Sydney Anglicans and the threat to world Anglicanism

Run to the hills, a conservative church isn't wearing its old garb and the AFES is run out of, wait for it...Sydney. The plot thickens...: Sydney Anglicans and the threat to world Anglicanism – Opinion – ABC Religion & Ethics (Australian Broadcasting Corporation):

It was not viewed with concern, however, because it seemed to inhabit an isolated, inward-looking world of its own. And it was still recognizably Anglican, requiring prayer book services, liturgical robes and the other hallmarks of traditional Anglicanism. Not any longer.

On Biblicism | Jesus Creed

Scott McKnight doesn't like DeYoungs (and others) review on a book about Biblicism: On Biblicism | Jesus Creed:

None of these reviews engages the issue at hand. None of them thinks biblicism is a problem. None of them thinks that what we believe about the Bible (in our biblicistic framing of how we view the Bible) should not create the problem it does. None of them, in other words, thinks pervasive interpretive pluralism undermines biblicism. Evidently, then, pervasive interpretive pluralism is fine and what we get when God gives us a Bible. None of them, in other words, is dealing with the problem.

Watch R.C. Sproul Teaching Series for Free

Three free series that you can watch online (can't download): Watch R.C. Sproul Teaching Series for Free

Media-Hyped Religious Surveys and the Bad News Bearers

Wow, in regard to western culture, America is an anomaly: Media-Hyped Religious Surveys and the Bad News Bearers – Justin Taylor:

The national news media yawned over the Baylor Survey’s findings that the number of American atheists has remained steady at 4% since 1944, and that church membership has reached an all-time high. But when a study by the Barna Research Group claimed that young people under 30 are deserting the church in droves, it made headlines and newscasts across the nation—even though it was a false alarm.

Related in Their Turn to the Primordial Bicycle

"To argue that the Ford Taurus evolved from the Model T because they each have four tires is a dubious procedure. Maybe four tires is just a good idea, and anybody who wants to build a car should use it. Maybe a pig liver does the same thing that a human liver does, and for similar reasons. A Chevy and a Ford both have tailpipes, and I am entirely in favor of this. There is no doubt a common reason for it, and we need not resort to the explanation that the two cars are cousins, sharing a common ancestor" (God Is, p. 16)

Related in Their Turn to the Primordial Bicycle

Picking An Idol

Idols in Church: Articles | Picking An Idol | Phillip Jensen:

So when does a work of art become an idol? The old litmus test was to remove it – if nobody complains it holds little significance for them and can be returned but if people complain it probably is an idol. Of course it depends on the nature of the complaint. But when people say that they cannot worship God without the object it certainly has become an idol for them. That is why ‘religious’ art in church buildings, which are associated with a concept of worship, is considerably more dangerous than the same artwork hanging in a public gallery.

Things Getting Old in Church

There are some pretty good things on this list: Candid Christianity: Things Getting Old in Church | Antwuan Malone:

3. Spending more money on technology than on helping the poor. Satellite broadcast? Absolutely. Eight cameras to capture the right angle for the live internet feed? Obviously. Two million dollar stage lighting set? Heck, Yes. Soup kitchen? Isn’t that somewhere downtown?

ONE: Live streaming available

This is kinda cool, would be better if you could time shift it, ie download for later...ONE: Live streaming available - Katoomba Christian Convention:

ONE will be streamed live on a public stream via our Facebook page http://facebook.com/mykcc . If you cannot access this, try streaming it from our website http://live.kcc.org.au

The Gospel and Poverty

It’s trendy now for churches to put less emphasis on the Gospel and more emphasis on service. I’ve even heard Christians almost brag that their outreach efforts don’t include any proselytizing at all. This is tragic. Billions of dollars of “service” won’t change hearts and lives. We know that now. In fact, those very billions may very well numb the human heart to the gravity of its sin.

The Gospel and Poverty – Justin Taylor

Striking Similarities Between Two Extraordinary Expositors

Interesting comparison: Striking Similarities Between Two Extraordinary Expositors « Expository Thoughts:

Lloyd-Jones and MacArthur have proven to be, arguably, the premier expositors of the last two generations. What Lloyd-Jones was to the middle of the twentieth century, MacArthur has become to the end of the twentieth and beginning of the twenty-first centuries. Though these two luminous preachers would never meet, and each would be his own man, many striking parallels can be identified between their pulpit ministries. The common ground shared by these two gifted preachers should serve as a positive example for all preachers to pattern their ministries.

Why Do I Doubt Detractors of Biblical Archaeology?

I just wrote an essay on the evidence for Solomon, this was a good article on archaeology and the bible: CADRE Comments: Why Do I Doubt Detractors of Biblical Archaeology?:

So, if the Bible is historically accurate the accuracy is irrelevant, but if the Bible is historically inaccurate the inaccuracy is relevant. Thus, under these views the archaeological record is not important as long as it supports the Bible, but when the archaeological record seems contrary to the Bible, atheists and Bible doubters want to jump all over the archaeological record as critical to the Biblical claims.

No offense, but you cannot have it both ways.

The Real Culprit

"Religion kills, but so does cancer, old age, hunting accidents, radiation from the sun, other predatory species, too much mayonnaise, and the music of Andrew Lloyd Weber. Actually, we need to use the wide-angle lens and admit that it is Evolution that kills"

The Real Culprit

‘Deselecting’ our children

Wow, Denmark doesn't want any more Down syndrome people in their country: ‘Deselecting’ our children - The Globe and Mail:

Here’s a recent Danish headline: “Plans to make Denmark a Down syndrome-free perfect society.” The Danes want to promote aborting fetuses with Down syndrome, so their society will be free of such people around 2030. One bioethicist describes it as a “fantastic achievement.”

False Start? The Controversy Over Adam and Eve Heats Up

There have been a few posts on the existence of Adam and Eve in America: AlbertMohler.com – False Start? The Controversy Over Adam and Eve Heats Up:

The denial of an historical Adam and Eve as the first parents of all humanity and the solitary first human pair severs the link between Adam and Christ which is so crucial to the Gospel.

If we do not know how the story of the Gospel begins, then we do not know what that story means. Make no mistake: A false start to the story produces a false grasp of the Gospel.

The Myth of Mutual Submission

This 11-page chapter (available for free as a PDF) concisely and convincingly explains why the phrase “mutual submission” is unhelpful at best

The Myth of Mutual Submission | Andy Naselli