London Holiday

Due to unforeseen circumstances we have been spending a few unexpected days in London. It's a nice place to holiday in. Apart from catching up with things and that sort of thing we have been out a little. On Tuesday, as mentioned, we went to see Wall-e.

On Wednesday some headed off to Camden Market. I went to see Burgh House and the Freud Museum in Hampstead. All very interesting. Burgh House houses the local free museum. Freud lived the last year of his life at 2o Maresfield Gardens, Hampstead, where you can see the actual couch on which his victims lay. I remember reading about Freud in a book called Seven men who rule the world from the grave. The others were Darwin, Marx, Wellhausen, Kierkegaard, John Dewey and J M Keynes.

Yesterday four of us went by bus down to Battersea Park. We hired cycles of various sorts and some good fun. Sadly, I bust my camera though. That's a blow. Dylan spent the day with friends following his interim GCSE results plus completed GCSEs in Welsh (A*) and French (B). Well done Dylan! I should have mentioned before that Rhodri and Sibyl both did well at 'A' level and will be going to my alma mata Aberystwyth University, God willing, in 2009. More news on them to follow.

Thursday evening I watched a film with Eleri. "Because I said so" was not my cup of tea (it's a mother daughter film which is part of the reason). The cinematography was great, the cast okay, the plot poor, the dialogue average.

Today we ended up being in for most of the time but then later I took the three youngest to Finchley Lido Leisure Centre for a swim. That cost a small fortune tempered only by some vouchers Kelloggs are doing at present.

New Photo Series 06

Hoody Monster

Westminster Papers

The papers given at the 2007 Westminster conference are now available in printed form. A 131 page paperback the papers included are

The Clapham Sect and the Abolition of Slavery - Roger Fay; Charles Wesley and his Hymns - Graham Harrison; Preaching - “ex opere operato” - Robert Strivens; Turretin and the place of Systematic Theology - Maurice Roberts; Stephen Charnock and the Knowledge of God in Christ - Jeremy Walker; The Preaching of John Newton - John Harris.

The collected papers can be obtained from the secretary John Harris, 8 Back Knowl Rd, Mirfield, W Yorks WF14 9SA.

Darwin's unbelief

I have been reading a biography of Darwin recently. If there is any doubt in anyone's mind as to his spiritual standing, his autobiography makes clear that by the time h wrote his famous Origin of species he was full of unbelief. He stands as a warning to all who depart from the truth. I think this passage is particularly striking:

Thus disbelief crept over me at very slow rate, but was at last complete. The rate was so slow that I felt no distress, and have never since doubted even for a single second that my conclusion was correct. I can indeed hardly see how anyone ought to wish Christianity to be true; for if so the plain language of the text seems to show that the men who do not believe, and this would include my Father, Brother and almost all of my friends, will be everlasting punished.
And this is a damnable doctrine

For the whole section see here.

Best ofs 01

At least one drawer of my CD collection is filled with 'Best of' albums. These include 'The Kinks Ultimate Collection' a two CD assembly of 44 tracks. I grew up in the sixties. We only had 'All of the day and all of the night' at home but I would hear them on the radio. I also know some songs from covers. Sadly, 'The village green appreciation society' is not included. I'm familiar with about a dozen of them so it's more than I need. Some of them I'm getting to know. My top seven:

1. Tired of waiting for you

2. You really got me

3. Sunny afternoon

4. Dedicated follower of fashion

5. Apeman

6. Days

7. David Watts

More here

Bloggy Special 31

Westminster Conference 2008

Details of the upcoming Westminster Conference can now be accessed here

Summer reading 01

Over the summer I have been reading a number of books including two about the resurgence of Calvinism in the latter half of the 20th Century and beyond. The first Catch the vision (EP) is subtitled 'Roots of the Reformed recovery', the second Young, restless, reformed (Crossway) is subtitled 'A journalists journey with the new Calvinists'. Both books deal with the same theme, though there are many differences and almost no real overlap (except the Banner of Truth). Let me list some

1. The first is journalistic and by an older man (John J Murray) the second more like straight history and by a young man (Collin Hansen)

2. Murray, a Scotsman, focusses on the UK; Hansen, an American, on the USA

3. The first is chiefly concerned with the period 1950-1981, the second with the nineties and beyond

4. Both have indices but there are few people in both. Calvin, Edwards, Hodge, C Henry, C S Lewis, Lloyd-Jones, Luther, Machen and Packer were the only ones I spotted - all dead but one

5. The first is about a rather narrower movement than the second

6. The books are talking about two different things - Murray is on pretty full-orbed (pietist) Reformed theology while Hansen is on five pointism

7. The very cover designs say a lot about the books' style

The first (staid and modernist in style) is dealing with Lloyd-Jones, Jim Packer, Iain Murray, John Murray, etc, and the Evangelical Library and EMW and BEC the second (more hip and post-modern) with John Piper, C J Mahaney, Mark Driscoll, etc, and student conferences and Calvinist rappers. Arguably the second wave would not have arrived without the first.

