The ‘Must Read’ book in its field
At The Gospel Coalition, Justin Taylor draws attention to Dr Megan Best’s book Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: Ethics and the Beginning of Human Life – and the strong recommendation by Dr Don Carson.
“At last—a single volume examining beginning-of-life issues that is equally competent in biology, theology, philosophy, and pastoral care. This is now the ‘must read’ book in the field, a necessary resource not only for pastors, ethicists, and laypersons who share her Christian convictions, but also for anyone who wants to participate knowledgeably in current bioethical debates.”
(Tim Challies also makes mention of the book.)
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, as you will remember, was launched last November and is available from Matthias Media.
Why does preaching matter?
St. Helen’s Bishopsgate has added two more interviews in its Preaching Matters video series –
Sydney’s Gavin Perkins is asked about the place of preaching in the church, and Paul Clarke from St. Helen’s speaks about Preaching Evangelistically.
Be edified and watch them both!
Understanding the Parable of the Tenants
Barry Newman’s latest project has been to blog his way through the Parable of the Tenants.
You can now read his completed series here. (PDF)
225 years on — will we be faithful?
Two hundred and twenty five years ago, on Sunday February 3rd 1788, the Rev. Richard Johnson, Chaplain to the First Fleet and first Chaplain to the Colony of New South Wales, preached at the first Christian church service in Australia.
Craig Schwarze has some resources here – and there’s our own page on Richard Johnson here.
And it’s also worth taking the time to read Johnson’s Address to The Inhabitants of The Colonies Established in New South Wales and Norfolk Island (PDF file) published in 1792.
Excerpt:
“This will be my daily prayer to God for you. I shall pray for your eternal salvation, for your present welfare, for the preservation, peace, and prosperity of this colony: and especially for the more abundant and manifest success of the Redeemer’s cause and kingdom, and for the effusion and out-pouring of his Holy Spirit, not only here, but in every part of the habitable globe.”
As the spiritual beneficiaries of men like Richard Johnson and John Newton (who recruited Johnson and who edited his ‘Address to the Inhabitants of the Colonies…’), the question remains: Will we remain faithful to the gospel of the Lord Jesus, and will we be as concerned as these men were for those without Christ?
Related: Lord hast thou not a time for these poor benighted souls? – John Newton’s diary entry as he considered the needs of those without Christ in far-off lands.
(Archbishop Peter Jensen will be preaching at a service to mark the anniversary – 10:15am at St. Philip’s York Street.)
God’s Smuggler
God’s Smuggler is the free audiobook from Christian Audio for February 2013.
Epiphany – Five Reflections from a Lifetime
Bishop Paul Barnett spoke at the Mere Anglicanism Conference in Charleston, South Carolina this morning.
He’s posted his fascinating and encouraging talk on his blog. Even without the accompanying slides, this is worth reading and passing on.
Keep yourself from idols
Adrian Reynolds briefly reviews Derek Tidball’s book, Preacher, Keep yourself from Idols.
“Tidball’s book is neither radical nor novel; it will not teach you anything you didn’t already know nor will it take you long to read. However, unlike other books on idolatry, this one is targeted. It is like a laser-guided missile that strikes right at a minister’s heart.”
– from Church Society (PDF).
Proclamation Trust audio
From Adrian Reynolds at The Proclamation Trust:
“We’ve decided that from now on ALL our online audio will be free.
That means that the last few EMAs [Evangelical Ministry Assemblies] are all now available online for download at no cost. Spread the word!”
EMA 2012 – Heart Matters
EMA 2011 – Preaching that connects
EMA 2010 – Not by might, nor by power.
And more here – thanks to Proc Trust.
Living in the Last Days
AFES has the audio made available the audio and video from the most recent National Training Event. Check it out here.
Teaching Historical Sense
“I was asked last week why some evangelicals convert to Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism.
Reasons vary, I am sure, but I commented that one theme I have noticed over the years is the fact that evangelicalism lacks historical roots. That is not to say that it has no history; rather it is to say that a consciousness of history is not part of the package. …”
– Carl Trueman has some excellent ideas you can use in your church – Ref21.
As Christ is to His church
St. Helen’s Bishopsgate has published a four-minute video excerpt from William Taylor’s sermon on Marriage and Relationships last weekend, addressing Steve Chalke’s recent statements on same sex unions.
Richard Coekin also addressed the topic last Sunday morning at Dundonald Church in London. (“Is Steve Chalke wrong? Marriage Divorce & Celibacy.”)
Testimony of an Unlikely Convert
David Murray at Head Heart Hand writes:
“There are some stories that just need to be told – some testimonies of the Lord’s grace that are so unusual and so encouraging that they will bless everyone who hears them.
This is exactly the case with Rosaria Butterfield who recently authored The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert.”
– He and Tim Challies interviewed Rosaria Butterfield in October 2012 (audio: 20 minutes) – and just last week she was interviewed by Marvin Olansky at Patrick Henry College in Virginia (YouTube: 65 minutes).
She speaks about her journey from a homosexual lifestyle to trust in Christ, and bears witness to those who moved out of their comfort zone to care for her.
Challenging and with much food for thought.
Preaching matters (2)
The team at St. Helen’s Bishopsgate have been adding to videos to their Preaching Matters series.
In the latest additions, Charlie Skrine from St. Helen’s shares thoughts on preaching persuasively while Phillip Jensen answers questions on how to apply the Bible.
Both well worth watching.
Priscilla & Aquila Centre conference — 4th February 2013
“Amongst a plethora of conferences to be run this year, one that should not be missed will be held on 4 February at Moore College. It will be run by the Priscilla and Aquila Centre, fast becoming one of the most important venues worldwide for creative thinking about how a commitment to biblical complementarianism might be lived out in the churches and in the world.
This year the conference is entitled ‘Teaching Truth Together’ and the keynote speaker is James de Costobadie from St James Latimer Square in Christchurch.”
– Dr. Mark Thompson commends the coming “Teaching Truth Together'” conference at the Priscilla & Aquila Centre. (Registration closes Monday 21st January!)
Sword of the Spirit — True Spirituality
The Australia Day Convention is coming up on Monday 28th January at the Cathedral.
“The person and work of the Holy Spirit is so important and so misunderstood that instead of doing 1 convention on this topic, we thought we’d do 3! In 2013, Australia Day Convention VI, Easter Convention, and Queen’s Birthday Convention VI will become a trilogy on the Holy Spirit.” Details here.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…