25 Truths about Preachers
At Unashamed Workman, Colin Adams has some reminders and encouragements for preachers, drawn from 2 Timothy.
Worthy of double honour — Expository advocating
“Paul was telling the truth when he said that preaching the gospel is folly, but he also says, “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise” (1 Cor 1:27).
A commitment to expository preaching takes a firm belief in the power of God’s Word and a humble recognition that the God-appointed means of preaching is better than whatever impressive or efficient model we might devise. God will build his church through expository preaching, and it takes a committed fool to believe it and do it…”
– encouragement from the Southern Blog.
We do not listen to Jesus in prayer
A sermon bite from William Taylor at St. Helen’s.
Authentic Christian ministry
In the latest Preaching Matters from St. Helen’s Bishopsgate, William Taylor speaks about authentic Christian ministry in the context of preaching from Acts.
It’s a 10 minute video.
Lord Carey ‘wrong to support State-sanctioned suicide’
“Apparently the UK is ‘closer than ever’ to introducing legislation which will permit the terminally ill to end their lives at a time and place of their choosing. Lord Falconer’s Assisted Dying Bill simply will not die: it is deemed to be the virtuous and noble solution to the problem of unbearable suffering; the only ethical and justly moral response to a heartless society which insists on sustaining lives which simply no longer wish to be lived. We treat dogs better.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey is amongst the signatories to a letter demanding that the political parties pledge to giving this Bill parliamentary time after the General Election, in order that the issue might be finally resolved. By “resolved”, they mean, of course, that the Bill must be passed, or the issue has not been “resolved” to their liking and will simply need to be revisited until Parliament votes correctly. The only settled conclusion that is acceptable is the one which concludes a settlement in favour of ‘assisted dying’. The argument is teleological; the trajectory is locked…”
– UK Christian blogger ‘Archbishop Cranmer’ weighs in on the hot issue of ‘euthanasia’.
Related:
On the elimination of the suffering – Dr Megan Best. (SydneyAnglicans.net.)
Euthanasia lives again – Social Issues Executive of the Diocese of Sydney.
From Bishop of Tasmania John Harrower:
Euthanasia resources.
Depression, disability & ‘safe’ euthanasia.
A Response to Giddings & McKim’s euthanasia proposal.
Advancing the Gospel on the Front Line
As many gather for CMS Summer Schools around the country, this interview with Dr Tim Keesee, the man behind the Dispatches From the Front video series and book, is appropriate.
This interview is an extract from Ligonier Ministries’ Tabletalk magazine. The January 2015 issue is available as a free download, and is packed with encouraging and worthwhile articles, as well as a Bible reading guide on the theme of Wisdom.
Getting Justification by Faith right
It’s vital to understand Justification by Faith correctly.
At The Australian Church Record, Matt Olliffe seeks to clarify the issues after a response to an article he posted on the ACR website.
“This essay seeks to vindicate the teaching that according to Paul, we are not justified before God at the judgment by our faithfulness, but by faith as ‘trust’, ‘reliance’, or ‘dependence’ on God and his promises for final salvation in Christ.”
– Read it here (PDF file) from The Church Record.
Oak Hill Commentary magazine Winter 2014-15
The latest issue of Commentary, the twice-yearly magazine of Oak Hill College in London is now online.
Lots of good reading – the articles by Nick Tucker on A Confessing Church (page 11), Levi Booth on Identity in Japan (page 14), and David Potter on Philosophy (page 17) are good places to start!
A unique salvation
“Article 18 of the Church of England’s 39 Articles must surely qualify as one of the most culturally unpopular of Anglicanism’s core beliefs.
Even the title is enough to upset contemporary sensitivities: ‘Of obtaining eternal Salvation only by the Name of Christ.’…”
– At Church Society’s blog, Simon Scott draws our attention back to Article 18, official teaching of the Anglican Church.
Related: The Thirty Nine Articles.
Vanishing Church? Latest 9Marks Journal
The latest 9Marks Journal has been released. The theme: Vanishing Church? Seeking the Right Perspective as Opposition Grows.
Download it as a PDF file.
Prayer in the English Reformation
In the latest issue of Credo magazine (h/t Tim Challies), Gerald Bray contributes part 1 of an essay on Prayer in the English Reformation.
Take the time to read it – it starts on page 24 of the 13MB PDF file linked from this page. (Image: Moore College.)
Preaching Matters: Charlie Skrine and contextualisation
In the latest Preaching Matters from St. Helen’s Bishopsgate, Charlie Skrine thinks through Acts 17 and contextualisation. Encouraging and helpful.
Themelios Vol 39 No 3 (November 2014)
The latest issue of the academic journal Themelios is now available from The Gospel Coalition. As always, a wealth of material, including book reviews. (h/t Andy Naselli.)
Four ways to God
Tony Payne writes, “I suppose it’s like looking at old baby photos, but over the past month or so I’ve been browsing through some of the classic early articles in The Briefing.
… I couldn’t help returning to an article that I also highlighted in the special edition that marked our 21st birthday back in 2009 — ‘Four ways to live’, which appeared in Briefing #3, in May 1988. This foundational article discussed four competing sources of religious authority (the ‘authority quadrilateral’), and how the Christian is to view each one.”
– It was a good article in the days when they produced The Briefing using a Mac Plus and a LaserWriter, and it still is. Read the extract here.
Homosexuals in the Church: Keep Reading in Ephesians
“The progressive wing of evangelicalism seems to be ramping up its demand that Bible-believing churches accept homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle. An example is a recent video…”
– Rick Phillips, Senior Minister at Second Presbyterian Church in Greenville, South Carolina, writes to help Christians respond in a loving and Biblical way.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…