Forthcoming Book: Truth be told: Living truthfully in a post-truth world

“As Christians, we cannot afford to let our society’s loose relationship with truth influence our thinking, living and speaking. In Truth be Told, Lionel Windsor goes back to the Bible to show how the gospel provides a foundation for both understanding truth and interacting truthfully with our culture. Provocative and timely, this book offers Christians practical help in the task of sharing the truth of the gospel with confidence and conviction. …”

– ACL Council member Dr Lionel Windsor has a new book coming out in September from Matthias Media.

Concupiscence and Sexual Same Sex Attraction? – The Pastor’s Heart

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“What is the relationship between concupiscence and sexual same sex attraction?

One of the most contentious issues facing the Christian Church at this moment is how can Christians think and speak truthfully, clearly and compassionately about desire and temptation in a way that does not condone or encourage sin? …”

– Rob Smith is this week’s guest with Dominic Steele. Watch or listen here.

If “Concupiscence” is a new idea (or you’re feeling a bit rusty on the idea) this will be especially helpful.

How to preach truth yet teach falsely

“In Spurgeon’s Lectures to my Students, in ad­dressing the matter of ‘The Sermon’, Spurgeon exhorts his students ‘to give a clear testimony to all the doctrines which constitute or lie around the gospel.’ His point is simple. Some preachers are reticent to teach the whole counsel of God fearing the truth they teach may be irrelevant (or perhaps, even offensive!) to their hearers. Spurgeon was a great believer in all of God’s word as good and profitable, and therefore, in his usu­al straight-speaking manner declared that ‘No truth is to be kept back […] Cautious reticence is, in nine cases out of ten, cowardly betrayal’.

However, it’s the illustration he gives to make his point which provides some real food for thought. …”

– Mike Leite writes at The Australian Church Record.

This article is also printed in the current ACR Journal (issue 1926, Easter 2023). Download your copy here. Recommended!

The Promise of Providence — Plus Tim Keller and the virtue of godly disagreement

“A wide-ranging episode this week that starts with an appreciation of the gospel generosity of Tim Keller and moves from there to the blessings of positive disagreement, the problem we have in keeping personal attacks out of our debates, why Donald Robinson and John (Chappo) Chapman were so good at having productive arguments, how we should vote on the Voice referendum, and (just to cap things off) a discussion of the increasingly forgotten concept of providence and what it has to do with God’s guidance.”

– Tony Payne speaks with Phillip Jensen in the latest Two Ways News podcast.

Encouraging and interesting.

What is the gospel? — Dr Mark Thompson

“I remember, more than twenty years ago now, an international visitor to Sydney being asked this question.

Throughout the week that he had been here, the speaker had appealed to the gospel many times. Clearly in a part of the world well-known for the strength of its evangelical witness, such an appeal was essential if he was to get a hearing. But the appeal had not been convincing and it had become increasingly obvious that at this most basic level our guest had a very different idea of what exactly it was that he was appealing to repeatedly throughout the week.

So some brave soul — someone braver than me — publicly asked him the question. What is the gospel? …”

– Back in 2015 we published this very helpful article by Dr Mark Thompson, Principal of Moore College.

In the last 12 months 35% of Australian Ministers considered quitting

“A little under 200 clergy took part in the survey and, while they work across the country, they were predominantly in NSW, married and male, with an average of 18½ years in ministry. More than 60 per cent of the respondents were senior ministers…

A senior consultant at the Centre for Ministry Development, Peter Mayrick, who gets alongside clergy to support them in their ministry, says that the issues of stress and burnout are ‘very real… and something we have to deal with’. …”

– Story by Judy Adamson at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Two exciting projects from Discipleship Tech

Recently Andy Geers shared updates on two exciting updates from Discipleship Tech, the team behind PrayerMate.

• An update of Redeeming the Time.

• Crowdfunding for The Serpent & The Seed, “a mobile adventure game designed to help people, who would never normally open the Bible, to engage with the big story of salvation and our place within it.”

Good to pray about (and financially support, if you are able)!

Pastor: Help your Congregation navigate Gay Pride Month

From Jonathan Leeman at 9Marks:

“…pastor, consider how you might equip your church members to stand in truth and love during this month. As the neo-paganism of LGBTQ+ increasingly defines our nation’s public religion, more of our members will be taking it on the jaw at school and work. We should prepare them for these occasions if nothing else than by setting the example of speaking publicly ourselves.”

