Prima Donna by Jan Akkerman

Prompted to share this by the BBC 2 documentary

Christmas Week More Pics

Christmas Week 2024

We had a good week Christmas week, with various family members arriving and departing atdiffernt times. I have reported on the Christmas Day service. Christmas dinner was an excellent affair, Eleri providing amazing variety with turkey and lamb as the meats. We watched the king's speech, which was okay and I have been keeping up with the Christmas University Challenges. I also watched the documentary on Maria Callas. Very interesting. We completed a thousand piece jigsaw and had lots of time for games, mainly scategories and heads up. Plenty of late nights and mornings but we made sure to get out and walk some of the time. Lots of presents given and received. Eleri nad I had stockings and a hamper full of good things including a framed picture of the grandchildren and an AirBnB voucher. Today we went into town searching for coloured penguins. We have kept well mostly though Eleri has a cold today.  In the midst of all this I was able to prepare two sermons and then preached yesterday (report to follow). Tomorrow we are off to Cardiff for more family fun.

Christmas Day in Childs Hill 2024

About twenty of us gathered on Christmas day morning. You never know quite what you will get at these times as so many regular congregants are away, so it is always interesting. This time round there were eight family members, nine members including us and one from Pakistan who brought her sister along, two children of members, an Iranian regular, a Jamiacan regular, an African mother and daughter who live locally and two visiting ladies, one from Nepal and one from Lebanon. Oh yes and two other Iranians we know.

Lord's Day December 22 2024

We were a little lower in number than usual on Sunday morning for various reasons. There were few Iranians around. However, in the evening seven came who hadn't been able to make it in the morning so that was encouraging. I preached from Hebrews 1:4 in the morning and Philippians 2:6, 7 in the evening, the last of our Christmas messages for this year. It was a good day. I shoould have said that we used our organ for the hymns in the morning. We had thought it was dead but a teenager in the congregation has amanaged to revive it.

I began both sermons (unusually) with stories:

Her majesty incognito

Following the death of the late queen I remember there were several stories emphasising her sense of humour. One was about how one summer when she was in Balmoral, she was walking around the estate with her longtime protection officer, Richard Griffin, when they encountered a group of American tourists. The tourists stopped to chat with her and, not recognising the Queen - who was dressed casually with a headscarf and coat - they asked if she lived in the area. Queen Elizabeth, ever witty and good-natured, replied that she did live nearby. The tourists went on to ask if she had ever met the Queen. Without missing a beat, she pointed at Richard Griffin and said, “No, but he has!” The tourists were delighted and, believing they were speaking with just a local resident and her friend, asked for a photograph with Richard Griffin. The Queen happily took the photo for them, still maintaining the disguise. It also illustrates how we can miss things. You think you are talking to an ordinary local resident - no, you are talking to the Queen herself. You think it is just a baby I a manger – no, it is the King of the Universe himself.

Cincinnatus

Have you heard of the American city of Cincinnati in Ohio? It is named after a character in early Roman history. Cincinnatus lived in the 5th century BC, during the early Roman Republic. In his time Rome faced a military crisis when it was attacked by neighbouring tribes. The Senate appointed Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus as dictator – a position that gave him absolute authority - to lead the defence of the city. When the Senate sent messengers to find him, they found him ploughing his field. He'd been living a simple life as a farmer, having retired from public office. He left his farm, however, accepting the role of dictator, and quickly organised an army. Under him, the Romans defeated their enemy and order was restored. Now the interesting thing is what happened next. After achieving victory, instead of holding onto his absolute power (as many do), Cincinnatus resigned. It was just 16 days after being appointed. He returned to his simple life on the farm. This was extraordinary as the dictatorship would have allowed him to rule unopposed for six months but he voluntarily stepped away as soon as the crisis was over. He has became a symbol of civic virtue, one who placed the interests of the state above his own. More than that he showed real humility. Despite holding immense power, he chose to return to a modest life. He was selfless and accepted power not for personal gain but for the good of Rome. His story subsequent generations. George Washington, for example, was compared to him when he relinquished power after the American Revolutionary War and returned to his farm at Mount Vernon before being made president. Cincinnatus is a timeless example of a leader who wielded power responsibly refusing to exploit it for personal ambition. More than that he points us to some extent to what the Lord Jesus Christ himself did in humbly taking human flesh and living and dying for the sake of sinners.

