The current edition of In Writing is now available from the Evangelical Library. It contains last summer's annual lecture on Brethrenism. The website is up and running too despite some recent hitches.
A blog featuring whatever I fancy, often on the Christian faith but not exclusively
Thank you Joan Bakewell and the MLJ Trust
The A-Z of Christmas icons 10 Jumpers
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| Hortensja Bukietowa, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons |
Westminster Conference 2013 Day 2
Apologies for the delay with this. It was not borne of false modesty, given my own part in the proceedings, rather it was being busy with other things (the Christmas icons were programmed in a while ago). Day 2 began with a paper on evangelistic preaching by Gary Benfold. This was chiefly on Dr Lloyd-Jones but included several helpful references to C H Spurgeon, which made for some useful comparison and contrast. Gary was faithful to his historical task but his concern shone through to see more evangelistic preaching to the end that people may be saved. A good discussion followed.
Next we looked at Edward Irving with Nick Tucker from Oak Hill. Like many others I first became aware of Edward Irving thanks to Arnold Dallimore's paperback of many years ago. At the time the Charismatic wars were in full swing and it was difficult to ignore the polemic embedded in the book. By this stage one feels more able to take a cool look and see Irving with his many undoubted faults and consider him more dispassionately. Nick Tucker certainly did this well and we had another good discussion. Unusually we ended up discussing briefly whether the subject of the paper was a Christian (we had done this with C S Lewis). This is not the usual pattern at the Westminster Conference.
We began the final session, therefore that Isaac Ambrose was a Christian and a Puritan to boot (uniquely at this conference). I felt I managed to make such a good start that it was difficult to sustain as we filled in some of the detail of the life of this interesting man whose main claim to fame was his commitment to meditating on the Lord. Tradition dictates that the last paper is not discussed and I did not want to complain about that. The papers will be published in due time.
The chairmen were Stephen Clark, Jeremy Walker and Robert Oliver.
The chairmen were Stephen Clark, Jeremy Walker and Robert Oliver.
Next year it is very much an 18th century and 17th century affair with papers the first day on Calvinistic Methodism, dualism and its remedy and Thomas Charles and the second, Knox, Baxter and Antinomianism (with Mark Jones). It will be at the same place on December 2 and 3, God willing.
Lord's Day December 8 2013
I like to handle Christmas by plunging straight in there fairly early on with sermons on the incarnation and lots of Christmas hymns. We sang 10 yesterday and I preached from Matthew 1:1-17 and Revelation 12:1-5. The morning sermon is really the beginning of a new series on Matthew (I plan to look at the rest of Chapter 1 next week). I got the other text from Roger Ellsworth. It's a rather less obvious Christmas text. We had one or two visitors which was good. We also had tea together before the morning meeting, which was nice.
The A-Z of Christmas icons 09 Icicle
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| Wing-Chi Poon, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons |
The A-Z of Christmas icons 08 Holly
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| Jürgen Howaldt, CC BY-SA 2.0 DE <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/de/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons |
The A-Z of Christmas icons 07 Gingerbread man
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| Jorge Barrios, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons |
The A-Z of Christmas icons 06 Father Christmas
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| Jonathan Meath, CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons |
The A-Z of Christmas Icons 05 Elf
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| vastateparksstaff, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons |
Westminster Conference 2013 Day 1
We had an excellent day at the Salvation Army's Regent Hall on Oxford Street. About 80 or 90 gathered to hear and discuss three varied papers. All three papers were very good and the discussion, always more difficult than hearing, was not bad.
First, Peter Williams of Tyndale House spoke on Are there four Gospels? This was a convincing, well researched and popularly styled paper well worth hearing (CD available) or reading when the printed version comes around. Dr Williams introduced us to the other so called Gospels and pointed out where they are quite different to our Gospels and fall short. He introduced us to the work of Peter Balla, which was from this book here I believe. Lots of good things there. Robert Strivens chaired.
Then we had Andrew Wheeler from Keswick on C S Lewis. Andrew is a long term reader of Lewis and he gave an excellent paper setting out Lewis's attitude to Scripture. He drew a distinction between his attitude to the Old and New Testaments. His thesis was that Lewis was basically conservative but because he took a literary approach to Scripture he sometimes made concessions to liberal views that he need not have. I chaired the discussion and I think it was okay when we weren't side-tracked on how often he met Lloyd-Jones.
Here I notice it says
In a footnote in D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The Fight of Faith 1939-1981 by Iain Murray, Murray notes the following: "Lewis is said to have valued ML-J's appreciation and encouragement when the early edition of his Pilgrim's Regress was not selling well. Vincent Lloyd-Jones and Lewis knew each other well, being contemporaries at Oxford. ML-J met the author again and they had a long conversation when they found both themselves on the same boat to Ireland in 1953. On the later occasion, to the question, 'When are you going to write another book?', Lewis replied, 'When I understand the meaning of prayer'."*
The final session was Jeremy Walker on Henry Havelock, God's Soldier. Phil Arthur chaired. This was a helpful introduction to a little known man of God and a Baptist to boot. He ought to be better known.
*I had originally put Martyn instead of Vincent. Sorry for the confusion.
*I had originally put Martyn instead of Vincent. Sorry for the confusion.
The A-Z of Christmas Icons 04 Drummer Boy
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| Popular Graphic Arts, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons |
Lord's Day December 1 2013
It was rather unusual yesterday in that I wasn't preaching but sat listening. I have an assistant at present, Andrew Lolley, and we are trying to have him preach quite often. I led the communion service to begin the day but then he preached - on Genesis 3 in the morning and the final part of the beatitudes in the evening and got on well. We had decent congregations at both services and one or two visitors which was nice. You learn things by sitting from time to time, rather than preaching.
The A-Z of Christmas Icons 03 Candle
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| Gerbil, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons |
The A-Z of Christmas Icons 02 Bell Bauble
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| Kris De Curtis, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons |
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