will be the first election in 33 years that I won’t be behind a microphone for an election coverage. For the first time, I’ll experience an election party and probably turn to the internet for updates…”

– Russell Powell has some reflections on the coverage of the election campaign in his weekly roundup at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Also, don’t forget the resources for comparing policy statements at Australia Votes from the Australian Christian Lobby.

The Inerrancy of Scripture: The Fifty Years’ War… and counting

“Back in 1990, theologian J. I. Packer recounted what he called a ‘Thirty Years’ War’ over the inerrancy of the Bible. He traced his involvement in this war in its American context back to a conference held in Wenham, Massachusetts in 1966, when he confronted some professors from evangelical institutions who ‘now declined to affirm the full truth of Scripture.’ That was nearly fifty years ago, and the war over the truthfulness of the Bible is still not over — not by a long shot…”

While it’s never been quite the issue in Australia as it has been in the US, the implications of questioning the trustworthiness of Scripture are clear in this piece by Albert Mohler.

Idea for your church: Garage Sale Giveaway

Some Canadian churches are running garage sales with an difference:

“The only way to explain that God’s love is free in a tangible way … is to say every item here is free.”

Read about it here. (h/t Anglican Essentials Canada blog.)

To Serve is to Suffer

“In a world where physical health, appearance, and convenience have gained almost idolatrous prominence, God may be calling Christians to demonstrate the glory of the gospel by being joyful and content while enduring pain and hardship. People who are unfulfilled after pursuing things that do not satisfy may be astonished to see Christians who are joyful and content after depriving themselves for the gospel. This may be a new way to demonstrate the glory of the gospel to this hedonistic culture.”

– Christianity Today has published this challenging essay by Ajith Fernando, national director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka.

30 days of prayer

Now that Ramadan has begun (August 11 – September 9 2010), it’s a great time to love Muslim people through prayer.

30-days.net has much helpful information, including PDF resources and a 2.2MB downloadable prayer guide. Worth passing on.

Who is Arthur Bennett?

At Between Two Worlds, Tony Reinke shares his research on the author of the much loved collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, The Valley of Vision.

Federal Election resources

While not supporting any party, the Centre for Public Christianity has assembled a range of material to help Christians to make an informed choice in the coming Australian Federal Election.

As well, the Australian Christian Lobby has just posted a new interview with Julia Gillard, in addition to its earlier material.

August–September DNWA prayer notes

The latest Diocese of North West Australia Prayer Notes and Bishop’s Letter are now available on their website – for your prayers.

Preach Christ

“The motto of all true servants of God must be, ‘We preach Christ; and him crucified.’ A sermon without Christ in it is like a loaf of bread without any flour in it. No Christ in your sermon, sir? Then go home, and never preach again until you have something worth preaching.”

– At Between Two Worlds, Tony Reinke has assembled some challenging reminders from C H Spurgeon.

Killing a Church

“Murchison argues that Old Money helped define, and unravel, the Episcopal Church. Growth and dynamism require entrepreneurship and risk. But who wants that when you have endowments and beautiful buildings? Provocateurs like Pike and Spong could push far, but there was far too little push back. Why risk the conflict?

Meanwhile, comfortable Episcopal elites, ever with a sense of noblesse oblige, embraced the Civil Rights Movement, denouncing segregation in 1955 as ‘contrary to the mind of Christ.’ Ten Episcopal bishops joined Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. The Episcopal Church then and now has few black members. But commendable civil rights activism sated a thirst for social change among Episcopalians that led directly into the feminist movement, including the 1970s ordination of women, and ultimately homosexual causes in the 1980s to the present. No longer mostly confined to saving souls, church elites saw themselves as liberating American society from ‘privilege.’…”

– in The American Spectator, Mark Tooley reviews Mortal Follies: Episcopalians and the Crisis of Mainline Christianity by William Murchison. (The book was published in 2009.)

Carl Trueman interviewed at Oak Hill

Carl Trueman, Professor of Historical Theology and Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary was a Visiting Lecturer at Oak Hill College in London earlier this year.

Principal Mike Ovey asked him about the doctrines of Scripture and of Justification in three videos just posted on the Oak Hill website.

Part 1: The doctrine of Scripture.
Part 2: The doctrine of Justification.
Part 3: Holiness and the New Perspective on Paul.

Total running time of about 24 minutes. Worth watching.

New Moore College video: Meet some of our Students

This 3 minute 30 second video from Moore College could be used to promote the college in your church. (The 29MB file is downloadable if you are registered with Vimeo.)