Cinderella

Yasmine Naghdi

Did something unusual for me last night. We went to see the Stravinsky ballet, Cinderella (a Christmas staple) in the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. I've never been there before and so it was nice simply to be in the building. It is only the third time I've seen a ballet (Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet were our other outings) and was slightly dragged along by Eleri. Anyway, ut was in three acts and was easy to follow as Cinderella is such a well known story. The place was packed to capacity (2,256 of us) women being in the majority 80/20 I guess (the reverse of a Focus concert). Ballet is rather esoteric and I am not quite convinced but it was a spectacle worth seeing I'm sure.

Two nice children's books

I picked these two up at a nearby charity shop today. The first one gives it straight and has a bonus CD of Peter, Paul and Mary singing it. The second adapts Clement Moore slightly to make it even more child friendly. (U had the wrng cover for the second one previously).

10 Things and more about the Incarnation by Augustine

“The Word of the Father, by whom all time was created, was made flesh and was born in time for us. He, without whose divine permission no day completes its course, wished to have one day [set aside] for His human birth. In the bosom of His Father, He existed before all the cycles of ages; born of an earthly Mother, He entered upon the course of the years on this day. The Maker of man became Man that He, Ruler of the stars, might be nourished at the breast;

1. that He, the Bread, might be hungry;
2. that He, the Fountain, might thirst; (that He, the Light, might sleep;)
3. that He, the Way, might be wearied by the journey;
4. that He, the Truth, might be accused by false witnesses;
5. that He, the Judge of the living and the dead, might be brought to trial by a mortal judge; (that He, Justice, might be condemned by the unjust;)
6. that He, the Teacher, might be scourged with whips; (that He, the Vine, might be crowned with thorns;)
7. that He, the Foundation, might be suspended upon a cross;
8. that Strength might be weakened;
9. that He who makes well might be wounded;
10. that Life might die.

To endure these and similar indignities for us, to free us, unworthy creatures, He who existed as the Son of God before all ages, without a beginning, deigned to become the Son of Man in these recent years. He did this although He who submitted to such great evils for our sake had done no evil, and although we, who were the recipients of so much good at His hands, had done nothing to merit these benefits. Begotten by the Father, He was not made by the Father; He was made Man in the Mother whom He Himself had made, so that He might exist here for a while, sprung from her who could never and nowhere have existed except through His power.”

– Augustine (354-430), For the Feast of the Nativity, Sermon 191

Midweek Meeting December 18 2024

We looked at another Christmas hymn last night - O little town of Bethlehem this time. Things were a little unusual in that we started with just three of us and then two others joined. There were also three online. The talk was short and so by the time we had prayed it was still not 9 O'clock quite.

Day Off Week 51 2024

There was the now usual walk and some reading (Christmas Carol). From early evening we were joined by our friend Malcolm McGregor, visiting the seminary, and my son Gwion and his wife, who are here for the week.

Lord's Day December 15 2024

A bit behind here but last Lord's Day Eddie preached in the morning and I did in the evening with communion beforehand. We pursued the Behtlehem baby theme looking at Luke 2:19 and Matthew 1:21 and as usual the evening numbers were half the morning ones. Lots were ill and others were away too As ever, there was a new Iranian and also two visitors becausse our nearby Anglican Evangelical had no morning service. Our new friend from last week came again, which is good.

Link to article in Evangelical Magazine on Psalm 147

 

See here

10 Things connecting The Beatles to Wales

1. Lennon apparently had Welsh ancestry. I read that a great grand or grandfather was a Calvinistic Methodist minister.
2. McCartney's aunt lived in Horseshoe Pass near Llangollen and as a boy would have visited with family
3. McCartney produced the debut single by Welsh speaking Mary Hopkin from Pontardawe
4. McCartney was best man when his brother Mike married in St Bridget's, Carrog, Merionethshire
5. Harrison also had an aunt living in Wales, in Broughton
6. Harrison loved Port Meirion and celebrated turning 50 there in 1993
7. Starr spent his early life living in Madryn Street, one of the Welsh Streets in Liverpool. These late 19th century Victorian terraced streets were in Toxteth. The houses were designed by Welsh architect Richard Owens and built by Welsh workers to house workers mainly involved in the industries on the docks; the streets were named after Welsh villages and landmarks. (Names of the streets include Voelas, Rhiwlas, Powis, Madryn, Kinmel, Gwydir, Pengwern and Treborth Street.)
8. Starr was playing drums for Rory Storm and the Hurricanes in Butlins, Pwllheli, when he got the call to join the Beatles
9. Apple Corps, the Beatles label, produced records by Badfinger, a band founded in Swansea and including more than one Welshman
10. The Beatles were in Bangor University learning about Hindu meditation when they heard of the death of Brian Epstein in 1967. There is a plaque there memorialising the fact.

