Who’s actually in charge of the Church?

GAFCON General Secretary, Peter Jensen, explains why the doctrine of the authority of Scripture is absolutely fundamental to the GAFCON movement.

On how the Reformation changed Sunday gatherings — 9Marks

In the latest 9Marks “Pastors’ Talk” podcast, Dr. Jonathan Gibson (Moore College; Cambridge University; now teaching at Westminster Seminary) is interviewed about the book Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past for the Present.

He wrote and edited the book with former ACL Council member Mark Earngey.

From the Foreword by Sinclair Ferguson:

“The book you now hold in your hands, or that perhaps lies on your desk, is a resource of almost unparalleled richness in its field, representing as it does an immense labor of love on the part of its editors and translators. Here, gathered together in one large volume, are liturgies crafted by some of the leading figures in the Protestant Reformation and employed by them to aid worship in a wide variety of places and churches.

We owe an immense debt of gratitude to those who have participated in this project. They would, I feel sure, tell us that the best way we can repay that debt is to read carefully, to assess biblically, and then to reach down into the first principles of worship variously expressed in these liturgies from the past, and apply them wisely and sensitively in our worship in the present. This can only lead to a new reformation of the worship of God the Trinity. Such access to the Father through the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit can alone help the congregations of God’s people, in the place and time they occupy, to worship with renewed mind, transformed affections, and holy joy. …

… we ought not to devalue the contents of these pages by treating them as a kind of liturgical archaeological dig, the concern only of those who are interested in antiquities or aesthetics. For these liturgies were crafted out of a passion for the glory of God. And while this compilation is not formulated as a tract for the times, it carries an important and powerful message for the contemporary church.”

Download a PDF sample from New Growth Press.

(Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past for the Present is available from these booksellers.)

Euthanasia and Assisted Dying — the law and why it should not change

“This is a paper I presented recently at an evening considering issues around euthanasia and assisted dying: Euthanasia Paper May 2018. It presents reasons why changing the law in these areas is not a good idea in the interests of society at large and the vulnerable sick and elderly in particular.

For further material on this issue, see the excellent site “Health Professionals Say No”, which as well as providing a long list of health professionals who oppose euthanasia, also links to a set of resources for further study. …”

– Associate Professor Neil Foster writes at Law and Religion Australia.

The Theological Necessity for Pragmatism

“This year is the 30th anniversary of the landmark address given by Phillip Jensen at the U.K. Proclamation Trust’s Evangelical Ministry Assembly, titled.

It is entitled ‘The Theological Necessity for Pragamatism’ (though this wouldn’t fit on something called a tape, so the official title is ‘We Must be Pragmatic’).

The talk is brilliant, in my view, and worth listening to in full. It is as relevant today as it was then.

Here are some notes to give you an idea of the trajectory of Jensen’s talk.”

– Read Raj Gupta’s notes – and, if you haven’t heard it before, listen to Phillip Jensen’s full talk.

If you have heard it before, do listen again.

From our archives — A reminder of why there is an Anglican crisis

Every so often, media reports warn that the current situation (whatever it is at the time) might provoke a split among Anglicans. The truth is that this is nothing new – but each ‘crisis’ is no less serious or tragic.

From our archives, here are five articles which are well worth reading. Among other things they provide context for the formation of GAFCON:

– all from our Resources section.

From Dr. Mark Thompson’s paper, The Anglican Debacle: Roots and Patterns:

“The first thing to note about the crisis the Anglican Communion is facing today is that it has been coming for a very long time. …

That background might lead you to ask, ‘So what’s changed now?’ If the denomination has long been compromised in these ways, and evangelicals have always struggled within it, why are we arguing that we have now reached a moment of crisis where decisive action needs to be taken? What is different about what’s happening at the moment? …”

Church Website Providers — Comparison of pricing and features

Over at Communicate Jesus, Steven Kryger has published an up-to-date comparison of providers of church website providers.

Also see his earlier post: 15 things the best church websites do.

 

Protect your church in one simple step

“There is a sad progression that begins with the people growing weary and ashamed of truth.

No longer able or willing to endure sound teaching, they get rid of the truth-tellers and accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions. Inevitably, they soon turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

All of this is laid out in chapter four of 2 Timothy.…”

– Tim Challies reposts an article he wrote several years ago.

Book Launch: Down, Not Out by Chris Cipollone

Reformers Bookshop in Stanmore invites you to a book launch:

“Local Anglican minister Chris Cipollone has written a new book called Down Not Out about depression, anxiety and the difference Jesus makes.”

