Why were the 95 Theses so revolutionary? — Public Lecture tonight, October 31

Posted on October 31, 2017 
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Come and hear, ‘Why were the 95 Theses So Revolutionary?’ – a public lecture at Moore College to mark Reformation Day, Tuesday, 31st October.

College Principal Mark Thompson will speak.

Tuesday October 31, 7:00pm – 8:00pm with Supper Following.

At the Marcus Loane Hall, Moore College, 1 King Street, Newtown.

This event is open to the general public.

Free – No registration is required.

It is a great opportunity to see the new building, including the library and the final chance to see the Martin Luther poster exhibition currently being displayed at College.

Click here to download a 1.6MB PDF advertisement.

A Reformation of Confidence

Posted on October 31, 2017 
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“The Reformation was about many things.

It was about papal abuses and church reform. It was about worship and the sacraments. It was about repentance and indulgences. It was about the Bible and the priesthood of all believers.

And of course, the Reformation was about justification.

But it was also about confidence. Not self-confidence, but confidence that God is for us not against us, confidence that we can go to heaven without a sentence in purgatory first, confidence that though we cannot rest in our works, we can rest in Christ’s. …”

– At the Gospel Coalition, Kevin DeYoung highlights one of the chief blessings of the Reformation. (Photo: St. Helen’s Bishopsgate.)

Christianity and the Dark Side — What about Halloween?

Posted on October 31, 2017 
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“Over a hundred years ago, the great Dutch theologian Hermann Bavinck predicted that the 20th century would ‘witness a gigantic conflict of spirits’. His prediction turned out to be an understatement, and this great conflict continues into the 21st century.”…

– Albert Mohler addresses the issue of Halloween.

On Demythologising

Posted on October 30, 2017 
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“A pocket diary can be a mine of information.

Lest you be tempted to forget, and go to work when you should stay at home, it lists the Public Holidays. It carries a range of postal information. It may include such valuable information as that russet brown is a combination of orange and purple, or that sound travels at the rate of 1,132 feet per second. …

And sometimes they include succinct statements that the sun rises at such and such a time, and sets at a certain hour.

It is with this latter pair of statements that we are concerned.

Who, we might ask, are these compilers, who apparently belong to the Middle Ages, for they think that the sun rises and sets, whereas the veriest schoolboy in these enlightened days knows that the sun does neither?…”

– The latest post from the Australian Church Record archives, by Leon Morris.

What do we owe to the Reformation? Audio tract

Posted on October 30, 2017 
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“J.C. Ryle’s Church Association tract, ‘What do we owe to the Reformation?’ was recently published in Distinctive Principles for Anglican Evangelicals.

We’re pleased to offer it now in this audio version, abridged and read by Lee Gatiss.”

– Listen here – from Church Society.

A Mighty Fortress is Our God

Posted on October 29, 2017 
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At Desiring God, David Mathis takes a look at Martin Luther’s famous hymn. What did the original German hymn say?

“The hymn came into English as early as ten years after Luther composed it, but the version most of us sing today was translated by Frederick Hedge more than 300 years later, in 1853. It is by no means a literal translation of the original, understandably taking certain licenses for the sake of meter and rhyme.

Add to that the fact that Hedge was a Unitarian minister…”

– And John Piper and Matthias Lohmann give us a ‘Woodenly Literal’ Translation – at Desiring God.

 

How to pray soul-in-hand

Posted on October 29, 2017 
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“Many people never rise above the infant stage in the all-important matter of their prayer life.

It is the most natural thing in the world for the babe to regard the world as his oyster. From early days he makes the tacit assumption that everything that there is, is for his benefit, and in truly lordly fashion he makes his demands. …”

– From the archives of The Australian Church Record, Leon Morris challenges us to actually pray.

Here we stand

Posted on October 28, 2017 
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“But Luther did not stand alone. The Reformation was not about one or two big names — Luther, Calvin, Zwingli — but about a massive movement of Christian conviction, boldness, and joy that cost many men and women their lives — and scattered the seeds that are still bearing fruit in the twenty-first century.

Not only was Luther surrounded by many Reformers in Germany, but lesser-known heroes of the faith rose up all over Europe. Heroes like Heinrich Bullinger, Hugh Latimer, Lady Jane Grey, Theodere Beza, and Johannes Oecolampadius. Luther was the battering ram, but he ignited, and stood with, a chorus of world changers.

And here we stand today, 500 years later. Luther wasn’t alone then, and he’s not alone now.”

– All month, Desiring God has been posting brief biographical sketches of key Reformers. Read or listen here.