The National Parks Far Away (Lyric Video)

This is very nice

10 "Useless" Presents mentioned by Dylan Thomas in A Child's Christmas in Wales

Go on to the Useless Presents.

1. Bags of moist and many-coloured jelly babies
2. and a folded flag and a false nose
3. and a tram-conductor's cap and a machine that punched tickets and rang a bell;
4. never a catapult; once, by a mistake that no one could explain, a little hatchet;
5. and a celluloid duck that made, when you pressed it, a most unducklike sound, a mewing moo that an ambitious cat might make who wished to be a cow;
6. and a painting book in which I could make the grass, the trees, the sea and the animals any color I please, and still the dazzling sky-blue sheep are grazing in the red field under the rainbow-billed and pea-green birds.
7. And troops of bright tin soldiers who, if they could not fight, could always run.
8. And Snakes-and-Families and Happy Ladders.
9. And Easy Hobbi-Games for Little Engineers, complete with instructions. Oh, easy for Leonardo!
10. And a whistle to make the dogs bark to wake up the old man next door to make him beat on the wall with his stick to shake our picture off the wall.

(Plus - And a packet of cigarettes: you put one in your mouth and you stood at the corner of the street and you waited for hours, in vain, for an old lady to scold you for smoking a cigarette, and then with a smirk you ate it.)

10 "Useful" Presents According to Dylan Thomas in A Child's Chistmas in Wales

There were the Useful Presents:

1. engulfing mufflers of the old coach days,
2. and mittens made for giant sloths;
3. zebra scarfs of a substance like silky gum that could be tug-o'-warred down to the galoshes;
4. blinding tam-o'-shanters like patchwork tea cozies
5. and bunny-suited busbies
6. and balaclavas for victims of head-shrinking tribes;
7. from aunts who always wore wool next to the skin there were mustached and rasping vests that made you wonder why the aunts had any skin left at all;
8. and once I had a little crocheted nose bag from an aunt now, alas, no longer whinnying with us.
9. And pictureless books in which small boys, though warned with quotations not to, would skate on Farmer Giles's pond and did and drowned;
10. and books that told me everything about the wasp, except why.

10 Sorts of sweets mentioned by Dylan Thomas in A Child's Christmas in Wales

1. Hardboileds
2. toffee
3. fudge
4. and allsorts
5. crunches
6. cracknel
7. humbugs
8. glaciers
9. marzipan
10. and butterwelsh for the Welsh

Kate Rusby Christmas at the Cadogan Hall 2024

Great to be there once again to hear Kate Rusby sing the Christmas carols, etc. Two sessions at Cadogan Hall thus year. We caught the second. All the usual favourites - the brass boys, a session for the boys in the band (with the brass this time), dressing up at the end (honouring 40 years since Band Aid this time with jokes at the expense of Bananarama, The Police, Boy George, etc), three While Shepherds, etc. And home by 10.15 pm. We really enjoyed it. New album coming out in May.

Midweek Meeting December 11 2024

We looked at another Christmas carol this week - Hark! The herald angels sing. Worth going through. We also had a good prayer time. Seven in the room and three or four online.

