‘Vicar defends Church of England same-sex blessings ban’
Posted on March 28, 2014
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From this weekend, same sex marriage will be legal in England and Wales.
During the week, BBC TV interviewed Steven Hanna, Vicar of St. Elisabeth’s of Becontree in London. He speaks clearly and graciously about the key issues. Watch the 7 minute interview here. (h/t Adrian Reynolds.)
David Cook’s encouraging report from the UK
Posted on March 27, 2014
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“We have been in the U.K. now since 13th February, long enough to have some reflections:
In Australia we may think that the Church we see in the Royal weddings or funerals is typical of the church here – formal and lifeless. That is contrary to our experience. We have found the Church to be faithful, creative, lively and very well led.
We are here as part of the 4 yearly Passion For Life and my role has been to either preach evangelistically or to encourage others to do that…”
– Presbyterian Church of Australia Moderator General (and former SMBC Principal) David Cook is in the United Kingdom, where he’s spoken at various places including St. Helen’s Bishopsgate and The Tron in Glasgow. Read his reflections here (you may need to scroll down to 27 March 2014).
World Vision USA reverses decision
Posted on March 27, 2014
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“…we failed to be consistent with World Vision U.S.’s commitment to the traditional understanding of Biblical marriage and our own Statement of Faith, which says, ‘We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.’…”
– report from Christianity Today.
Dr. Mark Thompson writes,
“The end result of this weeks statement and then reversal will no doubt be quite costly for the leadership of World Vision US. No doubt they will face more concentrated opposition from homosexual lobby groups in the US and elsewhere than they had ever experienced before they publicly abandoned their longstanding employment policy a few days ago. … It will be important in the next few days for us all to pray for Richard Stearns and the senior management of World Vision US.” Read it all here.
‘815 in Transparent move to punish Fort Worth’
Posted on March 26, 2014
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“Episcopalians in non-litigating parishes and dioceses should be asking: Why the silence? Why is 815 being allowed to run amok with the Church’s precious resources? Who is really in charge? Where are those who helped put the Presiding Bishop into power, and who will act now to curb her irrationality and her grasping at straws?”
– A S Haley, the Anglican Curmudgeon (and lawyer), takes a look at the latest Episcopal Church legal manoeuvrings.
The connection between George Whitefield College and Moore College
Posted on March 26, 2014
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Mark Dickson, Principal of George Whitefield College, was invited to speak at Moore College Graduation 2014.
In this video he speaks about the vision of George Whitefield College and its connection with Moore College. Most encouraging.
A Loss of Vision
Posted on March 26, 2014
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“It is unsurprising that this statement has convinced no one. The suggestion that they are just following the theological lead of the churches and denominations is a massive failure of judgment. After all, the defection from biblical teaching by large tracks of the American church is well documented and grieved over by churches around the world and by those faithful Christians and congregations that remain in the US.
What’s more, our collective responsibility to live obediently under the word of God is not something that can be put to one side or delegated to someone else in the way that Mr Stearns seems to think it can be. If our operations are not driven by our theology then there is something massively wrong. For Christians seeking to humbly and intelligently live as disciples of Christ in today’s world, there is no ‘theology-free zone’…”
– At Theological Theology, Dr. Mark Thompson comments on the World Vision USA decision.
The Worldliness in World Vision’s new hiring policy
Posted on March 26, 2014
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“We are entering the days and the decade of a great shifting and sifting of evangelicalism. The capitulation will not happen all at once. The camel of compromise will poke its nose into the tent little by little.
We will hear about the unity of the church, as if Christ in John 17 were interested in a unity indifferent to the truth (John 17:17). We will hear about the reputation of the church, as if Christ promised that everyone would love us as long as we meant well (John 15:18-19). We will hear urgent pleas to stay on mission and not be distracted by controversy, as if Christ’s gospel of the kingdom had little to do with actually repenting and believing in the gospel (Mark 1:15). We will hear—in a hundred ways from a thousand voices in a million devilish disguises—the siren song that beckons the church to change or die, as if we could rescue Christianity by saving it from itself…”
– Kevin De Young’s piece at The Gospel Coalition is well worth reading in full.
Piper: World Vision USA’s move trivialises Perdition and the Cross
Posted on March 25, 2014
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John Piper looks to the godly example of Jim Packer when he responds to Christianity Today’s report that “World Vision’s American branch will no longer require its more than 1,100 employees to restrict their sexual activity to marriage between one man and one woman.”
Piper: “This is a tragic development for the cause of Christ, because it trivializes perdition — and therefore, the cross — and because it sets a trajectory for the demise of true compassion for the poor.
