Speak now, or forever hold your peace
Posted on July 19, 2015
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“Marriage is the exclusive union between a man and a woman.”
“It wasn’t so long ago that making a statement like this wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow. In fact, if you’d said this, most people would have responded with a ‘Yes, and?’. It would be liking stating that the sky is blue, or the Australian cricket team had been disappointing.
Today in Australia, this is perhaps the most controversial statements you can make…”
– At Communicate Jesus, Steve Kryger pleads with Christian leaders to actually lead Christians in responding to the challenge of same-sex marriage.
Dick Lucas steps down as PT trustee
Posted on July 19, 2015
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Proclamation Trust’s Adrian Reynolds shares that Dick Lucas has stepped down as a Trustee of PT.
“Dick is 90 this year. Amazingly, he is still preaching, still sharp. But the time has come for him to step down as a PT trustee and I, for one, am enormously grateful for his wisdom and counsel. Once a week he stops by to sit on my sofa and chew the cud and, in characteristically humble mode, he listens patiently whilst I pontificate.
Join me in thanking God for this remarkable and continuing ministry.”
Here’s the audio of one of Dick’s most recent sermons.
Uniting Church wants more talk on gay marriage, but delays decision
Posted on July 19, 2015
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“The Uniting Church in Australia’s… National Assembly, has voted to continue discussion about marriage and same sex relationships. This vote mean that the Church has not approved same-sex marriage, and their next National Assembly is not until 2018.
Alongside this conversation the Assembly resolved to affirm the UCA ‘as an inclusive church embracing those members who identify as LGBTIQ’…”
– John Sandeman reports for Bible Society Australia.
William Taylor on the wrath of God
Posted on July 19, 2015
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William Taylor at St Helen’s Bishopsgate in London preached from Romans 1:16-23 at a lunchtime gathering to explain why everyone needs the gospel.
28 minute audio.
Pride
Posted on July 18, 2015
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“According to Solomon, of the seven things God hates, pride tops the list (Proverbs 6:16 – 19).
CS Lewis called pride, “that complete anti-God state of mind – it leads to every other vice!”. Martin Luther claimed that his greatest enemy was not the Pope or Cardinal, but the enemy within, his own pride…”
– Presbyterian Moderator-General David Cook writes.
President’s Address — ACL AGM 2015
Posted on July 16, 2015
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Anglican Church League AGM
President’s Address
The fundamental problem with the world continues to be alienation from God.
The solution remains the gospel of peace which proclaims reconciliation by Christ’s death. This is a gospel for all creation and the church remains the pillar, defender and herald of that truth. Read more
Planned Parenthood, Abortion, and the Conscience of a Nation
Posted on July 16, 2015
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“Yesterday’s release of a video showing the senior medical director of Planned Parenthood casually discussing the sale of organs from aborted babies is a moral challenge thrown right in the face of all Americans…”
– Albert Mohler writes about the video which has exposed the depths of human depravity.
Russell Moore also writes about it, and Carl Trueman congratulates Planned Parenthood “for having so perfectly summarized the spirit of our age.”
True Repentance — Peter Jensen on Judges chapter 10
Posted on July 13, 2015
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From Moore College:
“Former Archbishop (and College Principal) Peter Jensen preached on Judges 10 at St Andrew’s Cathedral on 12 July.
We are convinced this is a message that should be heard by as many people as possible and are pleased to be able to make it available through our podcast.”
Listen to Archbishop Peter Jensen’s sermon here (14MB mp3 file).
Same-sex intimate unions
Posted on July 12, 2015
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Moore Theological College Principal, Dr Mark Thompson, has written a very helpful piece to aid Christians in their thinking and discourse in the current debate around same-sex marriage. Read more
Evangelical Ministry Assembly 2015 talks
Posted on July 12, 2015
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The Proclamation Trust has made available audio of the talks from the 2015 EMA, held 22-24 June at the Barbican in London.
