Category Archives: Full-Text-Longing

The Gospel, the Whole Gospel and Nothing But the Gospel

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The Protestant Faith radio broadcast, 23 February 1975.

On more than one occasion, Jesus said that those who follow him would not be popular. “If they have hated me, they will hate you also”, were his words. They have proved true. Christian believers and Christian clergy are constantly under ridicule. In other societies such as Russia, they are actively persecuted. On the other hand, we all like to be popular with our fellows, so there is a constant temptation for Christians to play down the gospel message of salvation. For the message is about the awful judgement of God and of Jesus, the only saviour. This message is resisted by the conscience of the hearer, and so there is a temptation to change it into something more acceptable, for example, into a call to set right wrongs and injustices.

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Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code

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An interview with Paul Barnett. Originally published in Australian Presbyterian (August 2005). Reproduced by permission.

Dr Paul Barnett is the former Anglican bishop of North Sydney, Australia, and is currently a teaching fellow at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, and a part-time lecturer at Moore Theological College and the Presbyterian Theological Centre, Sydney.

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Thomas Cranmer’s Preface to the Great Bible, 1540

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A prologue or preface made by the most reverend father in God, Thomas Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan Primate of England

For two sundry sorts of people, it seemeth much necessary that something be said in the entry of this book by the way of a preface or prologue, whereby hereafter it may be both the better accepted of them which hitherto could not well bear it, and also the better used of them which heretofore have misused it. For truly some there are that be too slow and need the spur, some other seem too quick, and need more of the bridle; some lose their game by short shooting, some by overshooting; some walk too much on the left hand, some too much on the right. In the former sort be all they that refuse to read or to hear read the scripture in the vulgar tongue; much worse, they that also let or discourage the other from the reading or hearing thereof. In the latter sort be they which by their inordinate reading, indiscrete speaking, contentious disputing, or otherwise by their licentious living, slander and hinder the word of God most of all other, whereof they would seem to be greatest furtherers.

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The Rapture: Is anything missing?

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In one chaotic moment, millions of people around the world suddenly disappear, leaving their clothes, wedding rings, eye glasses and shoes in crumpled piles. Mass confusion hits while vehicles suddenly unmanned veer out of control, fires erupt and hysteria breaks out as the living stare in disbelief and fear at the empty places where their loved ones were just seconds before. This is the rapture that God has planned as the first sign to begin the unraveling of the end of time.

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A summary of our captivity and freedom

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William Tyndale lived from about 1494 to 1536.

The fall of Adam has made us heirs of the vengeance and wrath of God, and heirs of eternal damnation. It has brought us into captivity and bondage under the devil. The devil is our lord, our ruler, our head, our governor, our prince and our god. And our will is locked and knit closer to the will of the devil than could a hundred thousand chains bind a man to a post. To the devil’s will we consent with all our hearts, with all our minds,with all our might, power, strength, will and lusts. The law and will of the devil is written in our hearts as well as in our members. We run headlong after the devil with full zeal, and the whole force of all the power we have; just as a stone cast up into the air comes down naturally of its own accord, with all the violence and force of its own weight. With what poisonous, deadly and venomous hate does a man hate his enemy! With what great malice of mind, inwardly, do we slay and murder! With what violence and rage, and with what fervent lust do we commit adultery, fornication and such like uncleanness! With what pleasure and delight, inwardly, does a glutton serve his belly! With what diligence do we deceive! How busily do we seek the things of this world! Whatever we do, think, or imagine, is abominable in the sight of God. For we give no honour to God; his law, or will, is not written in our members or in our hearts; neither is there any more power in us to follow the will of God, than in a stone to ascend upward by itself. And besides that, we are as it were asleep in such deep blindness, that we can neither see nor feel the misery, slavery and wretchedness we are in, until Moses comes and wakes us, and publishes the law.

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Sermons on the card

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The tenor and effect of certain sermons made by Master Latimer in Cambridge, about the year of our Lord 1529. (Hugh Latimer lived from 1485 to 1555.)

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Enemies of the cross of Christ

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Martin Luther lived from 1483 to 1546.

Phillipians 3:17-21: Brethren, join in imitating me, and mark those who so live as you have an example in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself.

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The Reformed Pastor

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Richard Baxter published The Reformed Pastor in 1656 to help pastors do their jobs better. It is still worth reading. Gordon Cheng brings us two short excerpts.

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What if the pastor did make fun of Islam?

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The judge who convicted two Christian pastors of religious vilification in Victoria (December 2004) found, among other things, that one of the pastors ridiculed Islamic teachings and traditions while conducting a public seminar on Islam. In his Summary of Reasons for Decision, Judge Higgins states:

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Preaching to women on sex

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I was pleased to see the publication of the article ‘Talking Sex’ in Briefing #312. After giving some talkson 1 Corinthians 7 during the past year at a couple of different churches, I was saddened to hear many women say that they had never heard someone speak on sex and relationships before in a helpful and concrete way. Some of these women had been in church all of their life, and many were grandmothers. So when I was asked recently to give a seminar for female ministry trainees at a preaching conference, I chose the topic ‘Preaching on Sex’.

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