Pilgrim’s Progress audio book: free download
ChristianAudio.com is offering a free unabridged audio book of John Bunyan’s classic gospel work The Pilgrim’s Progress during the month of June. This reading by Nadia May was produced in 2006.
Though the shopping cart will show a price of $25.98, simply use the code JUN2008 at the last step of the check out for the free download.
There are nine mp3 files totalling 278MB. The whole lot runs for more than 10 hours. At $0, it’s a real bargain! Download it while you can. (Thanks to Between Two Worlds.)
Battle Fatigue: A review of Prince Caspian
Prince Caspian is the perfect summer movie for audiences that know nothing about Narnia, or, even, perhaps would prefer to know nothing about Narnia. For in its 2 hours and 40 minutes, you will spend ample time in Peter Jackson’s Middle Earth, William Wallace’s Scotland, Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, and maybe even fleeting moments in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, but you will not spend more than 15 minutes in the world that Aslan made and that C. S. Lewis invented.
Is that a bad thing? Not if your goal is to erase the basic tenets of the Narniad, and re-envision the realm as primarily grim internecine warfare, a land, 1300 years since we last visited, surprisingly full of crossbows and catapults and other Vader-like war machines. There is evil in this world, but its roots are fundamentally different from Lewis’s version, for in his book, the problem with Narnia is suppressed knowledge, a spiritual amnesia, a people separated from its own nature, a true prince denied his throne. …
– Dr. Bruce L. Edwards, Professor of English at Bowling Green State University in Ohio thinks the new movie lacks something. Read his review.
Also see his next post, Forward to the Past: The Real Prince Caspian.
Authority in the Church – Resource paper
We posted a link to this very helpful paper back in February. In the run-up to Lambeth (next month) and GAFCON (this month) it’s well worth reading –
“At this present moment of crisis, there is hardly a more important issue for us to address than that of authority in the church. It is certainly true that God’s people need to keep returning to the question of authority. The legacy of the rebellion in the Garden of Eden ensures that even those who have tasted God’s extraordinary generosity and mercy too readily assert their own opinions and preferences as the measure of all things. …”
– An important resource paper written by Dr Mark Thompson, Academic Dean of Moore Theological College and President of the Anglican Church League.
It was presented to the GAFCON Theology Resource Group and can be read in full on the GAFCON website.
The revival of a rebel Jew
In the context of a piece on a new biography on Francis Schaeffer, Tim Challies shares the testimony of Richard Ganz, pastor of Ottawa Reformed Presbyterian Church –
“In my youth I spent every afternoon studying the Hebrew Scriptures, five days a week, and on Friday night and Saturday I worshipped. As I grew older I worshipped for a time each day in the synagogue morning and evening. I would rise before dawn and before going to the morning service, in obedience to rabbinic tradition, I would put on tefillin—the boxes containing God’s law—on my forehead and arm.
Then one cold, clear midwinter night my life was shattered. …”
– from Challies.com.
‘Pray – Connect – Expect’ video available
As part of this Sunday’s prayer focus (link to 3.8MB pdf) in Sydney Diocese, Archbishop Peter Jensen has released a 4 minute 12 second video to encourage us all. The video has also been posted on DVD to parishes for this weekend for possible use in services.
Download it from the Connect09 website –
Quicktime movie: 640 x 360 pixels. 25 MB.
As always, to save a link, right-click and save (Windows) or control-click and save (Mac).
Mark Dever interviewed on ministry
At the risk of posting too many links to video files…
Last week, Mark Dever spoke at Whiteboard, a rather diverse gathering of US church planters.
After the sessions, he was interviewed on topics such as – working with those with whom you disagree theologically, styles of worship, preaching, and priority on evangelism. It’s presented in two parts on YouTube – part 1, part 2 (10 minutes each).
– For ministers in particular, this is well worth watching. (Thanks to Between Two Worlds.) The start of Mark’s talk has also been posted on YouTube.
David Wells on The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World
Dr. David Wells, Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, spoke at the 2006 Desiring God Conference.
The theme of the conference was a response to his book, “Above All Earthly Powers”.
