‘What the New York Times gets wrong about complementarianism’

“Baird relies heavily on critics of complementarianism to define complementarianism. I suspect that is a major reason why the picture is so flawed. Baird quotes a feminist writer… who argues that complementarianism makes women into unwilling participants in their own marriage covenant.”

– Denny Burk writes at The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, with a response to Julia Baird’s recent article published in The New York Times. Read her article, and his response, and see if you agree.

Real faith in a performance dominated world

“We live in a world that constantly judges us by how well we perform. From preschool reports to professional annual reviews, performance assessments are everywhere.

Of course, in many cases it is entirely appropriate to assess performance. Businesses need to perform for their customers, politicians for their constituents, employees for their employers, sportspeople and artists for their fans. Assessing performance can help us make wise decisions about whom to buy from, vote for, employ, watch or listen to.

However, this focus on performance can easily become a burden. In our workplaces the anxiety of being constantly measured and assessed can be a major source of stress and depression. Even worse, the demand for performance can affect our friendships, our relationships and our family life.

Is our relationship with God based on our performance? Does God ‘assess’ us to determine our standing with him? …”

– ACL Council member, Dr Lionel Windsor, writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.

The Message of the Resurrection

“There are several aspects of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ dwelt upon in the New Testament. It is profitable for us to consider two of them as we recall this outstanding event.

An aspect which is frequently overlooked in these days is brought prominently under our notice by St. Paul’s speech at Athens. Addressing Epicureans and Stoics Paul declared,

‘God commandeth all men everywhere to repent; Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead’ (Acts 17:30-31).

The Resurrection is a guarantee of judgment as it is an endorsement of the claim of our Lord to be the judge.”

– The Australian Church Record has republished this timely message from Archdeacon T.C. Hammond.

2017 Gospel Coalition Conference — expositions


From Justin Taylor:

“Here are the videos from the expository plenaries at the Gospel Coalition National Conference (April 3-5, 2017) in Indianapolis, with the theme of ‘No Other Gospel’.”

– Expositions from Galatians.

(Photo: Dr. Peter Adam, who, in his characteristic way, thanks Don Carson for his numerous visits to Australia.)

Article 29 — Of the Wicked which eat not the Body of Christ in the use of the Lord’s Supper

“Sometimes it is only when you sit down and do a worked example that you understand a truth thoroughly. When I was 15 my local Roman Catholic priest asked me to choose whether to be a Roman Catholic or an Anglican. As we discussed Scripture and Salvation the worked example of just one person, Mary the mother of Jesus, was very helpful to me. If she was sinless then I should be a Catholic; if she was sinful like everybody else then I should be a Protestant.

The example of ‘the wicked… in the use of the Lord’s Supper’ does the same job with the Sacraments. …”

– At the Church Society blog, Charlie Skrine looks at Articles 29.

Encountering contemporary liberal theology – in its own words

“Conservative evangelicals are often accused of not ‘listening’ to other points of view. We’re told that we only engage with each other; we only read or listen to ‘approved’ versions of our faith; we caricature the arguments of revisionists without really hearing them.

So I was delighted to receive a press release from Modern Church, summarising the keynote address from the recent annual meeting of their Council, and giving a link to the substantial 12 page text of the talk itself, by Dr Lorraine Cavanagh, which can be found here. [Updated link]

‘Reclaiming the soul of Modern Church’ reads like a manifesto for mission for liberal Christians, and it’s worth reading with genuine enquiry, to ask whether this revisionist version of Christian faith offers a coherent and compelling vision that threatens orthodox biblical faith in any way. …”

– Andrew Symes at Anglican Mainstream provides a very interesting look at liberal theology’s rolling redefinition of Christianity.

Article 25 — Of the Sacraments

“The Sacraments ‘ordained of Christ’ then are to be ‘duly used’ and ‘worthily received’. What does that mean? First, we must distinguish between those sacraments of the gospel ordained by Christ and other ‘commonly (i.e. wrongly) called’ sacraments which may or may not have a useful place in the Christian life (matrimony, orders, and confirmation certainly do). …”

– At the Church Society blog, Wallace Benn takes a look at what the 39 Articles have to say about the sacraments. (GAFCON photo.)

