How to Protect our Children Online

Steve Kryger at Communicate Jesus has a very helpful post – with links to resources.

What is the Gospel? — Available free on Kindle

For a limited time, Crossway publishers have made available Greg Gilbert’s new book What is the Gospel? free on the Kindle – from Amazon. (Download the Kindle app if you don’t own a Kindle.)

Of the book, William Taylor of St Helen’s Church in London says,

“Clarity on the gospel brings both confidence in the gospel and conviction concerning core gospel truths. This excellent book is wonderfully clear and biblically faithful, and will repay reading with renewed gospel focus.”

and Archbishop Peter J. Akinola:

“Greg Gilbert has called the church back to the source of her revelation. In a simple and straightforward manner, he has laid bare what the Bible has shown the gospel to mean.”

For those with access to the iBook Store (not yet in Australia), you can also get it free there.

DVD Sale from Desiring God

Desiring God are selling all of their DVDs for $US9.99 during July 2010.

(Bear in mind that these are all in NTSC format – and are probably also Region 1. Many Australian DVD players – though not all – would be able to play them.)

Recovering the priority of relationships

“Some recent conversations to which I have been a party suggest we talk a good game when it comes to the priority of relationships while our practice is practically indistinguishable from the relational desert inhabited by those around us.

Is there, as some people are beginning to suggest, a sad disconnect between our confession and life at this point?”

– Mark Thompson asks some fair questions at Theological Theology.

Corroborating Evidence

From The White Horse Inn:

“If Jesus was a real historical individual, then do we have any confirming evidence for his life and ministry from sources outside the New Testament? Some point to the writings of Josephus, but isn’t it true that his famous passage about Jesus was proven to be a fabrication? Interacting with the hosts on this topic is historian Paul L. Maier, author of In The Fullness of Time, and editor of Josephus: The Essential Works.”

– broadcast on June 20, 2010, Paul Maier’s interview is well worth hearing.

A Dangerous Structure: Can General Synod Stave Off Collapse?

“London’s Lambeth Council has some helpful advice on its website about dangerous structures: ‘If you notice a building or structure that appears to be in a dangerous condition, or in serious neglect, an engineer will inspect the problem and take the necessary action. If the structure is unsafe, but there is no immediate danger, then the owner will be contacted to make it safe – if they don’t, they may face enforcement action.’

There is no question of course that the material fabric of Lambeth Palace, the historic London home of the Archbishop of Canterbury, is in good order. In fact, the Archbishop’s website reassures us that there are ’plans for future work to upgrade the fabric of the Palace’, but the spiritual fabric of the Church over which he presides is looking increasingly precarious.…”

– Charles Raven observes how quickly the Church of England is losing the plot.

The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer — free audiobook

This month’s free audiobook from ChristianAudio is The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer. (July 2010)

Don’t know Tozer? J. I. Packer is quoted as saying: “Through all of Tozer’s books and articles there shines a passion for God that puts our shallowness to shame. Reading him is like drinking at an oasis in the desert.” Details of the audiobook at ChristianAudio.

Reformed Evangelical Anglican Library

Lee Gatiss writes about a new series – The Reformed Evangelical Anglican Library.

“By constitution the Church of England is a Reformed, Protestant, and Evangelical denomination. In its original foundation it was never intended to be merely the religious expression of changing English culture; nor was it designed as a pluralistic melting pot of various contradictory persuasions. As John Stott rightly asserted in 1970, ‘according to its own formularies, this church is reformed and evangelical’ (in Christ the Controversialist). Read more

Shedding some Light on Twilight

“The highly anticipated third film in the wildly popular Twilight series opens today. … The first two movies — Twilight and New Moon — took in a sensational $1.1 billion at the box office. In 2009 and 2010, the movies topped the teen choice awards, and swept virtually all the categories at the MTV Movie Awards. Twilight has become the hottest love story of our time. It’s a teen rage, and a significant cultural phenomenon.

The question that I always ask, when I see something so grip the hearts and minds of women, is “Why?”. And it was this question that was foremost in my mind when I finally sat down a couple weeks ago to watch and analyze the first two movies…”

– Helpful analysis from Mary Kassian. (h/t Tim Challies.)

ESV Bible Atlas

The Crossway ESV Bible Atlas has been released in the US. Details – and links to a 45 page preview – at Between Two Worlds.

Updated 9Marks website

The 9Marks website has been updated recently. New sections include Answers for Church Members and Answers for Pastors. Well worth a look.

Sinclair Ferguson on Preaching

In March, Sinclair Ferguson (Minister at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina) gave the 2010 den Dulk Lectures on Pastoral Ministry at Westminster Seminary in California.

In this talk linked below (56MB mp3 file), he speaks on “The Pastor and his preaching”. Very sobering – and encouraging – for preachers.

Link via Unashamed Workman. Other lectures on this page. (h/t Faith by Hearing.)

In Memoriam, James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000)

“June 15 marks the tenth anniversary of the death of James Montgomery Boice, who was for thirty-two years the pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, the dean of Reformed pastor-scholars in his generation…”

– At Reformation21, Rick Phillips gives thanks for James Montgomery Boice, who died ten years ago. (Photo: Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia.)

A Canonical Analysis of ‘Mitregate’

AS Haley (the Anglican Curmudgeon) looks at the fuss about why Katharine Jefferts Schori had to apply for a license to officiate as a priest (and not a bishop) at Southwark Cathedral last week.