The theme: “Identity Crisis: Preaching to a Confused World”.
Speakers included –
- Christopher Ash (Director of the Cornhill Training Course)
- Tim Keller (Redeemer Presbyterian, New York)
- Andrew Reid (Holy Trinity Doncaster)
- Vaughan Roberts (St Ebbe’s, Oxford)
- Bruce Ware (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
- John Wyatt (University College London).
The audio files are all on this page.
‘Will the same-sex marriage push destroy the right of churches to dissent?’
Posted on July 11, 2015
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“This raises the question about the real ideology of the same-sex marriage campaign. Is it merely to allow gays to marry? Or is its ultimate purpose to impose ‘marriage equality’ across the entire society, civil and religious. Ideologies do not normally stop at the halfway mark…”
– Andrew Bolt at The Herald-Sun quotes from an important article by Paul Kelly in The Australian (which requires a subscription to read in full).
How should we then live — in Babylon?
Posted on July 11, 2015
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“Back in the late 1970’s when I was an undergrad at Stanford, our Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship chapter sponsored lectures by Dr. Francis Schaeffer to the whole university. In the wake of the Obergefell decision legalizing same-sex marriage, and its ramifications for the constraint of our religious freedoms, I am reminded of the question Dr. Schaeffer posed in those lectures (and in his book) How should we then live?
I’m a pastor by first calling (an attorney by second), and I’ve been prayerfully reflecting on the answer to Dr. Schaeffer’s most relevant question. So let me respectfully offer some thoughts as we look over the cultural, spiritual and legal landscape we know face…”
– Phil Ashey at the American Anglican Council, has some advice for US churches.
David Cook on Preaching Acts
Posted on July 10, 2015
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Weekend encouragement: Here are some very useful videos recorded at a 2 Timothy 4 Trust workshop in Scotland in 2012.
The Reform Steering Group comments on the York Gay Pride event
Posted on July 9, 2015
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The Reform Steering Group comments on the York ‘Gay Pride’ event:
July 8th 2015
“As the Steering Group of Reform met last week, the events surrounding the blessing of the Gay Pride march in York could not be ignored.
Whilst the Reform Steering Group stands opposed to homophobia, nevertheless they were unanimously of the view that it was an offense to all bible-believing Christians for the Minster to endorse, without qualification, the activities of York Pride with the intention of ‘affirming the LGBT community’.
They appreciated the Archbishop of York’s statement affirming the ‘traditional Christian understanding of human sexuality, orientation, and behavior’ and agreed with him that God loves and values all people, whatever their sexual orientation, and that that same love should be shown by Christians. They hope that the Archbishop of York is prepared to stand by the whole of Lambeth Resolution 1.10, which rejects ‘homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture’ and the Dromantine Conference of Anglican Communion Primates Communiqué which affirms this teaching.
Susie Leafe, Director of Reform, said ‘We long for all churches to model Jesus Christ’s welcome to all people – a welcome that loves us enough not only to walk with us in self-sacrificial love but also to warn us of God’s judgment and call us to repent of our rejection of God’s ways.’
They therefore wish to express their unequivocal support for the stand that Rev Melvin Tinker, a founder member of Reform, has taken and they applaud his courage in being prepared to speak graciously and clearly of the Church’s responsibility to teach and act according to biblical principles.”
– See the Reform page for the list of members of the Steering Group.
Related: The Archbishop of York’s statement, 22nd June 2015.
Reform Response to TEC Resolution on Marriage
Posted on July 7, 2015
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“In rejecting this definition of marriage, the bishops of the US Episcopal Church have rejected Jesus’ own teaching. As such, they have denied the faith they profess to teach, forfeiting any right to be regarded as true bishops of the church of Jesus Christ. Jesus warned us to “watch out for false prophets” who come in his name (Matthew 7.15, 22)…”
– Read the full Reform statement here. Photo: Episcopal News Service.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…