Justification – “A Most Wholesome Doctrine”

“The eleventh article introduces us to the most important point of controversy in the sixteenth century. It would not be an exaggeration to say that polemics raged round the question of Justification by Faith. …”

– The Australian Church Record is continuing to reprint Archdeacon T.C. Hammond’s series on The Thirty Nine Articles. This from April 1956.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners

“That simple statement from 1 Timothy 1:15 has always been one of my favourite Bible verses, for a number of reasons.

Pre-eminently, though, it is because it conveys the heart of the gospel. It always reminds me of the picture the Lord Jesus himself gave of the shepherd who seeks the lost sheep until he finds it, lays it on his shoulders and brings it home safely.

Whatever else you may think about the Lord coming into the world, saving sinners was his chief aim and his death on the cross was the chief means.…”

– GAFCON General Secretary, Dr Peter Jensen, continues his series of posts marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

What has God joined together?

Sydney Anglican parishes will soon be receiving copies of the booklet “What Has God Joined Together?”. 

A companion website has also been launched.

It has the full text, Chnese translations, an essay entitled “Does God approve of same-sex sexual activity?”, and links to resources for Ministers.

Article 1 — Of Faith in the Holy Trinity

“To be Protestant, we need to be catholic. That’s the key point of Article 1, and the sure foundation upon which all the Articles are built.

Hang on though, you might say – wasn’t the Reformation about being against Catholicism, about refuting its many errors? …”

– Church Society is beginning a series of posts on the Thirty Nine Articles. Here’s the first one.

Vine Journal: Issue 5

Vine Journal: Issue 5, February 2017, from Matthias Media, is now available for free download – or you can buy a printed copy.

It is, sadly, the final edition. Read Tony Payne’s explanation.

Check out the articles in this issue:

Are we there yet? ‘Exile’ in the Bible (Lionel Windsor)
What the Bible’s big story tells us about our true home.

Does Jeremiah 29 call us to seek the welfare of the city? (Phillip Colgan)
A fresh look at a frequently quoted verse.

Lessons from the Marian exiles (Mark Earngey)
What we can learn from the English Reformers who fled their homeland.

The forgotten promise to Abraham (Chris Braga)
An encounter with Genesis 23 leads to a surprising discovery.

Glorifying God with infertility (Michael Taylor)
Lessons learned from being a reluctant member of the ‘infertility club’.

The holiness that leads to unity  (Hannah Ploegstra)
Why a passion for holiness and truth should lead towards unity, not away from it.

Priscilla and Aquila Conference 2017 – A ministry that builds the church

“The 2017 Priscilla and Aquila Conference was held on Monday January 30 at the College. Our annual conferences have a 2-fold aim: (i) to encourage the ministries of women, and (ii) to think more seriously and creatively about how men and women can serve better together in gospel ministry.

Although they are aimed primarily at men and women in vocational ministry, these conferences are also open to lay men and women, and many lay people attend each year.

This year just over 300 men and women came together to hear talks, encourage one another, and enjoy Christian fellowship. …”

– from the Priscilla and Aquila Centre at Moore College.

The talks available at the P&A website –

Ministry that grows the church (Acts 20) – William Taylor

Training Christian disciples in Bible ministry – William Taylor

Portraits of faith: Mike Ovey & Marion Gabbott – Jane Tooher

Ministry amongst staff wives and women on staff – Janet Taylor

Deborah: Prophetess or judge? – Paul Williamson

Prophecy now? – Peter Orr

Partnering in practice – Jo Gibbs & Kate Snell.

T.C. Hammond: Original Sin and Condemnation

“The ninth Article introduces us to the important controversies of the sixteenth century.

Already in Article VI we have been introduced to the problem of the source of authority which was widely agitated in those days. Now we are faced with an indication of the great cleavage in doctrine which separated the Roman Catholic Church from all the churches of the Reformed faith.

Whenever a major issue like this is presented for solution it is most important to pay attention to the precise language employed. …”

– The Australian Church Record continues to republish these reflections by Archdeacon T.C. Hammond on the theology behind The Thirty Nine Articles.

Do Catholics and Protestants believe in the same God?

“Unity, motherhood and apple pie are things people are reluctant to speak against. Pope Francis recently returned from Lund, where he celebrated a joint service with a branch of the Lutheran Church to mark the beginning of celebrations for the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation. On his way Pope Francis tweeted…”

– At GoThereFor.com, Mark Gilbert asks a crucial question – Do Catholics and Protestants believe in the same God?

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