When J.I. Packer walked out of the 2002 synod of the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster, he was protesting its decision to ‘bless same-sex unions.’ His rationale is relevant for the developments at World Vision…”
– Read it all at Desiring God.
Related:
Pointing to Disaster — The Flawed Moral Vision of World Vision – Albert Mohler.
On World Vision and the Gospel – Russell Moore.
Franklin Graham Statement on World Vision – Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. “My dear friend, Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse, would be heartbroken. He was an evangelist who believed in the inspired Word of God.”
The Road Less Traveled: The Faithfulness of J.I. Packer vs. the Capitulation of World Vision – Justin Taylor.
The Hole In Their Bible – Todd Pruitt. “Stearns says that World Vision is united around the Apostle’s Creed. But what profit is there in affirming belief in God while denying that which He has made so clear?”
And from the files: Are we stronger than He? – by David Short, published in ACL News, January 2005 (PDF file).
Photo: Canon David Short and Canon Dr J I Packer at St. John’s Vancouver – they both left the Anglican Church of Canada because of that denomination’s departure from obedience to the Scriptures.
GAFCON Chairman calls for Repentance, not Indaba
Posted on March 25, 2014
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“The need for repentance, without which we cannot have true unity, is obscured when the authority and clarity of Scripture come into question.
Sadly, this is the inevitable result of the Continuing Indaba project. By assuming that all differences are matters of context and interpretation, it becomes a way of affirming a false gospel. Much of its funding comes through the Episcopal Church of the United Sates.
We see here the repetition of a subtle and ancient strategy. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent says to Eve ‘Did God really say…’ (Genesis 3:1) and the consequences are tragic. By grace, we have been rescued from the power of death and sin. So how then can we once more set ourselves above its truth, we who are a made a new creation through hearing and obeying the Word of God?
I do therefore need to make an important clarification. Contrary to the claim made on the website of the London Anglican Communion office that there is a Kenyan ‘Resource Hub’ for Continuing Indaba, neither the Anglican Church of Kenya nor any of its learning institutions are participants in this project. We are strongly committed to the work of reconciliation within the Church and within civil society, but the gospel ministry of reconciliation is given to us by God and must not therefore compromise the Word of God. …”
– Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, Chairman of the GAFCON Primates’ Council writes in his March 2014 Pastoral Letter. Read it all here.
The False Teachers: Charles Taze Russell
Posted on March 23, 2014
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Tim Challies has been writing a series on false teachers.
This week he turns to Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916), founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Advance your Preaching — Moore to host hands-on preaching day
Posted on March 22, 2014
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“On April 8 Moore College will host the first of a regular series of hands-on days to help improve our skills in proclaiming the Word. Moore Emeritus Faculty member Dr David Peterson, author of the Pillar Commentary on Acts, will give us input on issues involved in preaching the Book of Acts. …”
– Read the details at the Moore College website – and book in to “Advancing your Preaching” here.
Fred Phelps and the Anti-Gospel of Hate
Posted on March 22, 2014
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“Fred Phelps became infamous due to one central fact — he was a world-class hater. He brought great discredit to the Gospel of Christ because his message was undiluted hatred packaged as the beliefs of a church.”
– Albert Mohler writes on the tragic legacy of the founder of ‘Westboro Baptist Church’.
How real is ‘Heaven Is for Real’?
Posted on March 21, 2014
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John Piper was asked about the “Heaven is for real” genre of books written by people who claim to have been to heaven.
Here his reply – 6 minutes here. (h/t Tim Challies.)
Why Holidays are More Christian than Holy Days
Posted on March 21, 2014
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“There are Holy Days and there are holidays and Christians support both, though they prefer holidays.
The word ‘holiday’ comes from Holy Day, but has been secularised. The Holy Day celebrates something of eternal, supernatural or religious significance. The holiday is just taking time off work. Holy Days are not always celebrated by taking time off – sometimes they are marked by fasting or feasting or wearing special clothing. However, some Holy Day celebrations do involve taking time off from work. …”
– Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen writes in his weekly column.
The New Calvinism: A Triumph of the Old
Posted on March 21, 2014
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“Theologically, the New Calvinism is mainly an extension of the broader rim of Old Calvinism that was expressed in Charles Spurgeon and populist Presbyterians like James Boice. In fact, Boice’s main target was the very evangelical audience that largely comprises the New Calvinism, and I often heard him predict and rejoice in the Reformed resurgence that blossomed shortly after his death. Instead of a theological shift, the New Calvinism represents a major sociological and ecclesiastical extension of Calvinism in general…”
– Rick Phillips at Reformation 21 begins a series of observations on the phenomenon known as ‘New Calvinism’.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…