Do you ever wonder what you’ll be like at 80?
I sometimes have a vision of myself as a kindly old chap with white hair that people think of as that Nice Old Mr Payne. What a gent! (more…)
Archives: review
Love Wins
Review
Love Wins
Rob Bell
HarperCollins, London, 2011. 256pp.
Rob Bell—the founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids—is certainly no stranger to controversy. His groundbreaking Nooma series of short films and his first book Velvet Elvis were greeted with adulation by some, and something nearing revulsion by others. In fact, he seems to court controversy. He—or his publishers—certainly knew what they were doing when they engaged with the new media about the release of Love Wins. In a beautifully produced YouTube preview of Love Wins, Rob asks:
(more…)
David Helm on One to One Bible reading
Video
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH9U_V8Y3ag[/youtube]
The atonement
Review
The Atonement: Its Meaning and Significance
Leon Morris
Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, 1984. 219pp.
It’s likely you already know if you’re ever going to pick up The Atonement: Its Meaning and Significance, just from reading the title. When you come across a word you don’t completely understand, such as atonement, you’re either intrigued or asking “Why on earth would I read an entire book about a word which I don’t know?” If the title put you off, a brief scan down the contents page probably won’t help. There’s no getting past it, The Atonement is a book about difficult words. The “great words” which author Leon Morris covers are: covenant, sacrifice, the Day of Atonement, the Passover, redemption, reconciliation, propitiation, and justification. The unifying concept behind these words—apart from having at least three syllables—is the significance of Jesus’ atoning work on the cross. (more…)
Consistent with the Bible
Resource Talk, Sola Panel
Consistency has never been one of my strong points. “It is the bugbear of small minds”, I breezily say as I am caught out doing the very thing for which I have berated the kids not five minutes previously (take your pick from: eating high-spill-potential food in the good room, flicking between channels constantly on the TV, or leaving every light on in the house). (more…)
Helping teenagers read
Resource Talk
A friend of mine visited my house, an English teacher clearly unhappy with her day. One of her teenage students had rubbished her lesson and the novel they were studying to another teacher. In the staff room there was general consensus that, though my friend is a great teacher, the book was totally unsuitable for boys because the lead character is a teenage girl. Gosh, of course they should forget about the book and watch the movie version instead. After all, a teenager wouldn’t be able to discover the mind or world of another person within the pages of a book! That would be way too demanding; they’d better just watch the movie.
Bible bites
Review
Bible Bites: 365 Devotions for Aussie Families
Ladeane Lindsay
Youthworks, Sydney, 2010. 376 pp.
Ladeane Lindsay’s Bible Bites offers 365 family devotions to assist any parent or grandparent in the spiritual teaching and guidance of children. Bible Bites doesn’t assume that families will be able to consistently conduct devotions on a daily basis, and so does not lock you into dates and days of the week for studies. This helps reduce guilt or rushing unhelpfully through studies at unsuitable times. Also, as the spiritual leader of your children I think you should have the flexibility to study the Bible as often or as spontaneously as you feel led, so the format assists with this as well. (more…)
The Universe Next Door by James W Sire
Review
The Universe Next Door (5th edition)
James W Sire
IVP Academic, Downers Grove, 2009. 293 pp.
I first read The Universe Next Door while I was at university. We were running an evangelistic event where students lined up to take a quiz to discover what world view would suit them best. We would then give them a pamphlet that explained their likely world view, along with any weaknesses it had and relevant Christian viewpoints they ought to consider. It was my job to write these handouts, and the Christian survey of various world views, The Universe Next Door, was my main source (in combination with Wikipedia, of course). I pored over it for a week, reading and re-reading, and got the pamphlets done in the nick of time. Then, in true student style, I ejected every piece of information out of my brain and moved on to my next assignment. (more…)
The future of books
Resource Talk, Sola Panel
These are troubling times in the book business. As I sit down to write this month’s Resource Talk, the dust is still settling after the financial collapse of the owner of two of Australia’s largest bookselling chains. The management is blaming a mix of factors: the high Australian dollar, the rise of online retailing (whereby customers can buy books cheaper and tax-free from overseas), the heavy discounting tactics of department stores, the global financial crisis, and the rise of the ebook.
Review: “Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God” by JI Packer
Review
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
JI Packer
Inter-Varsity Press, Westmont, 2008. 136 pp.
Recently republished as part of the ‘IVP Classics’ series, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by JI Packer remains as relevant today as when it was first published in 1961. Well, so I’ve been told; I wasn’t born until 1985. But, assuming it was relevant when first published, Evangelism remains relevant today.1 (more…)
A course is a course, of course
Resource Talk, Sola Panel
There are two ways to change a culture, as Tony Payne said in last December’s Briefing. You can run as many people as possible through your programs and courses and hope for the best. Or, you can work individually and with small pockets of people to change the culture. The latter is slow and sometimes inefficient, but it tends to be the surest way to see a lasting difference in attitudes and direction.
Three big questions for your small groups
Resource Talk, Sola Panel
In recent months, Col Marshall and I have been running some workshops based on The Trellis and the Vine, and during the workshops we spent a bit of time talking about small groups—about why we have them (or don’t), the part they normally play in church life, how we train our leaders (or don’t as the case may be), and so on.
Where the road begins
Resource Talk, Review, Sola Panel
I have always thought that I had a pretty good understanding of Roman Catholicism, not just of its history and doctrine, but of how Catholic people ‘tick’. Growing up as a non-Catholic at a Roman Catholic high school, all my mates were Catholic, all my teachers were Catholic, and all my girlfriends were Catholic (of which, to be precise, there was one). I even flirted briefly with becoming Catholic myself.
Review: “The third choice”
Review
The Third Choice: Islam, Dhimmitude and Freedom
Mark Durie
Deror Books, Melbourne, 269pp.
The image of giant passenger airliners being flown into the twin towers in New York remains burnt into our retinas. For those of us in the West, it remains a baffling puzzle: what could motivate anyone to do that? (more…)
Review: “The radical disciple”
Review
The Radical Disciple
John Stott
Inter-Varsity Press, Nottingham, 2010, 144pp.
At age 88, and after authoring more than 50 books, John Stott has written his final book: The Radical Disciple. He is a man who has made an incredible contribution to evangelical Christianity through his preaching, teaching, leadership and writing. In some ways it is sad to hear that it is his final book, but I suppose that he has earned a break after so many faithful years. (more…)