10 Visits to Wales made by The Beatles

1. Rhyl, 14 July 1962, at the Regent Dansette Ballroom (a month later Pete Best was sacked)
2. Prestatyn, 24 November 1962, at the Royal Lido Ballroom
3. Mold, 24 January 1963, at the Assembly Hall
4. Cardiff, 27 May 1963, at the Capitol, 7 songs performed
5. Abergavenny, 22 June 1963, at the Town Hall
6. Rhyl, 19-20 July 1963, four shows at the Ballroom
7. Llandudno, 12-17 August 1963, two shows a night for six nights
8. Cardiff, 7 November 1964, two shows at the Capitol, 10 songs each time
9. Cardiff, 12 December 1965, two shows at the Capitol, 11 songs each time
10. In Bangor with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, 1967, at the University for seminars

More here

New Beatles Related Films

I have recently watched two new films related to The Beatles, one a drama and one a documentary. The Midas Man is a biopic I saw on Amazon Prime about the life of Brian Epstein, who managed The Beatles. Production has had some troubles since the start of production in 2021 but finally got there in 2023. The film tracks how Brian Epstein rose to prominence by managing a series of popular artists including The Beatles, Cilla Black and Gerry and the Pacemakers before his sudden death in 1967 at the age of 32. It has to deal with some murky material and does that without sensationalising. In many ways Epstein led a very sad life and this is no adcert for the homosexual lifestyle as far as I can see. The actors who play The Beatles do very well and shine. It is interesting to get some of the background. Epstein's great gift was to sopot this music and bring ti to the world's attention.

The Scorsese produced documentary, directed by David Tedesch is on Disney+ and is a cut above the biopic. It documents the cultural impact of the Beatles on the USA in the aftermath of their first three-week visit to the country in February, 1964, which included their historic first performances on The Ed Sullivan Show. It includes archival footage from the Beatlemania era. Scorses and Tedeschi did a orevious documentary on George Harrison, which I have not seen. The film features footage shot by Albert and David Maysles originally for the 1964 documentary What's Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A., digitally restored. New interviews with McCartney and Starr were also filmed. Footage of the Beatles' February 1964 performances on The Ed Sullivan Show and at the Washington Coliseum has also been restored, with audio from these performances remixed by Giles Martin using de-mixing technology developed by Peter Jackson's WingNut Films and previously used for Beatles releases on the 2022 reissue of Revolver and the 2023 reissue of 1962–1966. A soundtrack album from the film has been released digitally and on streaming platforms. The album contains studio recordings by the Beatles of songs featured in the film, as well as the original versions of tracks covered by the Beatles (eg the Chuck Berry recording of "Roll Over Beethoven," the Little Richard recording of "Long Tall Sally"). The compilation also includes a striking cover of "Yesterday" performed by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1968.

I loved some of the talking head material. For example

David Lynch

Music is one of the most fantastic things. Almost like fire, and water, and air. It's like a thing. And it does so much. It does a thing for the intellect, it does a thing for the emotions. And a certain kind of music can swell the heart to almost burst. Tears of happiness flow out of your eyes. You can't believe the beauty that comes. And it comes from these notes.

 Sananda Meitraya

There was where the foundation of my faith laid, in the power of music to transform lives. And I feel that as a son of the Beatles, I owe them a significant portion of why I'm here. I should also curse those b*tches because it's also so much suffering that we artists go through because of Pied Pipers like the Beatles, who say, "Come on, come on, come on. You can do it." The elixir that they put together is so profound, it wasn't just about the songs. It was the energy that the songs were carrying forward.

Day Off Week 50 2024

A more formal day off this week. I went for a walk on the Heath, which is part of my usual routine these days. I had a coffee at Kenwood House. Two new books arrived - Jonathan Landry Cruse's Sing in exultation! (now going cheap at ICM). This is a devotional for Christmas making use of lines from Christmas hymns. It is nicely done with room to write your own thoughts (which I  have begun doing). It gives no information about the hymns themselves. I also got the 2008 P&R hardback The Incarnation in the Gospels (Reformed Expository Commentary) which turns out to be the relevant comments from the respective commentaries plus a few extras. I am also dipping into A poem for everyday of Christmas an anthology chiefly with children in mind. Good to read poems well known and obscure. Also reading Christmas Carol as I try to every year and Nutcracker which I don't think I've read all the way through before. Plus some John Fawcett for a project I have on. I also watched the Martin Scorsese documentary on The Beatles just out (more elsewhere) and then in the evening we watched the final episodes of Anthony Horowitz's Moonflower Murders. This dramatises the second of three novels he has done in the Agatha Christie style. All very clever. The solution not that good sadly but lots of fun on the way (apart from the over acting of Mark Gatiss). 

