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 
Filed under Culture wars, Opinion Comments Off on Large fine for refusing to supply same sex wedding cake upheld in Oregon

“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.

The Gospel and the Anglican Tradition — new book from Martin Davie

Posted on December 30, 2017 
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Anglican theologian Martin Davie’s new book, “The Gospel and the Anglican Tradition” is due to be published next month. Here’s one commendation:

“The sweep of Martin’s new book is breathtaking. It conveys an encyclopaedic knowledge of church history, biblical theology and the worldwide Anglican tradition. Anyone wondering why they should be part of the Anglican church will find a very comprehensive answer here.

However, the book is much more than an apologia for Anglicanism. It is written to appeal for unity in the gospel. Martin affirms that order and truth belong together – but shows that both of these hinge, and have always hinged, on a clear understanding of the gospel. He takes the view that while diversity can be hugely beneficial, disagreement over the content of the gospel can never be.

Given that this is his message, some readers might be surprised to find him quoting so freely from the GAFCON Jerusalem Declaration and an ACNA document. His purpose, however, is to show that these stand in the mainstream of Anglican theological tradition and are thus a great reforming influence for our own day.”

– Rt. Revd Rod Thomas, Bishop of Maidstone.

Published by Gilead Books.

(Australian availability – should be updated closer to publishing time.)

See also:

Why the Arguments for a Third Way do not Work – Martin Davie (GAFCON website).

Can we agree to disagree? – Martin Davie, Crossway. (PDF)

Review of the Report from the Marriage Commission of the Anglican Church of Canada.

Why I can’t in conscience write for the Church of England Newspaper any more

Posted on December 30, 2017 
Filed under Church of England, Culture wars Comments Off on Why I can’t in conscience write for the Church of England Newspaper any more

“I have been contributing articles regularly for the Church of England Newspaper (CEN) for the past ten years and have found its editor Colin Blakely very congenial to write for.  He is courteous to his writers in contrast to the editors of a couple more thoroughly evangelical publications I have written for.

It is a personally wretched decision for me to have to stop writing for Colin. But his decision to become a trustee of the Ozanne Foundation, which is actively campaigning to change the received biblical teaching of the Church of England on sexual ethics, has made this necessary. …”

– The Rev. Julian Mann, Vicar of the Parish Church of the Ascension, Oughtibridge in Sheffield Diocese, explains his decision, at Anglican Mainstream. (Photo: Julian Mann with Archbishop Ben Kwashi.)

Related: Workers and Wolves – William Taylor on Romans 16:1-23.

Update: Kevin Kallsen and Gavin Ashenden discuss the Ozanne Foundation fallout at Anglican Unscripted #358 – Just Jesus, not ‘just love’ silly.

Senior CofE bishop to front campaign for LGBT inclusion

Posted on December 30, 2017 
Filed under Church of England, Culture wars Comments Off on Senior CofE bishop to front campaign for LGBT inclusion

“The Bishop of Liverpool, Rt Rev Paul Bayes, is to chair a new charity aimed at promoting greater acceptance of LGBT people by working with religious organisations around the world. He has said

He has been named as chair of the Ozanne Foundation, whose director Jayne Ozanne is a high-profile Anglican activist for LGBT inclusivity. …”

– Report. (Photo: Diocese of Liverpool.)

One of the Trustees of the pro-LGBT organisation is Colin Blakely, Editor of The Church of England Newspaper, while Steve Chalke is a member of the Council of Reference.

Related:

As Christ is to His church – William Taylor (Video, 2013).

Confidence in God and the word he has given us – Mark Thompson (February 2014).

Appointment of American Bishop leads to split with Nigerian Diocese – Reform statement (May 2016).

Thousands spoke his language in the Amazon. Now he is the only one.

Posted on December 29, 2017 
Filed under People Comments Off on Thousands spoke his language in the Amazon. Now he is the only one.

“Now Garcia lives alone in a clapboard house behind the town’s water tower, spending many of his final days drinking.

Desperate to speak and hear whatever Taushiro he can, he sits alone on his porch in the morning, reciting the only literature ever written in the language – verses of the Bible translated by missionaries who sought to convert the tribe years ago.

Ine aconahive ite chi yi tua tieya ana na’que I’yo lo’, he reads aloud one morning. It is the story of Lot from the Book of Genesis. …”

– The Sydney Morning Herald republishes this article from The New York Times, where the online version is much fuller, and the NYT has a must-watch video.

The story is a sobering reminder that the gospel is for every tribe and every language, and that all need to hear.

Four things you can’t do without Systematic Theology

Posted on December 29, 2017 
Filed under Resources, Theology Comments Off on Four things you can’t do without Systematic Theology

“Systematic theology builds on the results of biblical theology.

Biblical theology is the exegetical discipline that seeks to grasp the entirety of Scripture as the unfolding of God’s plan from Genesis to Revelation. Starting with Scripture as God’s Word written through human authors—our final authority (sola scriptura) for what we think about God, ourselves, and the world—biblical theology seeks to “put together” the entire canon in a way that’s true to God’s intent.

Systematic theology then applies the truths gained in biblical theology…”

– As part of Crossway’s promotion of their new ESV Systematic Theology Study Bible, The Gospel Coalition  has published this article by Stephen Wellum.

Matthias ebooks half price until 31 Dec 2017

Posted on December 28, 2017 
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Matthias Press is selling their ebooks at half price until 31st December 2017.

Their website states, “Please note that the price of ebooks shown on the product page is the normal price, but a 50% discount will automatically be applied to all epub/mobi purchases.”

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