Canadian Primate announces intention to resign

Posted on January 10, 2018 
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“This year on December 3rd, I will God willing reach the age of 65.

I think that is probably no secret in our Church! And in the natural order of discourse around such milestones, questions arise with respect to one’s intentions about retirement. I believe it is incumbent upon me to help move us all beyond whispered speculations to clarity about my intentions. …”

– Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, announces his intention to retire “at the conclusion of General Synod 2019”.

(Via David Jenkins at Anglican Samizdat.)

Advice to a Young Preacher – from Peter Adam

Posted on January 10, 2018 
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“I preached my first sermon in 1967 to a congregation of three people, having had no instruction and no training. I have been learning how to preach ever since.

Here is my advice for those who are starting out in their preaching ministry. …”

– Some great advice from Peter Adam – published at Tabletalk.

(Image from a St. Helen’s Bishopsgate video.)

Interview with Richard Chin

Posted on January 9, 2018 
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Richard Chin, National Director of the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students, is the main speaker at this year’s NSW/ACT CMS Summer School at Katoomba.

David Ould interviewed him yesterday. A very encouraging 29 minutes. Listen here.

Richard makes reference to the article Thank God for the Gift of Cancer, written by Bronwyn Chin for Equal but Different’s journal: June 2012.

Also at the Summer School, CMS revealed their new logo – see their website.

(Image: AFES.)

Volunteers told to use gender-neutral words to avoid causing offence

Posted on January 8, 2018 
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“Volunteers for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games have been told to use gender-neutral language to avoid causing offence.

The Games Shapers handbook, which has been handed to 15,000 volunteers and official staff and contractors instructs workers to avoid phrases like ‘ladies and gentlemen’ and ‘boys and girls’. …”

– Story from News.com.au.

The Anti-Christ Message of Steve Chalke

Posted on January 8, 2018 
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“As I was preparing to preach on Romans 4 for this morning I was struck by these words from verse three – “What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” I read in the commentaries the emphasis on the fact that Paul regarded the whole of the bible as Scripture.

As I looked forward to proclaiming that this morning I then read this from Steve Chalke ““The Bible is a library and not a book – that’s what the Bible literally means… the church over time has come to regard as sacred. It reflects the moral values and consciousness of each author”.

I cannot describe the feeling of despair, anger and hurt that overwhelmed me.  Jesus Christ has given us his Gospel and this Baptist preacher (much to the disgust of most Baptists I know) was directly attacking the Christ of Scripture (the only Christ that exists!).

So I tweeted a response and what disturbed me almost as much was the somewhat nonchalant attitude of some Christians who basically argued that Chalke was old hat and irrelevant.  I beg to disagree – his anti-Christ message causes havoc and is being widely heard. …”

– At The Wee Flea, David Robertson writes about his response to Steve Chalke’s message.

Thinking Theologically about Various issues

Posted on January 7, 2018 
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Phillipjensen.com has posted a number of Q & A style videos with Phillip Jensen.

They are intended, in the first instance, for Persian-speaking congregations, but are in English.

Check them out at this page (click the heading to reveal the list) – or see them at www.phillipjensen.com, where they are currently on the main page.

Archbishop of Melbourne calls for ‘intentional conversations’ on same-sex marriage

Posted on January 5, 2018 
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Archbishop of Melbourne, Dr. Philip Freier:

“I am very conscious of the pain that members of our church who are in same sex partnerships experience at this time when the society has changed in a way that the church hasn’t. …

I propose that we have intentional conversations about this next year. It will be good to prepare for this well and I will be looking for the best way these conversations can take place safely, gracefully and productively.”

– The Melbourne Anglican has this story on an Ad Clerum sent by Archbishop Freier to Melbourne clergy just before Christmas.

Why we’re using The Word One to One

Posted on January 4, 2018 
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“We continue to enjoy using Christianity Explored and now Life Explored at our church, but we’re finding that it is increasingly difficult for people to make it every week.

Moreover, people are starting considerably further back, such that we’re finding it’s only they finish the course they are really ready to start it! Some of the fruit we’ve seen in recent years has come from people doing two, even three courses.

That’s why as a church we have been excited to use and promote The Word One to One. We have found it to be a wonderful resource for a number of reasons.

First, it gives Christians a vision. The name says it all – let’s open up the Word one to one with someone!

Secondly, it gives Christians confidence in the Word.

Here is a resource which is the Word of God (John’s gospel) in an accessible form, with questions and answers on the text to help you and the person you’re reading it with understand the meaning. It requires no expertise and no preparation – just the courage to say to a friend, ‘would you be interested in reading John’s gospel together?‘…”

– Something encouraging from the Anglican Communion News Service: Robin Weekes at Emmanuel Church, Wimbledon, shares why his church uses The Word One to One.

