Five top Missions books

Kevin DeYoung writes:

“As you may recall, Greg Gilbert and I are working on a book tentatively titled What is the Mission of the Church? Hence, over the past several months we’ve been reading dozens of missiological tomes. There are tons of missions resources, and we barely scratched the surface with our reading. But from what I’ve read, here are my Fav Five books on the theology of mission…”

– Many of our readers will be familiar with the number one book – and probably the number two book – in Kevin’s list.

Do Christians need a Christian prime minister?

“Recently disendorsed NSW Liberal candidate, David Barker, expressed concern that Julia Gillard was ‘anti-God’ and that a non-Liberal vote would be a vote for Muslims, thus reintroducing religion, kicking and screaming in protest, to the campaign agenda.

Associated with the NSW Christian right, Mr Barker’s comments raise the question of whether Christians in Australia expect a Christian prime minister…”

– Greg Clarke, Director of the Centre for Public Christianity, had this thoughtful opinion-piece published on the ABC’s ‘The Drum Unleashed’ yesterday.

Don Carson on ‘The God Who is There’

This looks to be very helpful. Andy Naselli writes,

“On February 20-21 and 27-28, 2009, Don Carson presented a 14-part seminar entitled ‘The God Who Is There’ at Bethlehem Baptist Church’s North Campus in Minneapolis. This series will serve the church well because it simultaneously evangelises non-Christians and edifies Christians by explaining the Bible’s storyline in a non-reductionistic way.

The series is geared toward ‘seekers’ and articulates Christianity in a way that causes hearers either to reject or embrace the gospel. It’s one thing to know the Bible’s storyline, but it’s another to know one’s role in God’s ongoing story of redemption. ‘The God Who Is There’ engages people at the worldview-level.

And now MP3s (full) and video (10-minute previews) are available for Carson’s 14-part series…”

– All the links are here. (h/t Justin Taylor.)

Culture and Theology seminar on Homosexuality

Matt Chandler at The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, recently addressed a topic he had previously stayed away from. In a 2 hour Culture and Theology seminar on Homosexuality, Matt provides a great deal of food for thought. Well worth your time.

Dated ‘5.21.10’ on the Studies & Seminars page, here’s a direct link to the 35MB mp3 file.

Moving Forward?

“After the strident, disdainful renunciation of the Communion’s official teaching concerning sexuality, as expressed in the 1998 Lambeth Resolution 1.10, and in direct opposition to and repudiation of the request of the Instruments of Communion, the response of the Archbishop of Canterbury in his 2010 Pentecost Letter has been as devastating as a feather duster and as effective as an ashtray on a motorbike…”

– Bishop Glenn Davies writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Related: ‘Dialogue’ trumps Scripture — again?

‘The good book’s guide to great sex’

“Sex is God’s gift to humanity and healthy sexual behaviour should be the church’s gift to the world. As reported in The Age this week, we are neurologically wired to desire sex, to fall in love with the person we desire sex with, and for that love to develop into a deep personal attachment. Our bodies are wired to operate best with one sexual partner for life.

The Christian church has a positive duty to help all people form healthy sexual self-identities, which lead to healthy sexual behaviour, particularly in a world where highly sexualised images are commonplace…”

–  Kamal Weerakoon (St. Marys Presbyterian Church) writes in the Sydney Morning Herald. It’s a follow up to Monday’s article by Barney Zwartz in The Age.

Richard Baxter’s account of the Restoration

“Not only was Baxter a major player, he was, like Pepys, also a meticulous and disciplined administrator and writer. He records many details from events he experienced first-hand, and his account includes a wealth of valuable documentation.”

– Lee Gatiss wrote this interesting article for Churchman in 2008. It’s just been published online by Church Society. (PDF file.)

Standing Committee of which Communion?

“…The listing by geography shows that none of the major African provinces of the Communion, with more than 60% of its total members, is even represented on the Committee. It follows that the current make-up of the Committee is designed to effectuate the will of a minority within the Communion…”

– A S Haley, the Anglican Curmudgeon, looks at the makeup of “the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion” and that of the Anglican Consultative Council. (Photo taken at the November 2008 JSC meeting: ACNS Rosenthal.)

Listening pastors

“It seems to me that pastors tend to be poor listeners for a few reasons: they are usually assertive people and have trouble slowing down, have honestly heard many of the same things multiple times (counseling situations, theological questions, etc.) thus they feel like they ‘know’ where the conversation is headed, they are multi-taskers who tend to think they can listen and think about other things at the same time, and they are used to talking/preaching with others listening to them!”

– Jason Helopoulos has a few helpful suggestions on listening as a pastor.
At Kevin DeYoung’s blog.

‘We are Anglicans’

“The Pope, or more properly the Roman Catholic Bishop of Rome will visit England and Scotland from 17th to 19th September of this year. In recent years political figures and many in the media have fawned all over the Pope. More recently however, there has been growing attacks on Rome by secular humanists and the homosexual lobbyists, together with the media, which is dominated by both. Whilst we do not wish to be sucked into the ungodly agenda of these groups nevertheless it is important to say that this visit is also unwelcome for other reasons.

What does it mean to be Anglican? Though it is not normally where people look for an answer part of the nature of Anglicanism is set out in the Coronation Oath Act of 1688. This Act applies still in England and Wales and its well known wording was used at the Coronation of the present Queen…”

– David Phillips, Church Society General Secretary, writes in the latest issue of Cross†Way. (PDF file.)

Christ-centred Communion – Further thoughts (full series)

Barry Newman has been adding to his series on ‘Christ-centred Communion’ and has now completed his ‘further thoughts’.

Even if you don’t agree with it all, you’ll find it stimulating and edifying.

C.S. Lewis on Democracy

Food for thought from C S Lewis –

“I am a democrat because I believe in the Fall of Man. I think most people are democrats for the opposite reason. A great deal of democratic enthusiasm descends from the ideas of people like Rousseau, who believed in democracy because they thought mankind so wise and good that every one deserved a share in the government.

The danger of defending democracy on those grounds is that they’re not true. … I find that they’re not true without looking further than myself. I don’t deserve a share in governing a hen-roost. Much less a nation. … The real reason for democracy is just the reverse. Mankind is so fallen that no man can be trusted with unchecked power over his fellows…”

– C.S. Lewis, “Equality”, in Present Concerns. (h/t Between Two Worlds.)

An important distinction in our thinking about church

“It seems to me that we are not often as careful when we think and speak about church as we are in other areas of Christian doctrine. Confusions abound, sometimes through a lack of careful distinctions.

Earlier this year I was in a debate with some older brothers in the faith about the threefold order (bishops, priests, and deacons)…”

– Mark Thompson seeks to stimulate our thinking at Theological Theology.

‘The Anglican church can’t now renege on women bishops’

John Inge, the Bishop of Worcester, writes this opinion piece for the BBC.

“When the decision was made to ordain women as priests, solemn promises were made to them that they would continue to have an honoured place in the Church of England.

To renege on that now would seem like a betrayal.”

Related: Developments in York.

Some deep reflection needed

“I have been reading an immensely interesting book in the last couple of weeks. It is by Peter Hitchens, British journalist, author, broadcaster and brother of celebrated ‘new atheist’ Christopher Hitchens.

It is interesting for a whole host of reasons…”

– ACL President Mark Thompson writes at Theological Theology.

← Previous Page — Next Page →