Lord's Day December 8 2024

I preached in the morning and Eddie in the evening last Lord's Day, both tackling prophecies from Isaiah regarding the Bethlehem Baby - Isaiah 9:6 and Isaiah 11:1 etc. The morning was the usual slow slow start as numbers built up and quite a few missing (illness, travel, etc). One boy who has started to come again did not make it for a third Sunday, sadly. Someone, on the way out wanted to ask me about calling God she and having a Christmas tree. No and yes were my brief answers. We have lost five people in recent weeks but numbers seem to stay the same. After the morning service we sang happy birthday to a member, which we often do. There was more, however - as well as a cake she had arranged a tub of jolloff rice and a chicken leg and a bottle of water for all. That was nice. In the evening we were our usual fourteen or so. We had a newcomer who has moved to the immediate area and is from a church like ours so hopefully she will want to stick with us.

Midweek Meeting December 4 2024

Midweek meeting this week was unusual in that we decided to combine ot with the members meeting, which we rarely do. I had already decided to go through some Christmas hymns midweek and so we spent the first half an hour or so looking at Wesley's wonderful hymn Let earth and heaven combine whcih we sang twice. We then had the regular church meeting for about an hour. Prayer got rather squeezed but I began in prayer, two prayed during the meeting and two at the end so half of us prayed (we were nine plus one online).

10 Or So Cars Owned by Beatle George Harrison

Cribbed from elsewhere, of course.

1. The first ever car owned by George Harrison, before all the Jags, Porsches and the Mercs, was a little second-hand Ford Anglia.
2. The story goes that Brian Epstein bought George Harrison an e-Type for his 21st birthday. Certainly the car above was first registered on 28 February 1964, three-days after Harrison turned 21. The customised car even featured a dash-mounted record-player.
3. In 1965, Harrison bought his first ever extravagant car – a white DB5. Paul McCartney, bought a DB6 shortly before. In December 2011, Harrison’s DB5 was finally sold at auction, to an anonymous Beatles collector, for £350k.
4. The late 1970s saw Harrison enter his Porsche phase, buying two 911 Turbos and a 924 Carrera GT.
5. In 1980 he bought a black 928 S Coupe, before selling it three years later.
6. Perhaps the greatest love affair he had was with Mercedes cars. In 1970 he bought a red 250 CE Pillarless Coupe and a white 6.3 litre 300 SEL. He was driving the latter in February 1972, on his way to a party given by Ricky Nelson, when he crashed into a lamppost at speed. He escaped with a few scratches but first wife, Pattie, suffered concussion and broken ribs and was hospitalised for two weeks.
7. At more than six metres long, the Mercedes-Benz Pullman Limousine is a beast of a car, It boasted a drinks cabinet and a Phillips Mignon EP record player in the back, as well as the all-important privacy screen. Originally owned by John Lennon, he sold it to Harrison in 1971.
8. Mercedes 500 SEL AMG. Of all of the cars Harrison owned, this was probably the one he drove the most. He bought it in 1984 and promptly spent a whopping £85k customising it, including lowering the suspension and upgrading the body kit. He must have liked the results as he hung on to the car for 15 years and clocked up 30k miles in it.
9. The Maclaren F1 is definitely the priciest on the list, which is hardly a surprise, seeing as only 106 were ever built, custom-made for each buyer. Designer Gordon Murray later reported that Harrison was so excited about receiving his car, in 1994, that he would phone up and good-naturedly pester the makers on a regular basis. The end product, with a dark purple pearl exterior and black satin wheels, was still owned by Harrison’s estate until 2021, in spite of Eric Clapton’s repeated attempts to buy it. the car featured Hindu symbols throughout (12 in total), including in place of 'McLaren F1' on steering wheel. Quotes and song lyrics were written with a silver pen on the chassis of the car, including lines from Bob Dylan's Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie.
10. The most iconic of the lot. In 1965, Brian Epstein teamed up with Terry Doran (supposedly “the man from the motor trade” mentioned in “She’s Leaving Home”) to buy Minis at cost price to give to all four Beatles. Harrison’s Mini was customised by coach-builder Harold Radford with a full-length sunroof, horizontally-mounted Volkswagen tail lights and hood-mounted rally fog lamps. In 1967, he had it decorated with psychedelic images inspired by the book Tantra Art. Later that year, the car came to prominence when it featured in the film Magical Mystery Tour, before being given to Eric Clapton. Harrison regretted parting with the car and Clapton returned it to him years later.