Collected writings of Mike Ovey to be launched 18 January

Posted on January 4, 2018 
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The Goldilocks Zone, collected writings of dearly missed Mike Ovey, will be launched at Oak Hill College in London on Thursday 18th January 2018.

Once it’s available, we’ll add a link for ordering.

Reading Ephesians and Colossians after Supersessionism

Posted on January 2, 2018 
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“The New Testament letters of Ephesians and Colossians are full of great truths about the gospel of Christ. But that’s not all. They’re also, equally, full of great truths about the missionary preaching of the gospel of Christ. The apostle Paul wants his readers to grasp the implications of the early gospel-preaching mission—a mission that began among God’s ancient people Israel, and expanded to the nations round about.

That means these letters need to be understood in terms of a biblical-theological missionary dynamic between Jews and Gentiles. In these letters, Paul assumes a certain distinction between Jews and Gentiles. Yet it’s not a distinction that causes separation and hostility. Rather, it’s a positive distinction that serves a missionary purpose. …

The book is designed for people with some theological training: i.e. pastors and theological students. If the technical-sounding title doesn’t grab you, or if you’ve never even heard of ‘supersessionism’, that’s OK.”

– Read about Dr Lionel Windsor’s new book at Forget the Channel.

Book Review: All That Is in God by James Dolezal

Posted on January 1, 2018 
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“Thousands of theological books are published every year, and it can be difficult to know which among these books deserve our time and attention.

Dolezal’s book is one of those books that deserves attention. It is an important work. …”

– At Tabletalk, Dr. Keith Mathison reviews All That Is in God: Evangelical Theology and the Challenge of Classical Christian Theism by James E. Dolezal.

Justin Taylor also thinks the book is something you ought to read –

“As a blogger I get sent a lot of books. Sorry to say, I throw away some of them, shelve most of them, and read only a few of them. Most of the books actually look halfway decent, but there just isn’t time to read everything that comes my way. So when Reformation Heritage Books asked me this summer if I wanted an advance copy of James Dolezal’s All That Is In God, I said ‘sure,’ not expecting much to come of it.

Turns out this is a really important book. …”

Places where you can buy the book.

The Lord of Time

Posted on January 1, 2018 
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“The coming of the New Year is always the signal for a rash of resolutions to break out, most of which, though well-intentioned, have a very short life-expectancy, as the insurance people might put it.

But with the thought of the passage of time in mind, it may be well to give a little attention to the Christian view of time, a subject which is very much before the theologians in recent times …”

– The Australian Church Record has republished this piece from Leon Morris, from January 1955.

GAFCON Chairman’s New Year Letter 2018

Posted on January 1, 2018 
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“Ten years ago, at our first gathering in Jerusalem, we dedicated ourselves to the service of this gospel. We described ourselves as ‘confessing Anglicans’ in contrast to those who were embracing a false gospel, yet had not been called to account by the traditional leadership of the Communion.

Time has shown how necessary that commitment has been. Some Anglican Churches have now adopted teaching and practice which puts them beyond the boundaries of what can be recognised as apostolic Christianity, but apparently they remain officially within the boundaries of the Anglican Communion.…”

– In his Pastoral Letter for the new year, GAFCON Chairman, Archbishop Nicholoas Okoh looks forward to the third Global Anglican Future Conference in Jerusalem.

400 Free eBooks

Posted on December 31, 2017 
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Looking for some holiday reading?

Monergism has 400 free eBooks for download. Many older texts.

Large fine for refusing to supply same sex wedding cake upheld in Oregon

Posted on December 31, 2017 
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“There have been a number of ‘wedding industry’ religious freedom cases arising in the United States and the UK over the last few years.

On 28 December 2017 the Oregon Court of Appeals, in Klein v. Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries … upheld a $135,000 fine levied on the Kleins, wedding cake makers, for declining to make a cake for the wedding of Rachel and Laurel Bowmen-Cryer.

The case is another example of religious freedom (and, arguably, freedom of speech) being over-ridden in the name of ‘dignitary harm’ to same-sex couples. It is a good example of the issues being presented to the current Ruddock Inquiry into Religious Freedom being conducted in Australia at the moment. …”

– At Law and Religion Australia, Assoc. Professor Neil Foster takes a look at the Oregon wedding cake case.

He writes, “Attempts to learn from overseas experience and provide a clear legislative solution to the issues were defeated in the passage of the legislation enacting same sex marriage for this country.” He encourages Australian readers to make their views known to the Ruddock Enquiry.

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