The Book of Numbers explained with illustrations

Here’s the latest from The Bible Project.

Very well done. (h/t Tim Challies.)

Churches offering sanctuary to asylum seekers — some context

“In a high-profile decision of the High Court of Australia yesterday, Plaintiff M68-2015 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2016] HCA 1 (3 February 2016), a 6-1 majority ruled that the Australian government is entitled to continue its policy of detaining certain asylum seekers off-shore in the Pacific nation of Nauru. …

Today a number of Christian churches went public with an offer of ‘sanctuary’ for those who are supposed to be returned.”

– What is ‘sanctuary’, and does it still apply in Australia today? Here’s some legal context from Neil Foster at Law and Religion Australia.

“The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, says Anglicans and other Christians in Sydney are concerned by the prospect of 91 asylum seeker children being returned to Nauru following the recent High Court ruling…” – SydneyAnglicans.net

Armidale’s Anglican Bishop urges caution on calls to defy the law to safeguard refugees – ABC News 05 February 2016.

Facing a Task Unfinished

“Getty Music is inviting thousands of churches around the globe to sing the new hymn Facing a Task Unfinished together on Sunday, February 21st, 2016!

We will provide you with the sheet music and demonstration, all you need to do is register! …

First penned by China Inland Mission worker, Frank Houghton, at a time when persecution in China was at its height, ‘Facing a Task Unfinished’ has been a rally cry for missions in the Pacific Rim for many years.

In 1929, the Lord laid a vision on the heart of CIM leaders to see 200 new workers plunge into the darkness and share the light of Christ, knowing that it could well cost them their lives.

As he reflected on Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:14 to bear the torch of the Gospel to all the nations, his heart was broken for the people of China, and he wrote:

Facing a task unfinished, that drives us to our knees.
A need that, undiminished, rebukes our slothful ease.
We, who rejoice to know Thee, renew before Thy throne,
the solemn pledge we owe Thee to go and make Thee known.

By 1932, the last of the 200 missionaries had set sail for China to spread the good news of the Gospel. Since that time, the church of China has grown from an estimated 100,000 who claim Christ as their Lord to millions, and the Lord continues to work in great ways because of the faithfulness of those that gave their lives proclaiming that Jesus died and rose.

We are delighted to introduce this missions hymn to a new generation with the prayer it will be an anthem for rising up to face the unfinished task and going to all the world to proclaim salvation in Jesus’ name.”

– Read more here. h/t David Ould.

Secularisation and the Sexual Revolution: Evangelical Theology and the Cultural Crisis

“In the face of the sexual revolution the Christian church in the West now faces a set of challenges that exceeds anything it has experienced, of a similar magnitude, in the past. This is a revolution of ideas—one that is transforming the entire moral structure of meaning and life…”

– In the first of a four-part series, Albert Mohler argues that the foundations of the sexual revolution were laid almost a century ago.

New devotional book on the Letters of John

David Mulready’s new series of devotions for Lent is available from CEP. It’s on 1, 2 and 3 John. (Lent begins in 2016 on February 10th.)

See a sample here.

From the Vault: Win, Build, Send

The YouGov poll on same-sex marriage

There’s been widespread reporting of a UK poll, with stories beginning like this one –

“Anglican churchgoers in the UK who support gay marriage outnumber those opposed to it for the first time, according to a new poll…” (Sky News Australia).

So what’s the real story?

“Last night the internet was abuzz with a YouGov poll, commissioned by the revisionist campaigner Jayne Ozanne, that was purported to show that a majority of Anglicans now supported same-sex marriage. It did no such thing…

The headlines become even more suspect when you look at the poll questions in detail.”

– Ian Paul and Peter Ould have some analysis.

Possibly the best App to help you pray

Andy Geers in the UK has updated PrayerMate to version 5.

PrayerMate is considered by many to be the best iOS and Android app to help you pray consistently and thoughtfully.

Watch Andy’s explanation of what’s new, and even consider supporting his ministry. (Andy makes his app available without charge.)

When politics becomes your religion

On the 4th January 2016 edition of The Briefing, Albert Mohler discusses an article, “What explains the Vicious Left?”, by Professor David Gelernter at Yale.

Speaking in a US context, Mohler says,

“…what professor Gelernter is arguing is that on the left, political ideas have taken the place of religious doctrines and religious truth claims, and have become ends in themselves and matters of absolute truth claims, and have become ends in themselves and matters of absolute truth claims. …

I think Professor Gelernter is absolutely right that for many on the left, politics is all that remains. It’s all they have left.”

Listen or read here. (Segment 3)

When Abortion suddenly stopped making sense

“We also thought, back then, that few abortions would ever be done. It’s a grim experience, going through an abortion, and we assumed a woman would choose one only as a last resort. We were fighting for that ‘last resort.’ We had no idea how common the procedure would become…”

– This long and disturbing article was written to coincide with the 43rd anniversary, this last weekend, of the Roe v. Wade decision in the US Supreme Court.

Since that time, 59 million babies in the USA have lost their lives through abortion. Image: National Review.

Heartbreak, Humiliation and a Death Certificate

“‘Heartbreak and humiliation’ were the opening words of the current affairs show ‘The 7:30 Report’ on the national public broadcaster, the ABC, on Thursday Friday 21, 2016. The story? The tragic accidental death of David Bulmer-Rizzi, one member of a UK same sex couple who were visiting the country.

The tragedy was compounded, the report said, by the fact that the South Australian authorities were proposing to issue a death certificate which stated that the deceased was ‘never married’. But the couple had entered into a same sex marriage under UK law…”

– At Law and Religion Australia, Neil Foster provides the legal context behind some of the media reporting surrounding a tragic death.

Change, or Die Out — Dr Andrew Cameron

“The Western world is rapidly changing. And this brings with it many challenges, particularly for Christians. So to get a better handle on these changes, I’ve started interviewing a number of Christian leaders.

What follows is an edited version of an interview I did with the Reverend Dr Andrew Cameron, who is the Director of St Marks Theological Centre, in Canberra, Australia…”

– from Akos Balogh.

Priscilla & Aquila Centre Annual Conference 2016

The Priscilla & Aquila Centre Annual Conference is coming up on Monday 1st February. Moore College Principal, Mark Thompson is speaking – and there’ll be a number of electives.