October 27th 2017 – 50 tragic years of abortion in the UK

Posted on October 28, 2017 
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“At 11.04am on Friday October 27 some of us will gather at Parliament  to mark 50 years since Royal Assent was given to the 1967 Abortion Act. A law which was intended to allow abortion in certain circumstances became an elastic law, a law with catastrophic consequences. At the time only a handful of MPs recognised it as a dangerous and slippery slope.

Those 29 MPs who voted against its Second Reading did so because they contested the repeated claims that the law would only be used in extreme and tragic circumstances. They were right.

In the half century that has elapsed since its passage a staggering 8,894,355 unborn babies have lost their lives – one death every three minutes; 20 lives ended every hour. …”

– Lord David Alton in London speaks about the staggering consequences of the 1967 Abortion Act. (via Anglican Mainstream.)

Archbishop of Canterbury to lunch with the Pope today

Posted on October 27, 2017 
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“The Archbishop of Canterbury will meet and have lunch with Pope Francis today, in what will be the pair’s fourth meeting together in in the Vatican.

Archbishop Justin Welby travelled to Rome to formally commission his new Personal Representative to the Holy See and Director of the Anglican Centre, Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi, which took place during evensong last night. 

This morning Archbishops Welby and Ntahoturi will meet with Francis and will then go to the Pope’s residence, the Casa Santa Marta. It is not common for Francis to invite people he meets for official audiences to lunch so the gesture can be read as a sign of the warmth and ease of the relationship that exists between the Pope and Welby. …”

– Just in time for Reformation Day. Report from The Tablet.

Related:

Why the Reformation is Definitely Not Over – Mark Gilbert.

Is the Pope a Catholic? Understanding the Catholic Church – Mark Gilbert.

How should I share the gospel with a Roman Catholic? – Sugel Michelén (9Marks)

Shadows of the Cross — new devotional book from Mike Raiter

Posted on October 26, 2017 
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Shadows of the Cross by Michael Raiter is to be published by Anglican Press Australia in November.

“In these 40 daily devotions, Michael Raiter encourages readers to reflect on the death of the Lord Jesus by exploring how the Old Testament foretold the coming of the death of the Messiah in pictures, poems and prophecies.

While we may not see Jesus as clearly in promise as we do in fulfilment, the Old Testament is like a shadow that points to the reality – the gift of God’s Son which demonstrates the length, breadth, height and depth of God’s love for us. In this way the Old Testament calls all people to put their faith in Jesus.”

– See Christian Education Publications for a preview and ordering details.

Reformation 500 Sunday at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, 29 October

Posted on October 26, 2017 
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From St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney:

“As the world celebrates the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, St Andrew’s Cathedral marks this extraordinary day on Reformation Sunday – 29th October – the day the church marks 500 years since Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the Wittenberg church door.

During our 10.30 service the Cathedral Choir of boys and men, and international soloists, Penelope Mills: soprano, Jonathan Borg, countertenor, Michael Butchard: tenor, and Christopher Richardson: bass, will join with our historical-instrument orchestra in bring JS Bach’s monumental celebration cantata no. 80: ‘A Mighty Fortress’ written for Reformation Sunday itself, with words by Martin Luther.

The sermon will be given by Australia’s foremost expert on the Reformation, the Rev. Dr Mark Thompson, Principal of Moore College, Sydney.

A feast for the heart and for the mind, and within the context of our morning service. All welcome!”

New book equips Christians under pressure in the UK

Posted on October 25, 2017 
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“This is an unusual book for unusual times.

Reading the timeline the author has constructed connects many events most Christians are already aware of and puts them in a format that allows a proper assessment of the flow of history in our time.

The scenarios the book presents are a clarion call to wake up to the situation we face and a reminder that our sovereign Lord is at work in all that happens. Julian Mann is assisted by contributions from journalist and author Peter Hitchens, and Andrew Symes of Anglican Mainstream.”

– Read about Julian Mann’s Christians in the Community of the Dome at Anglican Mainstream. The book is published by Evangelical Press.

Purposefully porn-free

Posted on October 24, 2017 
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“The Archbishop’s Taskforce for Resisting Pornography is preparing an information website for those in the Diocese and further afield who need tools to help support the rejection of porn.

“Many Christian leaders today are declaring that pornography is the single greatest issue confronting the church,” the Rev Marshall Ballantine-Jones (pictured) told members of Synod. …”

– Story from SydneyAnglicans.net.

Before we allow Euthanasia, look who the Dutch have killed

Posted on October 24, 2017 
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“Have Victoria’s politicians, half way to legalising euthanasia, looked at what’s happened in Holland?

Here are some very troubling cases – plus interviews with the brother of an alcoholic who had himself killed, and  a woman with tinnitus who also had herself killed just three weeks later. …”

– Last night’s Bolt Report on Sky News Australia looked at the disturbing Dutch experience of ‘euthanasia’. via The Herald Sun.

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