What (or Who) is missing in VeggieTales?
Have you ever seen the episode of VeggieTales in which the main characters are martyred by anti-Christian terrorists? You know, the one in which Bell Z. Bulb, the giant garlic demon, and Nero Caesar Salad, the tyrannical vegetable dictator, take on the heroes for their faith in Christ. Remember how it ends? Remember the cold dead eyes of Larry the cucumber behind glass, pickled for the sake of the Gospel? …
– Russell Moore, Dean of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, reflects on who’s missing in the popular children’s show – and much contemporary preaching. See his article at The Henry Institute website.
(On a lighter note, you might enjoy this.)
Carson and Horton on Galatians
The audio of the talks from this month’s Clarus conference at Desert Springs Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has now been placed online.
Don Carson and Michael Horton spoke on “Galatians and the Problem of Self Justification”. As well, there are two panel discussions. Very helpful.
See the Desert Springs Church website and click on ‘audio’.
(Thanks to Between Two Worlds.)
Adrian Warnock interviews Don Carson
Adrian Warnock interviewed Don Carson about life and ministry while he was at New Word Alive in the UK last month.
Adrian has now placed the video, in two eight minute segments, on YouTube. Part 1. Part 2.
Why I am not signing the Evangelical Manifesto
So why am I not going to sign An Evangelical Manifesto? As usual, the devil is in the details. As I grow more mature in years I am more and more aware of just how wise Billy Graham’s policy is of never signing statements you haven’t written yourself. …
– Richard Land writes for Baptist Press. See also our earlier item.
Mark Dever on Doctrinal Discernment
Mark Dever speaks about what is essential in doctrinal discernment – the gospel. It must come into play every time we pick up a new book.
This 3 minute 30 second, 13MB, Quicktime movie could be used in small Bible study groups.
Courtesy of New Attitude / Sovereign Grace Ministries.
Philippi or Corinth: Where is the Anglican Communion?
As I sit here at the beginning of May, one major question is facing all those who want to uphold the truth of the gospel in the Anglican Communion: should we go to Lambeth? Of course, for most of us that’s an academic question – we don’t have an invitation (although that’s not stopping some).
Nevertheless we have an emotional investment in the issue, for the question of how much we associate with those that we disagree with is (or at least should be) a constant dilemma for those who take the Scripture seriously, especially where there is clear evidence of willful unrepentance in the matter of public sin. …
– David Ould responds to those who “make a case for orthodox attendance at Lambeth by framing the current divisions in the context of Paul’s letter to the Philippians”. Read it at Stand Firm.
Faith Today Interviews J.I. Packer
Faith Today, the magazine of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, has interviewed Dr J. I. Packer for its current issue –
I could have said ridiculous. I could have said fantastic. I could have used other adjectives but I’ll stick with grotesque. I do not think a bishop who has not convicted me of grave moral or heretical practices is in a position to revoke my spiritual authority in Word and Sacrament. The most he can do is withdraw my permission to minister in The Anglican Church of Canada.
Since the thing that has occasioned this is the decision St. John’s and other churches have taken to leave The Anglican Church of Canada, revoking my authority to minister in the ACC changes absolutely nothing.
So I’m not losing sleep over it. Though over age, I am still a professor at Regent College and director of the Anglican studies program at Regent. No action on Michael Ingham’s part can change either of those things.
It’s worth reading the full interview here. (Photo: Ed Hird.)
Why ‘evangelicals’ are returning to Rome
The February 2008 edition of Christianity Today ran a cover story about evangelicals looking to the ancient Roman Catholic Church in order to find beliefs and practices. What was shocking about the article was that both the author of the article and the senior managing editor of CT claim that this trip back to Rome is a good thing. …
– Seeing strong parallels with Hebrews, Bob DeWaay writes, “The Roman Catholic Church has tangibility that is unmatched by the evangelical faith, just as temple Judaism had.”
Paul Helm on The Future of Justification
“John Piper’s book The Future of Justification (Crossway, 2007) is a great thing. If you have not read it, then you must. …
In this Analysis I shall try to do two things.
The first is to draw attention to what I believe is one of the most significant methodological points that Piper makes, but one which may, in the flurry of interest about justification, and the dust raised by it, get overlooked. The second thing is to underline what Piper says about the ambiguity of some of Bishop Wright’s language about imputation and justification. What both of these have in common is that Piper shows us the need to observe theological distinctions. …”
– from Paul Helm, the J.I. Packer Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Regent College, Vancouver. (See also the earlier commendation of the book, by Mike Ovey.)
The Sola Panel switches on
In the fine tradition of the T4G blog, The Sola Panel – a new blog sponsored by Matthias Media – is now online.
With regular contributions from Peter Bolt, Mark Thompson, Tony Payne, Archie Poulos “and more!”. See it at solapanel.org
Review of Stott’s ‘The Living Church’
Reading John Stott’s The Living Church is like having a conversation with a venerable and godly grandfather. There’s no bold new vision. No young man’s castles in the sky. You might not even agree with everything he says. Yet all of it commands respect. All of it evinces wisdom. Every single word, every single expression, feels permeated with the deep and calm virtue of a man who has, for more days than can be counted, found his refreshment lying beside the quiet waters of our Lord…
Jonathan Leeman reviews John Stott’s The Living Church: Convictions of a Life Long Pastor. At IX Marks. (The book is available at Moore Books.)
Phillip Jensen interviewed for IX Marks
Last November, Mark Dever interviewed the Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen for IX Marks Ministries. Phillip speaks on dealing with success, his early days at UNSW, how Two Ways to Live came about, and much more.
For a mainly Baptist audience, he gives some historical background on why Sydney Diocese is what it is today.
The interview has just been made available. It runs for 60 minutes and the mp3 file is a 28MB download. It’s available here.
A new Marian dogma?
“In February a letter was published from four Roman Catholic Cardinals and apparently over 500 Bishops and 7 million laity requesting a ‘solemn definition’ of the aspects of the Roman teaching on Mary… this is what they are seeking in such a definition: regarding Mary Most Holy as the Spiritual Mother of all humanity, the co-redemptrix with Jesus the Redeemer, Mediatrix of all graces with Jesus the one Mediator, and Advocate with Jesus Christ on behalf of the human race.”
In the light of the coming World Youth Day in Sydney, it’s worth reading this article by David Phillips, General Secretary of Church Society, in the current issue of Crossway. (PDF)
Godliness and good learning
Mike Ovey, now the Principal of Oak Hill College in London, reviews John Piper’s book, “The Future of Justification: A Response to N T Wright” –
“In one sense, Piper’s thesis can be simply stated: the traditional Reformation understanding of justification by faith, whereby God counts me righteous because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ alone, is correct. Christ’s righteousness is imputed to me in my union with Christ, not imparted nor infused, and is sufficient, such that my justification does not depend on what I work after my conversion, although my life can and should evidence what Christ has done for me. My heart warms as I summarise these simple but profound truths of traditional evangelical belief. …”
– from the Oak Hill website.
(The book is available from Moore Books in Sydney. It’s also available as a free PDF download at DesiringGod.org)
Why do they hate it so? The doctrine of Substitution
At the Together for the Gospel Conference two weeks ago, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Al Mohler gave a very helpful overview of recent attacks on the Biblical doctrine of the Substitutionary Atonement of Christ.
Are Anglicans untouched by these attacks? Dr. Mohler’s 67 minute address will repay careful listening.
The audio of this talk – and all the other sessions – are freely available from T4G.
(Photo: Together for the Gospel.)
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…