Audio and video of all the talks (by David Wells, Don Carson, Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, Voddie Baucham, and John Piper) is available at Desiring God.
The video of Dr Wells’ very helpful address is available via this link and could be used for Bible Study groups or downloaded to a video iPod to watch anywhere. (Note: it’s a 148MB mp4 file.)
On a related note, Dr Wells was interviewed for The A-Team Blog last month – part 1, part 2.
(Photo: Desiring God.)
ANiC Conference video now online
The Anglican Network in Canada’s ‘Compelled by Christ’s Love’ Conference in Vancouver last month featured addresses from David Short, Ken Moser, Archbishop Greg Venables, Dr Jim Packer and others.
Video of key sessions is now available at the ANiC website. (Photo: David Short speaks on 1 Corinthians 15.)
Waiting for Christ’s return
“The true Scriptural source of consolation, in the face of all that troubles us, is to keep steadily before our eyes the second coming of Christ.
We must grasp and realise the blessed fact that the rightful King of the world is returning soon, and shall have His own again; that He shall put down that old usurper, the devil, and take away the curse from off the earth.
Let us cultivate the habit of daily looking forward to the resurrection of the dead, the gathering together of the saints, the restitution of all things, the banishment of sorrow and sin, and the re-establishment of a new kingdom, of which the rule shall be righteousness.”
– J.C. Ryle, “Looking Unto Jesus”. With thanks to First Importance.
Carson and Horton on Galatians
The audio of the talks from this month’s Clarus conference at Desert Springs Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has now been placed online.
Don Carson and Michael Horton spoke on “Galatians and the Problem of Self Justification”. As well, there are two panel discussions. Very helpful.
See the Desert Springs Church website and click on ‘audio’.
(Thanks to Between Two Worlds.)
Adrian Warnock interviews Don Carson
Adrian Warnock interviewed Don Carson about life and ministry while he was at New Word Alive in the UK last month.
Adrian has now placed the video, in two eight minute segments, on YouTube. Part 1. Part 2.
Mark Dever on Doctrinal Discernment
Mark Dever speaks about what is essential in doctrinal discernment – the gospel. It must come into play every time we pick up a new book.
This 3 minute 30 second, 13MB, Quicktime movie could be used in small Bible study groups.
Courtesy of New Attitude / Sovereign Grace Ministries.
Faith Today Interviews J.I. Packer
Faith Today, the magazine of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, has interviewed Dr J. I. Packer for its current issue –
I could have said ridiculous. I could have said fantastic. I could have used other adjectives but I’ll stick with grotesque. I do not think a bishop who has not convicted me of grave moral or heretical practices is in a position to revoke my spiritual authority in Word and Sacrament. The most he can do is withdraw my permission to minister in The Anglican Church of Canada.
Since the thing that has occasioned this is the decision St. John’s and other churches have taken to leave The Anglican Church of Canada, revoking my authority to minister in the ACC changes absolutely nothing.
So I’m not losing sleep over it. Though over age, I am still a professor at Regent College and director of the Anglican studies program at Regent. No action on Michael Ingham’s part can change either of those things.
It’s worth reading the full interview here. (Photo: Ed Hird.)
Paul Helm on The Future of Justification
“John Piper’s book The Future of Justification (Crossway, 2007) is a great thing. If you have not read it, then you must. …
In this Analysis I shall try to do two things.
The first is to draw attention to what I believe is one of the most significant methodological points that Piper makes, but one which may, in the flurry of interest about justification, and the dust raised by it, get overlooked. The second thing is to underline what Piper says about the ambiguity of some of Bishop Wright’s language about imputation and justification. What both of these have in common is that Piper shows us the need to observe theological distinctions. …”
– from Paul Helm, the J.I. Packer Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Regent College, Vancouver. (See also the earlier commendation of the book, by Mike Ovey.)
The Sola Panel switches on
In the fine tradition of the T4G blog, The Sola Panel – a new blog sponsored by Matthias Media – is now online.
With regular contributions from Peter Bolt, Mark Thompson, Tony Payne, Archie Poulos “and more!”. See it at solapanel.org
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…