I was aware of practically every major individual mentioned in both books (having heard many of them preach in person) but for various reasons I guess I am more au fait with the characters in the first book.

A little bit of reflection is good for us and these two books do it well. I commend them to your perusal if you have not come across them yet.

Wall.e

At the insistence of our youngest we headed off yesterday, nectar cards in hand, to see the latest offering from Pixar, WALL•E. A very clever and well presented take on the familiar themes of robots and the end of the world as we know it, the film is chiefly a love story. Remarkably we are very far into the film before a word of real dialogue. Our three kids seemed to enjoy it but we were not over-impressed. Although the cineam was packed with kids I wouldn't think of it as a kids film. Perhaps we were not in the best of moods for various reasons. It certainly isn't a patch on the Toy Story films or The incredibles. There was barely a chuckle to be had and the social comment was not searing. Ah well.

GT Link

This video of an interview with my father-in-law has appeared recently on youtube. (Thanks for the name check pa!)

Aberystwyth Conference '08

[Outside Bethel; the crowds gather midweek]

It was the EMW conference last week and it was great privilege to be there. It is good to meet old friends and new. On the first weekend I had a chance to hear my father-in-law Geoff Thomas three times in Bethel. (Bethel is the Welsh Baptist church diagonally opposite used on that weekend because it is larger - the official EMW preachers are in a chapel further down the road). Geoff is doing a series on the Holy Spirit at present and so we were in John 20 (briefly) and mainly Acts 2.

On the Monday morning it is the tradition to have a straight lecture (with no singing) which I introduce. We took advantage this year of mentioning the book and there was an author signing over in the bookshop. It was gratifying to reach double figures sales wise. I think other copies were sold in the week and figures are going generally well. A sort of review (unfavourable) appeared in the English Churchman. Sadly the piece focusses only on one minor sentence in the book and is a mere excuse to run out a particular hobby horse or two.

The main speaker at Aber this year was Art Azurdia III (see here). Some of the Welshmen have enjoyed his book on preaching with power and he has spoken previously at the ministers conference in Bala. I have been a little sceptical myself having heard that he takes a "new covenant" position with regard to the law (this did not come out really in the four main messages but the young people pinned him down at a question and answer session). His eventual subject (after vetoing his own previous intention) was 'a clarion call to worldly Christianity' (see versions here). AA3 is an all American guy and so we forgave him his rapid, sometimes loud, occasionally schmaltzy delivery and his often word hand gestures. His eagerness to please and yet remain faithful was clear. The first message was a tour de force calling us (a la Gresham Machen et al) not to anorexic asceticism or worldly gluttony but to a third way, which he called worldly Christianity (a title we like, as you might guess). The other messages didn't quite live up to that. The second I thought particularly meagre in content. On the whole these were fine sermons.

I heard John Treharne from Caernarvon preach on Mephibosheth on the Monday night (simple, clear, wholesome) but missed (as I was babysitting) the contrasting Wednesday and Thursday nights of Anglican Rico Tice (doing a rerun of a sermon for believers following a seminar on personal evangelism) and Wyn Hughes, Vernon Higham's successor in Cardiff (using no notes).

I did get to hear the two outstanding messages from Stuart Olyott, however - the highlight of the conference for me. He looked at Psalm 14 (God in a Richard Dawkins age) and the True Vine of John 15. What a model of clear, self-effacing preaching.

There are a whole lot of other meetings that go on at Aber. Our younger kids enjoyed the children's meetings on Abraham. I myself had the privilege of leading a seminar attended by some 60 or so young people. On holiness I looked especially at mortification (a la John Owen) and fielded some really good questions from people present. This was one of around 20 seminars going on in the week.

At some point someone pointed a video camera at me and asked me to speak for two minutes on being in the image of God. I think that ended up being used somewhere.

Next year the main speaker is Joel Beeke. Alistair Begg was due to come but has been unwell.

Aber seems in fine fettle. Constant vigilance is necessary however if the opportunities are going to be grabbed with both hands.

Caerdydd

We've been staying with Eleri's sister in Cardiff for a few days. We came chiefly because the national eisteddfod is in Cardiff this year. Eleri and some of the boys went along on two days. She was helping on the stondin for the London Welsh School. I only went on the Thursday. We had glorious sunshine. It was quite enjoyable to walk around and see the different stalls and activities. I guess 90% of what you hear is in Welsh but you can't keep English out completely, at least on the maes. Part of the joy for Eleri and others is meeting old friends. You can't walk very far without meeting someone you know. I actually know a few myself such as parents with children at the Welsh School, relatives and old Aber connections. I enjoyed meeting again Gwyn Rhydderch (facebook here) and his wife (he's a national children's worker for the Presbyterians in Wales) whose reading my book on Proverbs, Dr Watcyn James (the Bible Society’s Welsh Development Officer), Meirion Morris (Presbyterian minister with the Presbyterians), Derrick Adams (minister of the Welsh church in Aber), Roger Thomas (an Aber based Welsh worker who works in fairs and shows round the country). I spotted but didn't get chance to talk to Hywel M Davies, Arfon Jones (who has this nice website for Welshies here) and Guto Harri (who I don't know at all but has a familiar face). I had a nice chat with Emmanuel Durand (A Welsh speaking Frenchman who I met originally through Alan Davey). On the Thursday evening Eleri, her sisters and mam went to a concert to celebrate Catin's recently turning 40. It was the C Ffactor concert featuring Cerys Matthews, Connie Fisher, Catrin Finch, Shân Cothi, Caryl Parry Jones and Cantorion. Very good apparently.

