In my essay in Briefing #302 (‘The gathering: thinking afresh about church’), there were a number of issues that I didn’t have the space to address adequately. To stimulate further thought on these issues, here are some further cogitations about the meaning of ‘church’, and other related questions.
Archives: tony-payne
How to deal with heretics
Couldn't Help Noticing, Life, Sola Panel
The early church father, Irenaeus, was certainly not afraid to critique error. I was browsing through his Against Heresies the other day (as one does, in the Greek, without a dictionary, shortly before dictating my latest article for The Ivory Tower Review), and I came across the following passage that I felt bound to share. Irenaeus was arguing against the heresy of the Gnostics, who had an incredibly elaborate, and elaborately incredible, account of how the world came to exist. One of Irenaeus’ chief polemical methods was simply to describe in detail what the Gnostics were actually teaching, with only a few minor comments being required to point out how absurd it all is.
How close are we to the Bible?
Thought, Sola Panel
The arrival of the new English Standard Version of the Bible (ESV) has brought to the surface many underlying issues about our English language Bibles, and what we should expect from them. A mass of questions arise.
The cross and Islam: An evangelistic starting point
In the slightly terrified new world after September 11, many of us have found that the time is ripe for Islamic evangelism—but not so much with Muslims as with our secular neighbours. The new prominence (and infamy) of Islam has brought the topic of religion and truth once again into everyday conversation with our friends and neighbours. Once again people are asking the big questions: Are all religions really the same? What do Muslims really believe? Are Islamic beliefs really consistent with our vision of a tolerant multicultural society? Is religion the real cause of war and conflict? And so on.
FAQs on the ESV
Thought, Sola Panel
As word spreads about the new ESV, my email inbox is increasingly clogged with interested people wanting to know more. Here’s a sample of some of the most common questions, with some brief answers.
Is this the English Bible we’ve been waiting for?
Thought, Sola Panel
The English Standard Version (ESV) is about to hit Australia. Among the multitude of English translations, is this just one more attempt by publishers to cash in? Or might this one be different?
The ESV and NIV compared
Thought, Sola Panel
To give some specific examples of the differences between the ESV and NIV, let’s take a careful look at John 17.
An interview with Mark Strom
Tony Payne speaks with Mark Strom about his new book, Reframing Paul, and the issues that it raises.
You highlighted two particular problems for modern evangelicalism in your book: the influence of Greek thought on our systematic theology, and the social influence of rank and status and such ideas on church life. On the first, you seem very down on systematic theology generally. Can you explain why?
Trouble with Tim
Couldn't Help Noticing
Some Briefing readers may have seen some of the Rev. Tim Costello’s recent public criti- cisms of The Briefing and of our publisher Phillip Jensen. I won’t go into the details of Tim’s gripes here, but one aspect might be worth clarifying for our readers. One of Tim’s accusations has been that we denied him any right of reply to the review of his book (that appeared in Briefing #265/6). Just to set the record straight, here’s what happened.
Is the church a house of worship?
An e-mail dialogue with Don Carson
From: Tony Payne
To: Don Carson
Subject: Worship
Dear Don,
Don’t you just hate it when you have a conversation and think afterwards of all the things you wish you’d said? After our interview on worship, I had just this experience. In particular, I wish that I had explored with you further about whether we should think about church in the categories of worship. Seems to me that we were in thorough agreement whilst ever we were talking about what we should actually do in church, etc. I remain deeply puzzled, however, about your fondness for retaining worship language to describe the endeavour. Perhaps it’s a cultural thing. Or perhaps there is more to it.
Time for reformation?
Thought, Sola Panel
The worldwide edifice of Anglicanism is on the verge of collapse. Should we move out, renovate or demolish and start again? In this article we look at recent extraordinary events.
On the trail of the Spirits in prison
Thought, Sola Panel
No part of the New Testament is more puzzling to modern readers than Peter’s enigmatic reference to the ‘spirits in prison’. Tony Payne is the latest in a long line of interpreters claiming to have the answer. Read on and see if you agree …
Doing what works (part 2): The Bible’s marching orders
Thought, Sola Panel
In the first part of this article (in our last Briefing), we looked at the pluses and minuses of pragmatism. We saw that ‘doing what works’ is a quite legitimate path to follow in one sense, because God has created an orderly world. Yet pragmatism has its limitations, as a result of the complex and flawed nature both of the world and of ourselves. We ultimately need a revelation, a word from outside, to guide us.
But how does the Word guide us? In our last article, we looked at one approach, the so-called ‘Hooker Principle’. Let us begin Part II, by looking at a related but much more recent way of using the Bible.
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Being biblical or doing what works (part 1): Do we have to choose?
Thought, Sola Panel
In this first part of a two part article, we ask how you can know whether your life and ministry are genuinely biblical. Is it method? Is it results? Is it some kind of warm feeling of assurance? Do we in fact need to look to the Bible to work out how to conduct ministry, or is it an area where pragmatic thinking is our best tool?
Interview: Is the church a house of worship?
Amidst the mist and cold and rain of Katoomba at Easter, I sat with Don Carson in the warmth of the CMS Speaker’s Lodge. His series on ‘Turning points in the history of salvation’ had been the highlight of the Easter Convention for many. I was now inviting him to train his formidable theological weaponry on the subject of ‘worship’. What would ‘the Don’, as we deferentially like to call him around the office, say on this pressing question?