Westminster Conference 2025

The programme for next year has been announced (the order may change)

1. The Puritans on the temptation of Christ - Donald John McLean

2. The Puritans and the orgin of sin - Mark Thomas

3. The development of the doctrine of active obedience - Andy Young

4. How to delight in Christ with Samuel Rutherford - Sinclair Ferguson

5. Machen and the virgin birth of Christ - Paul Levy

6. Athanasius - Gavin Kinnaird

Do plan to come!

Westminster Conference 2024 Day 2

Arthur

Weicken

Ebenezer

Our opening paper on day two was a little different in that our speaker Phil Arthur sat, owing to his current health problems. Also, he made good use of the powerpoint facility to guide us through his subject. The subject was Luther and the Peasants revolt 1524, 1525. Owing to Luther's exasperation with the peasants and his outspoken comments this has become a controversial subject. With no attempt to defend the indefensible Phil gave a sympathetic portrait of Luther as he interacted with Thomas Muntzer and the peasants. The famous quote from Luther is as follows

The peasants have taken upon themselves the burden of three terrible sins against God and man; by this they have merited death in body and soul ... they have sworn to be true and faithful, submissive and obedient, to their rulers ... now deliberately and violently breaking this oath ... they are starting a rebellion, and are violently robbing and plundering monasteries and castles which are not theirs ... they have doubly deserved death in body and soul as highwaymen and murderers ... they cloak this terrible and horrible sin with the gospel ... thus they become the worst blasphemers of God and slanderers of his holy name.

We had a good discussion on the perennial subject of the Christian and the civil government.

In the afternoon Florian Weicken from Zurich spoke on Bullinger and the Decades, the theological writings that had such a widespread effect in their time and beyond. This was an excellent introduction to the Swiss Reformer and his 50 sermon work of systematic theology. Discussion followed.

The last paper of the day marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of John Elias (1774-1841) and was an excellent survey of the who, the what, the how, etc, from Alun Ebenezer. Great conference once again. Can we expect another Elias? A lot has changed but the gospel has not.

For my John Elias blog see here.

Westminster Conference 2024 Day 1

We had three good sessions at the Westminster Conference at our new venue in Islington, North London today. I chaired the first session when Stephane Simonnin gave an excellent paper on The Council of Nicaea (325 AD) A brief historical overview.

In the paper, Stephane did three things - set out the context for the council and explained why it was convened; gave an overview of the council itself – its proceedings and the creed that it produced; outlined the achievements and limits of the creed.

Finally, he drew out two practical applications for today 

1. We need to recognise the need for extra biblical words to define Scriptural doctrines. Athanasius was very clear on this point in his important work on the defence of the Nicene definition (De Decretis). He narrates the debates at the council and shows clearly why the Nicene fathers were forced to use a non-Scriptural term (ὁμοουσιον) to bring to light their opponents’ unscriptural teaching: "The council Fathers wished … to use the acknowledged words of Scripture... But Eusebius and his fellows, led by their incurable heresy, understood the phrase “from God” as belonging to us, as if the word of God differed nothing from us, because it is written “there is one god from whom are all things etc.” The Fathers, perceiving how cunning they were, had no choice but to express more distinctly the sense of the words “from God”. Accordingly, they wrote “from the essence of God” in order that “from God” might not be considered common and equal in the sons and in beings originate..."

The challenge that the Council Fathers faced is perfectly summed up by R. P. C. Hanson in his classic work: “The theologians of the Christian Church slowly realized that the deepest questions which face Christianity cannot be answered in purely biblical language, because the questions are about the meaning of biblical language itself.”

It is clear that the church fathers used terms of Greek philosophy to construct a coherent doctrine of the Trinity. These concepts were put to good use to defend and explain the data of Scripture. This is something that modern evangelicals may be uncomfortable with but this is a reality.