The day before I made a visit to the National Museum (I'd actually gone on the Monday but it was closed and so I just did some window shopping with Dewi. We particualrly liked Hawkins Bazaar). That was very nice. I looked at the current exhibition "Origins: in search of early Wales". It started badly with ridiculous dating and other horrors but got better, although my suspicious mind suggested a hidden agenda to sideline the gospel. After a nice coffee and bakestone I did the art gallery next. I really enjoyed that. They have works by Rubens, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Millet, one by Van Gogh (Rain - of course), Cezanne, Monet, one by Lowry, etc. I was interested in a painting by an artist I'd never heard of called Gerritsz Quiringh Van Brekelendam. A Duch interior, it looked a very innocent piece but the write up suggested the woman was a prostitute and the more you looked the more you could see that was so (I hadn't spotted the man's clothes hanging up by the bed for example!). It was a lesson in careful observation and (this blog's stock in trade I guess) discerning the heavenly and the worldly.

After lunch I met up with Rhodri and Sibyl who joined us from London by coach and then we all spent a sunny afternoon at the Bay, where national play day appeared to be taking place. The kids had great fun and so did we adults.

Tuesday was our only wet day and we spent half of it in Cwmbran seeing my sister and dad, etc. We played games and talked. I also took time in the week to read and chat and generally enjoy the time. Good stuff. Oh yeah, another joy was walking along the road in Cardiff that our road in London is named after and finding the house with our number. Little things .... Bigger fools ....

National Museum Cardiff

I was here this week and enjoyed lots of things including these two biblical ones from Millet.

See here.

Reading in pyjamas

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn died this week aged 89. The Times obituary is here. Solzhenitsyn was a complex and enigmatic man. He encouraged us Christians by criticising both east and west and having a place in his thinking for God. I like that bit in his Ivan Denisovich

The Baptist was reading his Bible, not altogether silently, but sort of sighing out the words. This was meant perhaps for Shukhov. (A bit like political agitators, these Baptists. Loved spreading the word.)
"But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a wrongdoer, or a mischief-maker; yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God."
Alyoshka was a champion at one thing: wiggling that little book of his into a crack in the wall so neatly that it had never been found by searching warders.

It brings out the power of the Word in all ages. In another bit from the Times by D M Thomas here we read that

In 1961, the liberal-minded communist editor, Aleksandr Tvardovsky, lay in bed reading a manuscript that an assistant had foisted on him (Ivan Denisovic). After one page, Tvardovsky got out of bed, dressed and went to his study. He said later he knew at once that it was a great work, and would not dishonour the author by reading it in his pyjamas.

That reminded me of how Bunyan had a conscience once over finding himself eating an apple while reading the Word. The point can be overstated but the importance of reverence when we read the Word is worth pondering.

More on Ivan Denisovic here. It has twice been made into a film. They'll show them on TV soon I'm sure.

Weekend West

On Friday we packed the car and headed west. Our first port of call was Trowbridge where Eleri's sister Catrin lives. This was a brief overnight stay to say hello and catch up on news. Ian was playing cricket for the Bradford 39ers against a pub team. (The high standard is clear from this clip). I know next to nothing about cricket and we didn't hang around too long I'm afraid. The next day we moved in to Cardiff where we met up with our three eldest boys returning from their CCIW camps, which seem to have gone well. We stayed overnight with Eleri's other sister Fflur and the children (Glyn's away on an EMW camp in Quinta).

On the Sunday we all attended Emmanuel Baptist, the FIEC church Fflur and Glyn belong to. They meet in a 1960s building on the Gabalfa housing estate. There were several away including the pastor John Woolley. The preacher was John Legg, a retired minister and a member of the church (an elder I presume). He preached from Galatians morning and evening (2:16 and 5:5, 6) on justification by faith and Faith, hope and love. I don't think I'd heard him preach before. He lectures on Romans at WEST and has written six books for EP. In the afternoon we popped over to Eleri's cousins (he lives in Cardiff but they attend the Welsh speaking church) where they were nearly all gathered including her youngest cousin who is married to an American serviceman. He was making a flying visit from Las Vegas where they are based.

Anyway more later.