Connecting the Mind and the Tongue

Posted on January 29, 2010 
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“I want to go on record at this point as saying that I understand the attraction of Rome: the sheer mass of the organization (if you’ll pardon the pun); the overwhelming aesthetics; the desirability of belonging to such an august and ancient institution which knows what it is, where it comes from, and where it is going; and the cornucopia of brilliant intellects that have debated, refined, and articulated its confession over the centuries.  All that I understand; all that I find attractive; all that I find superior to what evangelical Protestantism has to offer, particularly in its crassest megachurch and emergent varieties.”

– Carl Trueman contributes “Reflections on Rome Part 1: Connecting the Mind and the Tongue” at Reformation 21. As always, provocative and worth reading.

Al Mohler on The Shack (again)

Posted on January 28, 2010 
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Albert Mohler has again written about The Shack, with good reason. Here’s the punchline –

“The popularity of this book among evangelicals can only be explained by a lack of basic theological knowledge among us — a failure even to understand the Gospel of Christ. The tragedy that evangelicals have lost the art of biblical discernment must be traced to a disastrous loss of biblical knowledge. Discernment cannot survive without doctrine.”

Read it all here.

Related: More Catechesis, please.

Archbishop Kwashi on the violence in Jos

Posted on January 27, 2010 
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“Brethren: be fully assured that our faith in Christ is intact, and shall remain so in life and in death. We have a gospel to proclaim, a gospel that brings light in darkness, hope in despair, courage in danger, and joy in sorrow.”

– At Christianity Today, Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi talks about the violence in Jos, reminds us who is really behind it, requests your prayers, and re-states his trust in Christ. (Photo: Church of Nigeria.)

Closing churches on Vancouver Island in ‘transformation’

Posted on January 27, 2010 
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From the Report (PDF) of the Diocesan Transformation Team of the Diocese of British Columbia –

“Our Bishop’s creation of the Diocesan Ministry Resources Team (DMRT) in 2004 was his response to the fact that the Anglican Church is failing to reach the majority of people on these islands in life-changing ways; that we are failing to fulfill Christ’s ‘Great Commission’ to all his disciples. The reasons for this failure are many and complex.”

The Anglican Essentials Canada blog has news reports on the Diocese’s plans for Vancouver Island.

See also this News Release (PDF) from the Diocese.

Matt Kennedy on ‘Leaving home’ (part 1)

Posted on January 27, 2010 
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This time last year, Matt Kennedy and his congregation at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Binghamton, New York, lost their property to the Diocese of Central New York. Matt tells the story of what happened next — at Stand Firm.

(Screenshot from WBNG News, NY.)

Carson on theological study for God’s glory

Posted on January 27, 2010 
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Don Carson was interviewed last year on studying theology for the glory of God — by Mike Reeves at The Theology Network in the UK. The interview runs for 34 minutes.

Worth hearing – especially if you are considering theological training and wondering where to study.

UK Government loses its Equality Bill faith proposals

Posted on January 26, 2010 
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“The House of Lords has blocked elements of the government’s Equality Bill which church groups said could have exposed them to legal challenges if they refused to hire homosexuals or transsexuals…”

– Report from Reuters.

Gerald Bray on the 39 Articles

Posted on January 26, 2010 
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ACL President Mark Thompson is encouraged at the new attention being given to the Articles –

“Gerald Bray has provided a brilliant resource for the study of authentic, biblical and evangelical, Anglicanism. His recently published study of the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, The Faith we Confess: An Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles (London: Latimer Trust, 2009) should be included on the reading lists of every Anglican theological college.”

(Articles? What Articles? You’ll find them at the back of the Prayer Book – and here.)

Order your copy of the book – or read the Introduction – from Latimer Trust.

Australia Day Honours 2010 (updated)

Posted on January 26, 2010 
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Among those awarded Member (AM) of the Order of Australia in the 2010 Australia Day Honours are –

Robert Tong, ACL Chairman, “For service to the Anglican Church of Australia through a range of diocesan and national executive and administrative roles, and to the law as a practitioner and as an academic.”

Dr Bill Andersen, “For service to religious education through a range of academic and professional roles, and to the Scripture Union movement.” and

Bruce Baird, “For service to the Parliament of Australia, and to the community of New South Wales through a range of business, tourism and welfare organisations.”

Susan Scarcella, long involved with Italian ministry and also service to the church in Bali, was awarded Medal (OAM) of The Order of Australia, “For service to overseas humanitarian aid projects, particularly through the Protestant Christian Church, Bali.”

(See also this story by Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net with a list of others who also received awards.)

Bishop John Harrower on ‘anger at happy clappers’

Posted on January 25, 2010 
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“A front page article in our State’s major newspaper today illustrates some of the challenges of following Jesus in today’s Tasmania. Newspaper article here, Anger at ‘happy clappers’.”

– Bishop of Tasmania John Harrower on the challenge of making Christ known in Tassie.

(This is a good reminder to uphold in prayer Bishop Harrower, and all who belong to Christ in Tasmania.)

Sermon preparation help

Posted on January 25, 2010 
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At his Gospel Coalition blog, Kevin DeYoung has been sharing some helpful thoughts on sermon preparation. Part 1, Part 2.

Church statistics: not many dead

Posted on January 24, 2010 
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“Still, it is worth remembering, as one looks at these dull graphs, that there are on any Sunday at least 100 people in an Anglican church for every member of the National Secular Society.”

– At The Guardian, Andrew Brown tries to put in perspective the latest figures form the Church of England.

The Wonder of Words

Posted on January 23, 2010 
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“Put simply, then, the question of the importance of words to the Christian church is a question of theology, not methodology: to marginalise preaching in our church life and outreach is to marginalise words; and to marginalise words will inevitably involve marginalising the Word himself.”

– Thabiti Anyabwile quotes from Carl Trueman as he ponders the wonder of how God speaks to us.

Related: Propositional Revelation, the Only Revelation – by D.B. Knox.

Ignorance or historical censorship?

Posted on January 22, 2010 
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“In teaching about William Cowper to groups of people under the age of 30, I have tried to place him in his historical context.

To my amazement, I have discovered an almost complete lack of knowledge of colonial history.

The names and events of governors Arthur, Bligh or Macquarie, or issues like emancipation, or the exploration of the continent – the crossing of the Blue Mountains, the inland explorers or the journeys of Matthew Flinders – or even the gold rushes, were basically unknown…”

– Phillip Jensen writes about the importance of history. (Also at SydneyAnglicans.net)

Encouragement and example in Evangelism

Posted on January 22, 2010 
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What is the gospel?

In characteristic style, Chappo gets straight to the point –

“It does not focus upon us, not should it draw attention to us. It focusses on the Lord Jesus Christ. That is what the gospel is about. The gospel is not about us. The gospel is not even about us and our needs. It not even about us and our needs and those being met in Christ. It is none of those!

The gospel is about Jesus Christ our Lord. That is the gospel. I’m not talking about how you engage people in listening to the gospel – you might do that in a hundred and one different ways. But when I have gospelled you, it is about the Lord Jesus Christ that I have spoken from beginning to end.

It is about him. OK?”

– from a talk given in the UK in 2004. (See the last link on this page – “The Training an Evangelist Needs – 2 Cor 4v5”.)

While you’re there, read about the very exciting A Passion for Life initiative – “a [UK] nationwide initiative that is drawing together local evangelical churches to plan a fantastic variety of missional initiatives culminating in Easter 2010”.

And see their terrific collection of videos — a selection of testimonies and apologetics.

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