2. The value of creeds and confessions and the danger of “biblicism”. This is particularly relevant today as many in the reformed world are encouraging us to critically reappropriate pre-modern exegesis and church creeds. “Sola Scriptura” means that Scripture is the supreme authority, not that it is the only authority. This is an important reminder for evangelical Christians today. Those who argue that they want “no creed but the Bible” fail to recognise that what unites the church, and what unites a local church, is not Scripture but the way Scripture is understood; hence the need for creeds and confessions.

Stephane ended appropriately with a quote from D Martyn Lloyd-Jones. The Doctor comments on the early church creeds as follows: “The whole purpose of the creeds drawn up by the Christian Church, together with every confession of faith was to enable people to see and to think clearly. Do you think the early Fathers did that sort of thing simply because they enjoyed doing it? Not at all; it was done for a most practical reason. Truth must be defined and safeguarded, otherwise people will walk off into error. So, if we object to doctrine, it is not surprising if we do not see things clearly, it is not surprising if we are unhappy and miserable.”

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I took the second session on The Salters Hall Debates of 1719. By way of application I spoke about

1. Doctrinal orthodoxy and freedom of conscience. To some the debates were about freedom of conscience, while to others it was all about doctrinal orthodoxy. Somehow we must learn to hold these two in balance.

2. Throwing off the radical tag. For others the concern was for Dissenters to throw off their reputation for being political and religious radicals. By subscribing to accepted confessions and creeds this was demonstrated.

3. The biblical teaching on the Trinity. The story raises the question of whether congregations today are taught the doctrine of the Trinity and how this should be done. If the doctrine of the Trinity is true then it needs to be taught and we need to be clear on how to do that.

4. The place of creeds. Historically, creeds and confessions have arisen out of controversy. From time to time the existence of heterodox teaching has prompted believers to define and declare what is true, biblical doctrine. Those who agree with the Subscribers would argue that confessions provide a pattern of sound teaching (2 Tim 1:13) by which to communicate true, biblical doctrine and oppose false doctrine.

5. The sufficiency of Scripture and how we understand it. Peter Shepherd and others have pointed out that Salters' Hall raises the matter of the sufficiency of Scripture. If it is sufficient, do its doctrines need to be bolstered by creeds and confessions?

6. The importance of systematic theology. The debate points, it can be argued, to the importance of systematic theology, the discipline that makes use of the entire Bible to discover doctrines about biblical topics, such as the Trinity. By looking at all passages that pertain to any given topic, it provides a framework within which our study of the Bible can be carried out.

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At the third and final session Brad Franklin (above) spoke on Bunyan's Greatheart. His headings were

1. Pastor, you are a conductor of pilgrims to the celestial city

2. Pastor, be tender with your sheep

3. Pastor, fight for your sheep

4. Pastor, be a man

5. Pastor, help them through the valley of the shadow of death (Yea, for aught I could perceive, they continually gave so good heed to the advice of their guide, and he did so faithfully tell them of dangers, and of the nature of the dangers when they were at them, that usually, when they were nearest to them, they did most pluck up their spirits, and hearten one another to deny the flesh.)

6. Pastor, lean into your co-labourers

A version of this talk can be found here.

Lord's Day December 1 2024

We began the new month with communion. I then preached from the final verses of Ephesians 1. It was not until the hymn before the sermon that I realised I'd left my sermon notes at home. Thankfully my son was able to run home and retrieve them. We read the whole of Ephesians 1 to give us time. In the morning we said goodbye to one of our deacons, Kema, who gets married this month and moves out of the area.  In the evening I preached from 2 Chronicles 9:13-31. As usual, we were a good number in the morning, though some were sick, but down to the teens in the evening. One unusual thing was that two Iranians unable to come in the morning came in the evening proving it can be done. I also noticed this morning that we were around 10 Nigerians at communion but the Iranians took quite a while to finally assemble. There was a new Nigerian family at the morning service.

10 Actors whose fathers were ministers

1. Laurence Olivier (Anglican)
2. David Tennant (Presbyterian)
3. Denzel Washington (Pentecostal)
4. John Boyega (Pentecostal)
5. Adam Driver (Baptist)
6. Anne Heche (Baptist)
7. Thomas J Ellis (Baptist)
8. Aaron Paul (Baptist)
9. Louise Fletcher (Episcopal)
10. Al Jolson (Jewish)