Alec Motyer (1924–2016)
Renowned Old Testament pastor-scholar Alec Motyer has gone home to be with the Lord, at the age of 91.
Justin Taylor has this appreciation at The Gospel Coalition.
Church Society Director Lee Gatiss has posted another:
“Alec was a pillar of the evangelical Anglican establishment in the second half of the twentieth century, and a terrific example of a Reformed evangelical Bible commentator.
As the ‘church militant here on earth’ becomes increasingly bereft of those in that great generation, we must pray fervently for the continuation of their legacy — especially for the production of more Bible-loving, theologically-rigorous resources which feed warm-hearted, Christ-exalting preaching, but also for more Anglicans with his love for the word and for Reformation truths.”
Update: Terry Johnson has also posted this Personal Remembrance at Reformation 21:
“Each weekday the entire college gathered for lunch. The food typically was English-bland, and 30 years after Victory in Europe Day, in war rationing quantities. The fellowship was wonderful, but the highlight (besides the tea) was Mr. Motyer’s closing prayer following a review of the college’s life.
The prayer before the meal was very brief. “For these and all thy mercies we give Thee thanks, O Lord, in our Saviour’s name, amen.” Motyer was devout but not sanctimonious. It was time to eat; no sense delaying the hungry.
The prayer following the meal was long, and worth the price of admission. He was no Prayer Book cripple. He prayed as he preached, with an Irishman’s passion and filled with Scripture. I never missed lunch, despite the food, because I didn’t want to miss the prayer.”
Additional note: His recently-published “Psalms by the Day — a New Devotional Translation”, published by Christian Focus, is a wonderful example of Motyer’s warm-hearted, Christ-honouring approach to Scripture.
(Image: thesermon.co.uk)
PM attends Sydney service for Orlando
“As hymns filled St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull bowed his head in memory of those killed during the Orlando massacre…”
– Report from Nine News.
Pakistan court grants bail to chief suspect in oven killings of Christian couple
“A Pakistani court has granted bail to the lead suspect in the brutal 2014 killings of a young Christian couple, burned alive in a brick kiln where they worked as bonded labourers, itself illegal in Pakistan…”
– This report from World Watch Monitor.
Christopher Ash at the Moore College Graduation 2016
Christopher Ash gave the Occasional Address at the 2016 Moore College Graduation.
Watch the encouraging, but challenging, video at the link.
Earlier related story from SydneyAnglicans.net.
SUEU votes 71-1 against changes to controversial membership requirements
“An extraordinary general meeting of the Evangelical Union (EU) has seen the organisation formally reject proposed changes to its constitution that would remove a mandatory faith-based declaration for new members.
In a secret ballot, members voted 71-1 opposing the proposed changes, well short of the two-thirds majority required for constitutional amendments.
A packed Holme Reading Room heard over an hour of speeches from members who supported the declaration, most claiming it is inextricably linked to the society’s identity. Not a single speaker spoke in favour of its removal…”
– News from Honi Soit.
Eternity Newspaper has this report.
Earlier:
- Sydney University Evangelical Union ‘facing deregistration’
- ‘University of Sydney’s Evangelical Union shouldn’t have to give up its faith in fight against discrimation’
Sydney University Evangelical Union ‘facing deregistration’
“A five-year tussle between the University of Sydney Union and the Evangelical Union has finally reached an impasse, with the university now unequivocally stating that the EU must remove the requirement for members to sign a faith-based declaration, and threatening them with deregistration from the clubs and societies program if they fail to comply by 31 March…“
– This report from Eternity newspaper.
See also:
Story from Honi Soit, 13 March 2016.
What we Believe, featuring a video from past President Hugh Chilton.
The Doctrinal Basis of the EU
- The divine inspiration and infallibility of Holy Scripture as originally given, and its supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
- The unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the Godhead.
- The universal guilt and sinfulness of man since the Fall rendering man subject to God’s wrath and condemnation.
- Redemption from the guilt, penalty and power of sin, only through the sacrificial death, as our Representative and Substitute, of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God.
- The conception of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit and His birth by the Virgin Mary.
- The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
- The necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit to make the death of Jesus Christ effective to individual sinners, granting each one repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ.
