Traditions Old and New
In the Reformation the leaders of the day had to work out what to change and what to retain. With some things it was easy, because the need to change screamed out. But falling for the temptation to change everything led to some terrible follies and abuses.
It was the wisdom of Thomas Cranmer, which guided the Church of England through the Reformation changes. He did not accomplish all that he wanted to do. However, in 1549 he laid down some principles upon which he was working…
– Phillip Jensen wrote in last weekend’s Cathedral newsletter.
True Woman conference audio online
Audio and text files of the talks given at the 2008 True Woman Conference, held in the Chicago area earlier this month, are now online.
Speakers include Mary Kassian, Joni Eareckson Tada and John Piper.
The talks are available at True Woman.
‘Christless Christianity’ reviewed
“I am not arguing in this book that we have arrived at Christless Christianity,” says Horton, “but that we are well on our way. … My concern is that we are getting dangerously close to the place in everyday American church life where the Bible is mined for ‘relevant’ quotes but is largely irrelevant on its own terms; God is used as a personal resource rather than known, worshipped and trusted…”
– Tim Challies reviews the new book by Michael Horton.
What’s really at stake in the gay marriage debate?
“The activists promoting the normalization of homosexuality have been tremendously successful in their efforts. The mainstream media, the educational elites, and various culture shapers have pushed this cause.
Today, on the average college or university campus, homosexuality is not considered to be a major moral issue…”
– In part 4 of his series ‘What’s really at stake in the Gay marriage debate?’, Al Mohler writes about the ideological struggle for recognition of ‘gay marriage’.
See also part 1, part 2 and part 3. (Photo: Together for the Gospel.)
Martin Luther at study
On October 31, 1517, German monk and theologian Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.
In this free audio download from Christian Audio, John Piper speaks on the discovery that Martin Luther made 491 years ago – that God speaks to us in his Word.
How should pastors today go about their ministry? Piper draws us back to God’s word – the Bible.
The 36MB mp3 file runs for 1 hour 19 minutes – to get it, start at this page.
(You will need to create an account if you don’t have one and go through the check-out process, but the file is free of charge.)
Top Ten ways to write bad worship songs
In my eleven years as director of worship development for Sovereign Grace Ministries, I’ve reviewed hundreds of worship songs and written a few of my own. Not all of them have been stellar. Actually, very few of them have been.
I’ve noticed recurring tendencies that keep weak songs from becoming good or great songs. I’m intimately acquainted with those tendencies in my own songs and I’ve listed my top ten below. While these thoughts are meant for songwriters, most of them apply to leading worship as well.…
– Bob Kauflin writes at Worship Matters. (Number 10 is especially true.)
Create Conference to help churches communicate
Learn about the Create Conference being held in Sydney on November 15 – to help churches in effectively communicating with our culture.
Website at createconference.org.au
Got an iPhone? Get this.
If you have an iPhone – or an iPod Touch – the people at Desiring God have now formatted John Piper’s book Don’t Waste Your Life for your device. Of greater eternal significance than playing Cro-Mag Rally on the way into work.
You can get Don’t Waste Your Life for iPhone at Desiring God. (Hat tip: Justin Taylor.)
And if you don’t have an iPhone, you can still read the book online.
From the book:
For me as a boy, one of the most gripping illustrations my fiery father used was the story of a man converted in old age. The church had prayed for this man for decades. He was hard and resistant. But this time, for some reason, he showed up when my father was preaching. At the end of the service, during a hymn, to everyone’s amazement he came and took my father’s hand. They sat down together on the front pew of the church as the people were dismissed. God opened his heart to the Gospel of Christ, and he was saved from his sins and given eternal life. But that did not stop him from sobbing and saying, as the tears ran down his wrinkled face – and what an impact it made on me to hear my father say this through his own tears – “I’ve wasted it! I’ve wasted it!”
The Cries of the Helpless
On Thursday, Dr. Russell Moore, Dean of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, pulled no punches in a sermon on Matthew 2:13–23 and the slaughter of the innocents.
His topic? “Joseph of Nazareth Is a Single-Issue Evangelical: The Father of Jesus, the Cries of the Helpless, and Change You Can Believe In”. Hear the 37 minute sermon via this 8.5MB mp3 file. Chilling – but recommended.
(Related: The Abortion Question and the Future.)
The ESV Study Bible – A Review
“The ESV team has done an excellent job of generating excitement for the ESV Study Bible and particularly so among the type of person who tends to read my book reviews. So in this review I will try to cut through the hype and, to the best of my ability, judge this new Bible on its own merits.…”
– Tim Challies offers his review of the just-published ESV Study Bible.
Also, learn about the ESV Study Bible Online – the full text of which will be available to owners of the printed version. The site explains –
“Even if you don’t have a registration code, the ESV Online Study Bible offers you several features:
- Create a personal account
- Search the ESV text
- Write personal notes
- Highlight Scripture
Basically, without a registration code you can do everything except access the ESV Study Bible notes and resources. If you buy a print ESV Study Bible later, you can unlock these notes and resources. One of our goals is to make the ESV Online Study Bible useful to you, even if you don’t yet own a print ESV Study Bible.”
Witnessing to Jehovah’s Witnesses
Last Thursday was a bit curious — I actually had a scheduled visit from the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Typically, this had started with the ringing of the doorbell (at an inconvenient moment, but then what moments are convenient for such a visit?) by a young woman with child in tow.…
– John Richardson at The Ugley Vicar has some wise words on sharing the gospel with those who come to our doors.
Looking for help in evangelism?
If you haven’t looked at the Evangelism Ministries website lately, check out their encouraging and practical notes on these topics –
How to pray for evangelism
How to prepare for an evangelistic event
How to prepare for an evangelistic church service
How to do evangelism on a zero budget
A simple feedback card to use at your evangelistic event
– all on the EM website.
The authority of the Bible – Leon Morris
Australian New Testament scholar Dr Leon Morris on the authority of the Bible –
“It is especially important in the contemporary situation that evangelicals bear their witness to the authority of the Bible. Men have lost their best certainties, and in many cases are groping for an authority they can trust. One result of the work of modernists and extreme liberals has been to undermine men’s faith in the Bible. …”
– from Churchman back in 1961. Relevant then. Even more relevant now. Made available by Church Society (pdf life).
Related: Propositional Revelation, the Only Revelation by Broughton Knox.
The need for clear thinking in this area is illustrated by a story from The Calgary Herald in Canada – “Minister enhances faith through meditation”
Meakin, an Anglican priest, was introduced to Christian meditation by her spiritual director while in seminary. … “There are many factors in how we interpret the spiritual life, but once you set aside the words, we can recognize our unity…” (emphasis added.)
A Conversation: Keller, Piper, Carson
A wide-ranging hour-long conversation between Tim Keller, John, Piper, and D.A. Carson was video-recorded at the 2008 leadership meeting of The Gospel Coalition and has been posted on Facebook:
Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6. (hat tip Justin Taylor.)
Free audio book – Spurgeon’s ‘All of Grace’
This month’s free audiobook from ChristianAudio is a reading of C.H. Spurgeon’s “All of Grace”. Use the code OCT2008 at the checkout.
The mp3 files are around 100MB and run for over three hours – available free until the end of October.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…