New Testament scholar Ralph P. Martin dies
“Ralph P. Martin, a prominent Bible scholar and author of numerous studies and commentaries on the New Testament, died Monday in Southport, England. He was 88.”
In a little while – thanking God for Chappo
“My generation missed Chappo. I think I heard him preach once, maybe twice. By the time I went through Moore Theological College he was no longer the one giving sermon feedback. Others were the regular evangelists up at the Katoomba conventions when I attended them.
I heard a number of his jokes — even I knew of his encouragement of younger Christians with words along the lines of ‘Don’t worry, the first 40 years are the hardest’ — but I heard most of these stories from others who knew him better, or had heard him more often.”
– Coinciding with the day of a special Thanksgiving service in London, Sam Freeney explains why The Briefing (March/April 2013) will carry some special appreciations of our dear brother John Chapman.
Canterbury tale
Evangelicals Now, has an account of last month’s visit by Archbishop of Canterbury-Designate Justin Welby to a Vineyard church.
“Unusually perhaps for a senior Anglican, Justin Welby was very clear on the exact time and date he became a Christian and on the gospel he responded to.”
– Read the article here. (Photo: Diocese of Durham.)
My Brittle Bones
“I belong to a very ordinary Australian family, albeit with two obvious differences. First, compared with the stereotypical sports-loving, tough Aussie, some of us are quite weak and physically frail, thanks to a mutant gene. Second, my family has resisted the secularism that is a dominant feature of modern Australian life.…”
– a disturbing article relating to eugenics. Worth your time to read. (h/t SydneyAnglicans.net)
New Archbishop for Tanzania
Bishop Jacobo Chimeledya, has been elected as Primate of the Anglican Church of Tanzania.
– Story from Anglican Ink.
Freedom is the issue
“Any expression of the view that marriage is between a man and a woman is held to stigmatize those who believe that marriage is gender neutral.
Such alternative views are claimed to be prejudiced, to stigmatise others, and to be the source of unhappiness and searches for “change”. Such stigmatization has to be banished from society by the state.
Therefore even holding such an opinion is wrong – or rather causes offence and hurt, and must be eliminated. Even if the state admits diversity and plurality, certain pluralities cannot exist. …”
– The American Anglican Council has published an important article from the UK by Vinay Samuel and Chris Sugden. Read it all here.
(images via Anglican Mainstream and GAFCON.)
Ordination in Kenya for church plant in Sheffield
“In Sheffield, South Yorkshire, statistics show that only 3% of the population regularly attend church. Back in 2002 the leadership team at Christ Church Fulwood were invited by senior diocesan staff to investigate the possibility of church planting…
Pete Jackson, who has been one of the associate ministers at Christ Church Central, is the founding minister [of Christ Church Walkley].
Although recommended by the Reform Panel of Reference and trained at Oakhill Theological College, Pete had not been ordained since Christ Church Central was not part of Sheffield Diocese. Concern that his ministry and that of the new church should be appropriately recognised led us to consult the leadership of the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE), who subsequently wrote to the GAFCON Primates’ Council…”
– Read the full story at Anglican Mainstream.
Bathurst Diocese welcomes new Bishop
“Bishop Ian Palmer, who was consecrated as the tenth Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Bathurst on Saturday (February 9), has said that he is very aware of the difficult financial situation facing the Diocese. … Bishop Ian Palmer was consecrated by Archbishop Peter Jensen, Metropolitan of NSW, supported by twelve other Bishops from throughout the Australian church.”
– Story here from the Diocese of Bathurst.
Also from Bathurst:
Anglican Schools in Orange and Dubbo to be sold
“The new Bishop of Bathurst, Ian Palmer, has announced … that Bishop-in-Council had decided to sell two Anglican Grammar Schools as going concerns for the 2014 school year…”
– Story here.
‘An Aussie Christian icon’
In a recent post at Reformation21, Paul Levy in the UK writes, “Colin Buchanan is, to my son and countless other kids like him, the equivalent of what John Piper is to Christian hedonists, Gresham Machen is to the OPC and John Stott is to English public schoolboys…”.
Now Eternity Newspaper has a profile piece on Colin. Good reminder to pray for him and his ministry.
‘Carbon fast for Lent’?
The Anglican Communion News Service reports on calls for “a Carbon Fast for Lent”.
Perhaps reminiscent of TEC’s Episcopal Relief and Development 2008 Stations of the Cross liturgy.
The Origin of the Thirty-nine Articles
“What were the Articles meant to do? … They were part of a wider program of establishing the Protestant character of the Church of England…”
– Church Society has posted online a 2011 Churchman article by Dr Mark Thompson on The Origin of the Thirty-Nine Articles. Available here as a PDF file.
Church Society calls for preaching on marriage
“In light of yesterday’s historic debate in parliament where MPs voted in principle to redefine marriage, Church Society have released the following comment, and are suggesting co-ordinated action by ministers…
As evangelicals, we are persuaded that the means God uses to transform individuals, churches and nations is the Word of God. Therefore, this April we are calling all evangelicals to preach on the true nature of marriage as a picture of the marriage all Christians will enjoy with Christ in the New Creation.”
– at EVnews.
New Creation Ministry ‘completes its work’
New Creation Teaching Ministry in South Australia – founded by Geoffrey Bingham (pictured) in 1974 – is closing down. Eternity Newspaper has the story.
(See also the New Creation newsletter.)
Phillip Jensen on The Gospel Partnerships
Phillip Jensen was interviewed for St. Helen’s Bishopsgate in 2011, and the video has just been posted online.
In the 8 minute clip, he speaks of the Gospel Partnerships in the UK – and the need for all the UK churches to get behind one central leader.
American Anglican Council calls on Presiding Bishop to retract her ‘over the top’ remarks
The American Anglican Council has called on TEC Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to retract statements made in her sermon in South Carolina on the weekend.
See Canon Phil Ashey’s comments – and the sermon to which he refers.
See also A S Haley’s analysis of the South Carolina ‘continuing‘ Episcopalians’ Convention. (Image: ENS.)
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…