Down Not Out will be launched at Reformers Bookshop at 140 Albany Road, Stanmore, from 2:00pm on Saturday 5th May.

Chris serves on the ministry team at St. Matthew’s West Pymble. At the launch he will speak about the book, there’ll be a Q&A and Reformers Bookshop will supply the coffee.

Learn about the book launch here.

Watch a short video, and order the book.

Friends: Your secret weapon in avoiding burnout

“More and more, Christians are burning out.

Depending on the circles you run in, this phenomenon can start to feel almost as self-evident as our most basic beliefs about God. Some of our brothers and sisters who are serving the most are feeling like they have the least left to give. …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Lauren Mahaffey shares some encouragement.

The worthwhileness of written prayers

“God in his kindness has recorded for us prayers in his word the Bible, e.g. Dan 9:4-19; 2 Sam 7:18-29; Job 42:1-6; Ps 86; and Mt 6:9-13.

These prayers teach and remind us of many things, including the worthwhileness of written prayers. …”

–  Back in 2016, this article by Jane Tooher was published in Moore College’s Think Tank series.

Thanks to Church Society’s Ros Clarke for the reminder (Written Prayers Redux).

Review of The Passion Translation of the Psalms

“My colleague Andrew Shead has written a review of The Passion Translation of the Psalms (“Poetry on Fire”) for The Gospel Coalition’s journal Themelios. Andrew is the head of Old Testament and Hebrew here at Moore Theological College, and is a member of the NIV Committee on Bible Translation. Here’s the abstract of his review article:

Brian Simmons has made a new translation of the Psalms (and now the whole New Testament) which aims to ‘re-introduce the passion and fire of the Bible to the English reader.’ He achieves this by abandoning all interest in textual accuracy, playing fast and loose with the original languages, and inserting so much new material into the text that it is at least 50% longer than the original. The result is a strongly sectarian translation that no longer counts as Scripture; by masquerading as a Bible it threatens to bind entire churches in thrall to a false god. …”

– Moore College’s Lionel Windsor draws attention to an important review.

And you can read the whole of the newly-released Themelios 43.1 here.

Our Religious Freedom campaign — from Barnabas Fund

Take the time to explore Barnabas Fund’s Our Religious Freedom website.

It includes resources such as the Turn the Tide booklet (PDF), which gives a good summary of the issues and helpfully documents some of the key developments threatening religious freedom in Australia.

As well, you can sign the Petition to the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives –

“We the undersigned call upon the Australian government to ensure full, permanent and adequate protections of religious freedoms:

the freedom to worship; to read Scriptures in public; to interpret Scriptures without government interference; to choose or change one’s faith; to preach and try to convince others; to establish places of worship; and the freedom from being required to affirm particular beliefs to study, stand for election, hold particular jobs (except where there is a genuine occupational requirement such as chaplaincy posts), or give parental care to a child.”

You can also download the printed petition sheet.

Lessons from the Worst Sermon I Ever Heard

“I spent this past summer on sabbatical, so I had an opportunity to listen to a lot of preaching in a bunch of different churches. All of the churches I attended – and all of the men who pastor them – are faithful to Christ. As far as I can tell, they love God and love his gospel, and are anxious to see people come to Christ in faith. All of the sermons I heard contained true, convicting, and useful things for listeners to know, believe, and act on.

But by the end of the summer, I’d come to the conclusion that there’s something very wrong with lots of evangelical preaching. …”

– At 9Marks, Mike McKinley gives us a sobering analysis – with helpful suggestions for doing better.

Related: Good news about preaching – Peter Jensen.

Keeping the Evangel in Evangelism

“In our culture, people who think themselves autonomous will claim the right to define all meaning for themselves. Any truth claim they reject or resist is simply ruled out of bounds by society at large. We will make our own world of meaning and dare anyone to violate our autonomy.

This is why evangelism is often perceived as insensitive or even threatening in our culture. Evangelism demands that we press the authority of Scripture and the claims of Christ on sinners as we invite them to the free gift of salvation provided through Christ’s atoning work…”

– Albert Mohler writes with a timely reminder of what evangelism is all about.

David Robertson speaks with Dominic Steele at The Pastor’s Heart

Dominic Steele spoke with David Robertson on the latest The Pastor’s Heart podcast.

Fascinating and encouraging. Watch it here.

← Previous Page — Next Page →