Rod Bower in his own words
“Three decades on, Father Rod Bower, 54, is the one causing headaches as Australia’s most outspoken, social media savvy and incongruous priest. …”
– The Australian has this profile of Rod Bower, Archdeacon of the Central Coast in the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle.
(h/t David Ould. Photo: Rod Bower via Facebook.)
Related: From October 19, 2014, Report: Bishop of Newcastle appoints Rod Bower as Archdeacon of the Central Coast. (Which includes this link.)
New Vicar for St Jude’s in Melbourne
St. Jude’s Carlton in Melbourne has announced that John Forsyth is to be the new Vicar, with his Induction at the end of January 2017.
John is currently Assistant Minister at St. Swithun’s Pymble, in Sydney. (Richard Condie, who had been Vicar of St. Jude’s, was elected Bishop of Tasmania and began his ministry there in March.)
Announcement here. Photo: St. Swithun’s.
Leon Morris: ‘The New Testament Scholar from Down Under’
At The Gospel Coalition, Thomas Schreiner introduces a new generation to Leon Morris, with reference to a biography published earlier this year by The Rev. Neil Bach.
“Leon Lamb Morris (1914–2006) stood out in his generation as one of the great evangelical scholars. He wrote 50 books and traveled extensively, speaking all around the world. His book The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross, which has sold more than 50,000 copies, was his signature achievement. …”
Related:
Leon Morris and the Cross of Christ: Celebrating the Centenary of Australia’s Foremost Biblical Scholar – Lecture by Neil Bach at Ridley College, March 2014.
Remembering Leon Morris on the Centenary of his birth – links to several articles.
Women’s ministry around the world: interview with Jane Tooher
“In June of 2015, about 20 women gathered in London for a meeting to discuss women’s ministries in complementarian contexts around the world. Our hope was to learn from one another and encourage each other in our task.
We heard from women in Australia, South Africa, Europe, UAE, and the USA. Led by the Proclamation Trust, we first met at The Evangelical Ministry Assembly (EMA) and enjoyed excellent teaching and fellowship. Afterwards, we traveled to The Oast House Retreat Center to debrief, discuss, and get to know one another.
It was one of those gatherings that left me wanting to share with others the kingdom work being done by women in a variety of settings. I’ve asked these ladies to tell us a bit about their ministries, so that we can all glean from their wisdom and prayerfully support their labors around the world…”
– At The Gospel Coalition website, Melissa Kruger interviews Jane Tooher.
D. A. Carson — Reflections on 40 years of theological education
This week on Jason Allen’s Preaching and Preachers podcast, Professor D.A. Carson shares his story, and reflects on 40 years of theological education.
Very encouraging. Runs for 29 minutes.
(The Know Your Roots video series, mentioned in the interview and recorded in 1991, can be seen here.)
A brief word to J. I. Packer on his 90th birthday
“Second, although I’m profoundly grateful for all his writings, I want to especially highlight a short introduction he wrote to John Owen’s, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. Packer openly acknowledges that no one in church history exerted a greater or more formative influence on the shape of his soul and the content of his theology than did Owen.
Many of us who joyfully identify with the Reformed theology that Packer has so faithfully defended can point to our reading of his Introductory Essay as a decisive factor in persuading us of the truth of particular redemption or definite atonement.”
– At Crossway’s website, Sam Storms writes a brief appreciation for J.I. Packer on the latter’s 90th birthday.
Doubtless, many Moore College graduates will echo his words about the introduction to John Owen’s, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ! Read it here.
Dr J I Packer 90th birthday celebrations planned
Regent College and St. John’s Vancouver are planning a 90th birthday celebration for J. I. Packer – next Tuesday, 19th July, 2016.
Teaching and learning in the Bible: An interview with Dr Claire Smith
“I think there are two errors to avoid when we consider what ‘teaching’ is in church.
We can conclude that ‘teaching’ is everything – and on that basis, read 1 Timothy 2 and the injunction that women are not to teach and have authority over men (2:12) and conclude that a woman can’t say anything to a man lest he learn something from her!
Or we can claim that what Paul was talking about was a very narrow, particular form of ‘teaching’ directed at special circumstances at the time the letter was written, and therefore his instruction no longer applies to us…”
– Equal But Different has published on their website an interview with Dr. Claire Smith, on the theme of Teaching and Learning in the Bible. The interview first appeared in Magnolia magazine.
Dawson Trotman remembered with thanksgiving — 60 years on
At The Gospel Coalition, Justin Taylor has a profile of Navigators founder Dawson Trotman.
Trotman drowned at a Christian camp on July 18th 1956.
Professor John Bainbridge Webster FRSE (1955–2016)
“I first met John Webster in 1996 when he began as Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity in the University of Oxford. He was, as a friend of mine and I observed at the time, ‘quite frankly the most impressive theological voice in Oxford today’. …
Webster’s inaugural lecture as Lady Margaret Professor is justly famous. Entitled ‘Theological Theology’, he sought to rescue theology from its enslavement to the pursuit of academic credibility by adopting critical methodologies and return it to its proper vocation of attending to the triune God and all else in relation to God.”
– At his blog, Theological Theology, Dr Mark Thompson pays tribute to Professor John Webster, who died in Aberdeen, Scotland on Tuesday (24th May 2016).
THL Parker on Calvin, the Reformation, and Justification
The great Calvin scholar, THL Parker, has died aged 99.
Church Society’s Lee Gatiss looks at three great quotes, and three articles he wrote for Church Society’s journal, Churchman.
“I was saddened to learn that Thomas Henry Louis Parker died on Monday just short of his century. Born in 1916, he was a student here in Cambridge at Emmanuel College, was ordained into the Church of England in 1939 after training in London, and served a number of churches as curate and rector, including a spell at Christ Church Cambridge…”
– Read the full article at the Church Society blog.
Jerry Bridges 1929-2016
“Jerry Bridges entered into the joy of his Master this Sunday evening, March 6, 2016. He was 86 years old. …
One of the great legacies of Jerry Bridges is that he combined—to borrow some titles from his books—the pursuit of holiness and godliness with an emphasis on transforming grace. He believed that trusting God not only involved believing what he had done for us in the past, but that the gospel empowers daily faith and is transformative for all of life.”
– Justin Taylor has a tribute. As does Tim Challies.
Dick Lucas steps down as PT trustee
Proclamation Trust’s Adrian Reynolds shares that Dick Lucas has stepped down as a Trustee of PT.
“Dick is 90 this year. Amazingly, he is still preaching, still sharp. But the time has come for him to step down as a PT trustee and I, for one, am enormously grateful for his wisdom and counsel. Once a week he stops by to sit on my sofa and chew the cud and, in characteristically humble mode, he listens patiently whilst I pontificate.
Join me in thanking God for this remarkable and continuing ministry.”
Here’s the audio of one of Dick’s most recent sermons.
Elisabeth Elliot 1926-2015
“Elisabeth Elliot (née Howard; born December 21, 1926) died this morning (June 15, 2015) at the age of 88. She was a beautiful woman of whom the world was not worthy…”
– Justin Taylor passes on the news.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…