– Read at 9Marks.

Heresy Half Hour: Donatism

The latest podcast from Church Society:

“In this episode, Chris Moore, Lee Gatiss and Mark Smith explain the ancient heresy of Donatism and its contemporary relevance for the church today as so many people are considering how to relate to ungodly authorities.”

Plenty of relevance to the Church of England today.

– Listen here.

The Gender Revolution — by Patricia Weerakoon with Rob Smith and Kamal Weerakoon

Coming soon from Matthias Media:

“How can you show love to someone who feels that their gender identity does not match how God made them—especially amid loud social messaging that says compassion and disagreement are incompatible? How do we keep the conversation grounded in reality? How do we lead others away from the harmful desire to transform their body into something it can never truly be? Why would hearing an explanation of God’s design for our bodies and his guidance for sexual expression be good for them, and how could you possibly begin that conversation?

Transgender ideology has quickly become pervasive in our broader culture, and many Christians prefer to avoid issues of sex and gender altogether. But if we’re not prepared in advance to show care and compassion to people questioning their gender identity or declaring a new one, we are unlikely to do it well when the moment arrives (as it inevitably will).

The Gender Revolution provides the biblical basis for a contemporary Christian response to the complicated feelings and experiences of gender dysphoria. Grounded in the latest scientific findings, this much-needed book is the fruit of decades of thorough research, medical practice and pastoral experience from the authors. It offers clear and compelling reasons for why God’s voice matters, and how it can be used to disciple others in truth.”

– Learn more at Matthias Media. “Available for pre-order; buy now and receive your copy July 2023.”

News and prayer updates from George Whitefield College, May 2023

The May 2023 newsletter for George Whitefield College in Cape Town is now up on their website.

A great reminder to pray for Africa.

As GWC Principal Dr. Mark Dickson reminds us,

“What Africa needs now are preachers, teachers and leaders who can tell the continent accurately about Jesus.”

– Download the PDF file here.

 

Also on the GWC website is a tribute to Bishop Joe Bell, former Presiding Bishop of the Church of England in South Africa (now REACH-SA). The tribute was written, we understand, by Dr. Mark Norman at GWC.

Bishop Bell was Presiding Bishop 1989-2000, succeeding Bishop Dudley Foord and preceding Bishop Frank Retief.

There’ll be a Memorial Service for Bishop Bell on Monday 29 May 2023 – streamed live at 19:00AEST.

Mercy ministries: reaching the poor through social action

“I’ve found that, so often, churches don’t seriously consider the working-class communities on their doorstep unless it is in connection with social action.

Too often, our projects involve doing things for or to people, not with them. To engage with people, involve them in church life and our own lives, is harder; but that is to treat people as people. …”

– in her series on ‘Class and the Church’, Kirsten Birkett considers the place of ‘mercy ministries’ and asks what might be missing. At the Church Society blog.

King’s Birthday Conference — Monday 12th June 2023

From Two Ways Ministries:

“In May 2023, King Charles will be crowned and all will say ‘Long Live the King’.

But what does it mean? Do we want it? And why do we say it?

The topic of the King’s Birthday Conference this year will raise many issues in the Bible about kings and rulers, as well as kingdoms and our nation.

The conference will be a great time to hear Phillip and Peter Jensen teach the Bible clearly, meet with old friends and new, have a Q&A session and prayer time – all included in your registration for the in-person event at Moore Theological College, Sydney.

Archie Poulos (Head of Department of Ministry and Director of Centre for Ministry Development at Moore College) will be our chairperson for the event. …”

– See all the details here.

Moore College Open Week 15-19 May 2023

Moore College’s Open Week begins on Monday 15th May.

Details and registration from the College.

A theological and missional review of the Coronation – with Mark Earngey, Brett Murphy and Sandy Grant

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“After Queen Elizabeth’s funeral last year, Saturday’s coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla was probably the biggest reaching church service of our lifetimes.

We analyze the service theologically and missionally and compare it with the coronation service of Charles’ Mother Queen Elizabeth II.

Is it in any way better theologically and where is it worse?

– Watch or listen here.

See also:

The true significance of King Charles’ Coronation – Murray Campbell, who writes not only about the Coronation, but about Psalm 2, Nick Cave – and GAFCON.

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