- The indwelling and work of the Holy Spirit in the believer.
- The expectation of the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
New Dean for Australian College of Theology
The Board of the Australian College of Theology has announced (PDF) that Dr. Martin Sutherland, currently Academic Dean of Laidlaw College in Auckland, will be the new Dean and Chief Executive Officer of the ACT, from July 2016.
Colleges affiliated with the ACT include Youthworks College, Mary Andrews College, SMBC, and the Presbyterian and Baptist colleges. (Photo: Laidlaw College.)
NASA center “bans the word ‘Jesus’.”
“The name of Jesus is not welcome in the Johnson Space Center newsletter, according to a complaint filed on behalf of a group of Christians who work for NASA. …
And NASA’s behavior is quite frankly baffling. On Christmas Eve, 1968 – the crew of Apollo 8 read the Creation story as they orbited the moon. Astronauts Jim Lovell, Frank Borman and Bill Anders took turns reading from the Book of Genesis.”
– Opinion from Fox News. Related: The Apollo 8 crew read from Genesis 1.
I. Howard Marshall (1934-2015)
New Testament scholar I. Howard Marshall died yesterday, at the age of 81, after a short illness.
Darrell Bock has a tribute at The Gospel Coalition.
Campus Crusade for Christ Australia to change name
From an e-mail from Campus Crusade for Christ Australia:
“On the 1st of February 2016, the name of our organisation will become to Power to Change. …
Around the globe Campus Crusade for Christ national ministries have been going through their own name changes. Nowadays Campus Crusade for Christ is known as ‘Cru’ in the USA, ‘Agape’ in Europe and ‘Tandem’ in New Zealand. Campus Crusade for Christ is also known as ‘Power to Change’ in Canada…
While we are changing our name, we are not changing our purposes. …”
You can read about their decision to change their name –
“While coming with a rich heritage, our old corporate name of ‘Campus Crusade for Christ Australia’ has long been recognised as unhelpful. It has varying problems with our audiences (through the words ‘crusade’ and ‘campus’)…”
‘Catholics should not try to convert Jews, Vatican says’
“The Vatican has told Catholics that they should not seek to convert Jews and stressed that the two faiths have a ‘unique’ relationship. …
Turning to the vexed question of salvation, the document says: ‘that the Jews are participants in God’s salvation is theologically unquestionable, but how that can be possible without confessing Christ explicitly, is and remains an unfathomable divine mystery’. …”
– BBC News report. Read the full text of the document, at Vatican News.
10 churches destroyed in Aceh
“A church was burnt to the ground in Aceh Singkil in the province of Aceh, Indonesia last month, and a further nine churches destroyed by police.…”
– Report from Bible Society Australia. (Photo: Open Doors Australia.)
Aasia Bibi placed in solitary confinement over fears for her life
“Aasia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman who has been languishing on death row since 2010 after she was unjustly convicted of blasphemy, has been transferred to solitary confinement amid fears she could be attacked by vigilantes…”
– from Barnabas Fund. (Photo: Barnabas Fund.)
Update, 27 Oct 2015: Asia Bibi ‘healthy and safe,’ says her lawyer – World Watch Monitor.
Police raid Sat-7’s Cairo offices
“Egyptian police raided Sat-7 channel’s Cairo offices on Oct. 10, confiscating equipment and briefly detaining the pioneer Arabic Christian broadcaster’s country office director.
Detained for hours before being released, director Farid Samir faces possible charges related to operating a satellite TV channel ‘without the necessary licenses,’ a press release by the Sat-7 Cyprus office said two days later…”
– Report from World Watch Monitor.
UK Christian leaders speak out on proposed Extremism Disruption Orders
“More than 50 Christian leaders from across England and Wales have written to The Daily Telegraph to warn that the Government’s proposed Extremism Disruption Orders (EDOs) would be a “disaster” for the church.
The initiative was backed by: Revd Tony Jones, Senior Minister of Christchurch Durham; Revd Dr Mike Ovey, Principal of Oak Hill College; and Andrea Williams, CEO of Christian Concern [and Colin Hart Director of the Christian Institute]…”
– from Anglican Mainstream.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…