In Luke’s gospel, chapter 10, verse 20, we read ‘Howbeit in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven’.
This verse comes at the end of a short passage reporting our Lord’s words to the seventy disciples on their return from the ministry on which he had sent them. They came back full of joy in the success of their ministry. (more…)
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?
The One True Worshipper
Thought
Worship is sometimes described as the missing jewel in the evangelical crown. It has become perhaps the major focus of a majority of Christian churches in the second half of this century. But once again, our focus reveals our sinfulness. By placing our own activities in church under special focus, we have grabbed the wrong end of the worship stick. In our concern for relevant ‘worship’ we have reversed the Bible’s concerns. For in the New Testament, worship is not so much something we do, but it is first of all and mainly something Jesus Christ does for us!
Banking everything on God
Life
We are calculating people. We learn to be. The accountants talk about a ‘cost benefit analysis’, and as we weigh the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ we do the same thing in almost every part of life. One of the principles we learn from the financial world is spreading the risk. You never get too deeply committed to any one thing. A range of investments makes sure that if one fails, others will sustain you.
Starless City
Life
If any Christian is not fully convinced that the Western world is in a state of terminal crisis, then they should take a trip to the multi-million dollar Sydney Casino, also known as ‘Star City’. If this establishment is the jewel of Sydney’s night life then we are in serious trouble.
Doing ‘nothing remarkable’ on the coast
Pastoral Ministry
Twelve years ago I had a ‘vision’ which in hindsight appears prophetic, but in reality can be put down to youthful enthusiasm. While holidaying on the New South Wales Central Coast, my wife and I read of its staggering growth rate (around 5% p.a.) and became aware of the needs the place would have in the years to come for a growth in gospel ministry.
Homosexuality is a choice
Life
Not so long ago, we looked at how homosexuality has become ‘normalized’ in modern Western society (‘How we went gay’, Briefing #221/2). We closed with a promise to return to the issue, and in the following article we begin to do so. Andrew Lansdown looks further at the changing face of the gay movement. In particular, he shows that all the current talk of the gay gene, and being ‘born gay’, was rejected by the generation of gay activists who led the charge in the 70s and 80s.
The New Perspective in action
Thought
All Christian teaching has implications for Christian living. Likewise all doctrine works itself out, one way or another, into a pattern of Christian practice. Having examined the ‘New Perspective’ on justification in the two previous Briefings (#228, #229),1 in this article, we want to explore the ‘cash value’ of the ‘New Perspective’ on justification—that is, its impact on Christian experience and ministry. Once again, we will focus our attention on the teaching of Tom Wright— partly because of the significance of the challenge he poses and partly because he (more than others) has taken the time to articulate what he sees as the practical outworkings of the ‘New Perspective’ on justification.
Wright up close
Thought
In our last issue, we looked at the way in which the rise of ‘the New Perspective on Paul’ has led to a radical rethinking of the doctrine of justification; one that is at odds with the traditional evangelical understanding inherited from the Reformation. Perhaps the most vocal and best known proponent of this ‘New Perspective’ is Tom Wright, who has already been introduced. This article seeks to show that the ‘New Perspective’ (generally) and Tom Wright’s position (particularly) are far less Scriptural than the traditional evangelical understanding of justification.
When should I shut up?
Everyday Ministry
How to run a dialogue meeting
What’s a ‘dialogue meeting’? It’s one of those old jargon terms for a meeting arranged so that a single Christian speaker can discuss (dialogue) the claims of Christ with a group of non-Christians without too many Christians butting in. Perhaps these days we would call it a forum or consultation. In fact, it’s more like a press conference where one person gets to say his or her bit before being fried by the assembled listeners.
Getting in and staying in: The ‘New Perspective’ on justification
Thought
Over the past 20 years, a quiet revolution has been taking place in the study of the Apostle Paul and his doctrine of justification by faith. In the first of a series of articles, we look at what this ‘new perspective’ is.
Public lies and private lives
Life
“Even presidents have private lives”, Bill Clinton told the American people following his statement to the Grand Jury concerning his “inappropriate relationship” with White House staff member Monica Lewinsky.
The Ethics of Ezzo
Review, Sola Panel
Increasingly for many Christian parents, THE question is: to Ezzo or not to Ezzo. The parenting material written by Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo is causing passionate discussion in many churches. What are we to make of it?
Life Coaches
Everyday Ministry
It is amazing how public opinion can make a complete about-face. It happened with smoking, where it used to be death-defyingly cool, but is now considered brain-defyingly stupid. It happened with ‘spirituality’, which used to be a word of ridicule among intellectuals, but is now a thing to be admired and sought after (as long as it doesn’t take a too definite shape).