Paul Yeulett introducing the Theological Study Conference 2025
There was another opportunity to hear about the work of Affinity yesterday and as it was at London Seminary, on my doorstep, I gladly took the opportunity to go along. My new assistant Eddie is living at the seminary so it was an oppoortuntity to catch up with him too. Graham Nicholls works for Affnity only one day a week officially but he does seem to lap up the opportunities to speak on local radio, etc, and get the evangelical viewpoint acoss. We ought to be thankful for that. Finances are okay and the work of Foundations, the social issues bulletin, the theological conference, etc, all carry on too. Nice to catch up with Mark Thomas and others too. How encouraging.
A blog featuring whatever I fancy, often on the Christian faith but not exclusively
Showing posts with label John Stevens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Stevens. Show all posts
Affinity Meeting 2023
London Seminary Thanksgiving 2022
It was great to be at the London Seminary after such a long break last Saturday. The chairman was Reuben Danladi and the preacher was FIEC Director John Stevens. Bill James the Principal gave an encouraging report. Some ten students were leaving after having done the course over various lengths of times. (Curiously, each of the students was applauded - not sure that has happened before). Most will now start in posts in Britain. There were also two Italians about to begin church planting in very needy situations. I was sorry not to be able to hang around to chat in the sunshine. I had a family function to attend.
Affinity Study Conference 2017
I was glad to be able to bring along two seminary students currently on placement, who joined two or three other students also along. It was good to have my old friend Alan Davey with us on the road up. We also met several other Welshmen or Wales based souls including Mark Thomas, Guy Davies, Stuart Dainty and Gareth Williams Bala. Also nice to chat with Ian McNaughton and others. Some of us including Chris Thomas, Lucy Beale and Mark Pickett enjoyed a walk around nearby Pitsford Water just when the rain stopped on day 2. Other leisure activities included playing pool - not something I often do. I even managed to win two games!
The format is that six papers are distributed to attendees beforehand and then presented at the conference followed by group and then plenary discussion. This year's subject was The Christian Church: Its Mission in a Post-Christian Culture.
I was put in a group ably led by Hexham based American Joshua Rieger that included Andrew Murray, Mike Plant, Ian Parry and others and David MacKay who presented the last of the six papers given.
The papers took us through the Old and New Testaments, church history (Augustine then the rest of history) and the present day. The best of these papers were David Green on the OT and Paul Helm on Augustine. Sadly, Lee Gatiss's slightly sketchy paper did not arrive until the conference had started for various reasons.
We ended with a plenary session chaired by Stephen Clark, who had played a big part organising the conference. Logistics were in the hand of the ever proficient Assistant Director Matthew Evans. Various men chaired including Affinity Director Graham Nicholls, who also organised a prayer session where we had various reports on Wales, N Ireland, Christian Concern, etc, etc.
I thought the conference lacked a little perhaps in theology (for a theological study conference) and was surprised that we didn't appear to differ on Presbyterian/Independent lines as may ahve been expected. In fact, I would have valued more Presbyterian input (I think). Anyway the next one the year after next will be on worship and I doubt if I will be making the same observations then.
We ended with a plenary session chaired by Stephen Clark, who had played a big part organising the conference. Logistics were in the hand of the ever proficient Assistant Director Matthew Evans. Various men chaired including Affinity Director Graham Nicholls, who also organised a prayer session where we had various reports on Wales, N Ireland, Christian Concern, etc, etc.
I thought the conference lacked a little perhaps in theology (for a theological study conference) and was surprised that we didn't appear to differ on Presbyterian/Independent lines as may ahve been expected. In fact, I would have valued more Presbyterian input (I think). Anyway the next one the year after next will be on worship and I doubt if I will be making the same observations then.
Carey Conference 2013 04
1. The spiritual state of our nation
formally Christian but functionally atheist
- Decline of Christian belief
- Collective failure of church to stand firm for the gospel
- Irrelevance of the historical Constitutional Settlement
- Impact of empirical pluralism
- Implausibility of Christian sexual immorality
- Lack of belief in eternal judgement
- Influence of the media
- Collapse of Christian cultural influence
- Rise of secularism as an ideology
- Marginalisation and privatisation of the church
- Subtle persecution of Christians and the church
2. Theological Models for the Mission of the Church in Relation to the State
Tim Keller (Centre Church) common approaches
- Transformationist (Presbyterian)
- Relevance (Anglican)
- Counterculturalist (Baptist)
- Two Kingdoms (Stevens – in modified form)
3. How is God at work in his World?
- Purpose in creation (Gn 1:28)
- Two kingdoms (Ac 26:18, Ep 2:2, 6:10-20, Col 1:13)
- Absolutely sovereign over government and rulers (Dan 4:25, Jn 19:11, Ex 9:16, Isa 45:13)
- Judges people by handing them over to sin (Rom 1:24-28)
- Jesus victorious over sin, Satan and death
- Jesus establishing his kingdom as he reigns in glory (1 Cor 15:25)
- Entrance into Kingdom by redemption/regeneration (Jn 3:5-8, Col 1:12-14, 1 Co 15:50)
- Kingdom not present simply because justice is practised
- Attitude of government to God's people varies (supportive, benign, hostile, oppressive)
- What is the place of our work in the world? (Gn 1:28, Mt 28:16-20, 1 Cor 15:58)
4. What is the Purpose of Civil Government in the Plan of God?
- Maximalist, minimalist views of the state
- Government to maintain civil peace and permit gospel freedom (1 Tim 2:1-7)
- Government to restrain evil and do good (Rom 13:1-7)
- Government to enforce justice/Shalom in all dimensions
- Relationship between state and church
- Is the state the kingdom or the place of exile?
- Does the state exist to promote true religion? (Contrast Westminster Confession/1689)
- Don't put your hope in civil government to bring salvation
- Function of the state in a plural society (Neutrality between communities? Privilege one and limit freedom for others?)
5. What is our Mission to Our Nation?
- Distinction between mission and effect
- Not to regain former national glory
- Not to impose mere morality or Christian values (1 Cor 5:9-13)
- Not to secure our own comfort
- Not to secure psychological support for our faith
- But to make disciples who acknowledge Jesus as Lord and live in obedience to him
6. How Can We Accomplish Our Mission?
- Plural approaches
- Persistent Prayer
- Plausibility of the gospel
- Prophetic Proclamation
- Persuasive Influence
- Practice Civil Disobedience
- Persevere in the face of Persecution
- Political Activism?
- Prioritisation
- Poportionate Reaction
7. What is The Task of Church Leaders?
- Eph 4:11-13, Tit 2:1-15
- Enable people to understand the times
- Encourage realistic expectations
- Equip to serve God in ordinary vocations
- Empower to be faithful witnesses
- Don't be like Hezekiah!
- Take the klong view
- Take heart from church history
- Is our culture on the cusp of a major shift?
- Beware of a revived Romanism
- Be encouraged that churches are growing
9. Conclusion
Romans 1:16
Further reading:
Keller, Centre Church; Grudem, Politics according to the Bible; De Young & Gilbert, WHat is the Mission of the Church?; VanDrunen, Living in God's Two Kingdoms; J D Hunter, To Change the world; Spencer & Chaplin, God and government; Carson, Christ and CUlture Revisited; Pearcy, Total Truth.
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