The similar phrase 'Worldly Christianity' is one used by Bonhoeffer. It's J Gresham Machen that I want to line up most closely with. See his Christianity and culture here. Having done commentaries on Proverbs (Heavenly Wisdom) and Song of Songs (Heavenly Love), a matching title for Ecclesiastes would be Heavenly Worldliness. For my stance on worldliness, see 3 posts here.

Catch the vision 2


Study questions part 2
4. D Martyn Lloyd-Jones: the recovery of the vision II: The multiplying of his influence (59-74)
IVF: The theologian of the IVF How do the statements at the bottom of p 61 about IVF fit in with earlier statements about it being one way the Reformed vision was being recaptured? Was Lloyd-Jones right to spend so much time on para-church student work? Would we encourage it today?
EMW: The people of the magazine Are campaigns typically Reformed? Why did Lloyd-Jones write on “Evangelical faith” not “Reformed faith”? (p 67) Was all this para church activity an entirely healthy thing? In what sense was there unparallelled liveliness in the witness in Aberystwyth in the sixties? (p 70) Is the significance of Packer's Knowing God underplayed here?
Westminster Fellowship: The pastor's pastor Why is the Westminster Fellowship so poorly attended today? Is there in the Lloyd-Jones story an argument for bishops?

5. Geoffrey Williams: 'the storehouse' (77-89)
Encouraged to read good books/Meeting Lloyd-Jones/The Library moves to London/Library Expansion Does the Library deserve a separate chapter? Again why 'Evangelical' and not Reformed? Is the story told in a rather romantic manner?

6. James I Packer: 'among God's giants' (93-105)
Early life/Student at Oxford What if Packer had come from Lincolnshire not Gloucestershire?
Discovering John Owen Why were the pages of the Owen set uncut?
Puritan Conference Do preachers today teach the greatness of God and the greatness of the soul? Why 'Puritan and Reformed' and not 'Evangelical'?

7. Iain Murray: 'the new dress' (109-125)
Discovering the true Gospel Why have we never heard of William Blatchley and F J Hobbs?
Preparing for the ministry/Discovering the English Reformers/Making history live Why would Lloyd-Jones have had reservations about starting the Banner? Was he right?
Launching the books Why start with Burrowes on Song of Solomon??

8. John Murray: 'the old school piety' (129-146)
Was Scotland different to England and Wales in the fifties because Reformed truths were more often kept alive?
Highland heritage How important is Murray's interesting statement about his father? (p 133)
Studying for the ministry And what do we make of his impression regarding his son? (p 133)
Call to Princeton and Westminster How important is the Machen link?
Reformed resurgence in England/Banner work and the Leicester Conference Wales was not represented at the first Banner Conference – any significance in that? Why did the conference not meet more regularly in the earlier years? Did Lloyd-Jones come more than once, if not then why not?
His contribution What do we make of the list of events here? And does the statement 'before a Puritan reprint had appeared!' make any sense? Does JJM contradict Iain Murray's statement? (p 150) Were the late fifties under Lloyd-Jones really anything like the days of John Knox?
9. Maintaining the vision (149-167)
Is there spontaneity in the events listed? (p 149)
Expecting revival Is revival related to a rediscovery of Calvinistic truths? Has God kept a remnant or raised an army of ambassadors? Have things 'gone wrong'?
A vision fulfilled
1 A leader How does this section square with the warning against man-centredness at the end of it?
2 Abiding armoury What can be done to mine the gold today?
3 Worldwide spread
A vision unfulfilled Is the impression is given that the Carey conference was a bad thing?
1 Full-orbed witness Would Lloyd-Jones have taken this line?
2 Maintaining zeal Was there an expectation of new church life and order?
3 Family Is this last point valid?
Why no mention or hardly any in the book for Francis Schaeffer, John Stott, Dick Lucas, Al Martin and maybe others? What about LTS or WEST and its predecessors? Are there other omissions?
Is a book aiming to do what this one does really possible to do?

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