Bishop Jones’ Exegesis: from here to wherever
The great thing about the knight in the game of chess is that it can jump intervening squares and pieces to get from one location to another. This is what gives the knight its attacking power. I think it was Anthony Hoekema, however, who coined the phrase ‘knight’s jump exegesis’ to describe the way some people jump from one part of the Bible to another to ‘prove’ their point.
Hoekema argued that Jehovah’s Witnesses do this with regard to, for example, the date of Christ’s return (somewhat overdue by now, on their reckoning). Unfortunately, as was reported in today’s Guardian newspaper, something like this has now also been done by the Rt Revd James Jones, the Bishop of Liverpool…
Read John Richardson’s analysis in The Ugley Vicar.
The Pastor’s Understanding of His Own Role
Watch this challenging message for preachers, from Mark Dever at the 2006 Together for the Gospel Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.
“Basing his message on 1 Corinthians, Mark Dever discusses the three marks of a faithful pastor. Such a pastor has a cross-centred message, a cross-centred life, and cross-centred followers.”
Video available from Ligonier Ministries. (Broadband recommended. Duration: 56 minutes.)
Other helpful audio and video archive material may be found here.
Food for thought
“…even assuming that there will be a remnant of Evangelicals at Lambeth … the 70% who will be there represent a MINORITY of Anglicans worldwide, while the 30% of bishops attending GAFCON represent 70% or more…”
From a Viewpoint article by Anglican journalist David Virtue.
Helpful music on special
Many of our readers have been blessed through the work of Australian groups Emu Music, Garage Hymnal and others who produce gospel-focussed music.
In the US, Sovereign Grace Ministries produces similarly helpful music (some of which will be familiar to attendees of CMS NSW Summer School). Read more
What is Anglicanism? – Archbishop Orombi
This 2007 essay by Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi, Anglican Archbishop of Uganda is well worth reading:
“We would not be facing the crisis in the Anglican Communion if we had upheld the basic Reformation convictions about Holy Scripture: its primacy, clarity, sufficiency, and unity. Part of the genius of the Reformation was its insistence that the Word of God and the liturgy be in the language of the people — that the Bible could be read and understood by the simplest plowboy. The insistence from some Anglican circles (mostly in the Western world) on esoteric interpretations of Scripture borders on incipient Gnosticism that has no place in historic or global Anglicanism. …”
Read the full text at First Things.
Who is running the Anglican Communion?
“Readers of the Anglican Communion Office’s website might begin to wonder who is running the Anglican Communion. …
Curious… that the ACO website lists the Diocese of San Joaquin as ‘vacant’ – curious, because it isn’t. …”
John Richardson is perplexed – at Anglican Mainstream.
J I Packer on the state of the Anglican Communion
Widely respected theologian J I Packer has spoken about the current state of the Anglican Communion in an interview with VirtueOnline.
“I expect congregations in TEC and the ACIC being fed on liberal theology will continue to wither on the vine as they have done for the last half century. Liberal theology, without the gospel, proves to be the smell of death rather than of life.”
A Case Study in American Religion
Dr. Michael Horton and friends at The White Horse Inn broadcast are asking, ‘Why is Joel Osteen [Pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston] so popular?’
In their online series on ‘Christless Christianity’, this week they examine the teaching given at one of America’s largest churches. Listen online at ‘The White Horse Inn’.
Evangelical Religion – J C Ryle
Written 130 years ago, Bishop John Charles Ryle’s tract on “Evangelical Religion” is still essential reading. The first Bishop of Liverpool in the UK, Ryle fought valiantly for the authority of the Scriptures in the Church of England.
“Since many religious disputes have arisen solely because there has been a lack of accurate definition, I am beginning this paper by explaining exactly what I mean by ‘Evangelical Religion’.”
The precise challenges faced by Ryle have changed, yet the need to ground the Christian life in the Bible remains. You can read his tract here.
Helpful Sermons
‘Faith by Hearing’ is a very useful index of online audio content from solid expository preachers. There is a great treasure of material compiled by Todd Shaffer in Montreal.
Currently featuring links to talks by Don Carson and many others.
See Faith by Hearing.
Lambeth 2008: Lift-off or fizzle?
Was Rowan Williams’s speech launching the 2008 Lambeth Conference written by him or by someone else? That is the question I am asking having just read it online. …
What does one make of this, for example?
“In spite of the painful controversies which have clouded the life of the Communion for the last few years, there remains, as many people have repeatedly said, a very strong loyalty to each other and a desire to stay together. The fact that about 70% of bishops worldwide have already formally registered for the Conference, with a number of others who have signalled that they will attend, shows something of this desire.” …
John Richardson, the “Vicar of Ugley” writes on last night’s media event to launch the upcoming Lambeth Conference 2008. See also the Anglican Communion website.
J I Packer – A History of the English Puritans
Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson Mississippi is placing online a great deal of free sermon and lecture audio through iTunes U. Recently added are their recordings of J. I. Packer’s 1988 lectures on the English Puritans.
What did the much-maligned Puritans believe and what can we learn from them about ministry? These lectures provide a valuable insight into the Puritans and are well worth hearing.
To access the material, go to the RTS website (it has a link to download iTunes if you need it) and then select the ‘Click to Launch iTunes’ button. Once there, click on ‘Courses in Church History’. On the next screen, go to ‘History and Theology of the Puritans’ – and you will be able to download all 16 lectures and the syllabus.
Your Kingdom Come
SydneyAnglicans.net has made available, courtesy of the Church Missionary Society, the talk given by Archbishop Peter Jensen at the CMS Summer School at Katoomba on January 6th.
Peter spoke on 1 Corinthians 1:18-25.
Listen and pass on to your Christian friends.
Hugh Latimer – Apostolic Preacher
The Church Society has made available a helpful piece on Hugh Latimer, bishop and martyr of the English Reformation. Written by David Streater and originally published in Crossway in 1996, the nine page article can be downloaded as a PDF file.
Take the opportunity, this quiet time of year, to learn of and to thank the Lord for Bishop Hugh Latimer.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…