Nice link about Wikipedia

A helpful article on Wikipedia and its dangers by Stephen Rees can be found here. It is also in the printed edition of this month's Evangelical Times.

Grace Baptist Assembly 2016 Final Sessions

On the Tuesday evening Alun McNabb gave his second and final message. In what was no doubt not the first outing for this material he gave us six or seven reasons why Jeremiah would probably find it difficult to secure a pastorate these days. He instanced his God-centredness, his failure to be "seeker friendly", his seriousness, the way he exposed sin, the fact he was emotional and too repetitive and finally his lack of "musicalness". This was good old fashioned stuff.

On our final day we had a fascinating session first on the document "We believe" one of the two standards of the assembly, the other being the Confession of 1689. It being 40 years since the publication of the Affirmation it was good to hear Peter Day recount the origins of the document. Stephen Rees then compared the 1689 and 1966 documents showing how the latter is a shorter more relevant document in modern language. I have never looked seriously at the 1966 Affirmation as it includes a strict view of communion, not my position. However, that is a mistake on my part as there are many good things in it clearly.

That fist session ran over slightly but we were able to get back on track for the final session when Jonathan Chell of Ramsey preached very helpfully from Psalm 23 to close the conference and bringing us back eventually to where we started off.

Assembly plans to gather again in the same place (Hayes Centre, Swanwick) next year, May 9-11. More here.

GBA 2013 Wednesday Morning 1

Our opening session was on that ever popular verse 1 Corinthians 9:22 and the speaker was Stephen Rees. It was very helpful.
He began by giving examples where people have used the verse to argue that
1. We must adopt our message

2. We must adopt our methods

3. We must also apply the principle to the structure and worship of our churches

Without expressing his opinion on the conclusions drawn, Stephen contested the use of 1 Corinthians 9:22 to support them. Paul's point rather is that although you may have the right to do a thing that does not mean that it is right to do it. Paul uses himself as an example of a man who has curtailed his own freedoms in order to serve others, especially those he is seeking to win to Christ. He is not saying he changes the message or method or does nothing in worship that will offend the Jews. Rather, he is talking about personal lifestyle. When he is mixing with Jews, he keeps the Jewish rules and when he is with Gentiles he does not. He refuses to maintain his personal preferences. He is not therefore willing to do anything. He is free not to have a wife but he is not free to be polygamous, say. In Paul's case he is a missionary and so he is thinking of not offending the unbeliever. In the case of the Corinthians the chief concern is fellow believers. Today, we have to think of both sorts when we make lifestyle choices.

Believers

1. Issues where the danger is that a Christian is tempted into doing what is against the other's conscience (eg inviting certain people to drink alcohol or watch a video)

2. Issues where the danger is that your lifestyle tempts other Christians to unhelpful reactions (eg rich people being ostentatious or the poor making the rich feel bad)

3. Issues where the danger is that a wedge is driven between you and others in the church (eg Facebook or non-Facebook)

4. Issues where the danger is that cultural differences become a cause of tension

Unbelievers

1. Issues where the danger is that the unbeliever's sin is condoned

2. Issues where the danger is that your lifestyle choices produce in unbelievers unhelpful reactions

3. Issues where the danger is that a wedge is driven between you and the unbeliever

4. Issues where the danger is that cultural differences become a cause of tension

Taking Paul's words seriously is going to affect every decision we make. it is not easy.
As for the message, we have to preach the gospel however offensive it may be (cf Christ urging the Jews to eat his blood, Paul preaching Christ crucified).
As for the method, again Jesus and Paul are willing to be countercultural at many points (cf Christ putting others above his family, eating the Passover with his friends not his family; Paul not cutting his hair at Corinth and working as a tentmaker)

Notice too that Paul was happy to be counter-cultural in many ways, eg no female leadership, no frenzied worship, slaves and masters on equal footing.

What should we aim at? Obeying God's commands. That covers a lot but not everything. Man is created in God's image and all cultural practices are to be judged as to whether they are Godlike. Our aim is to be as like God as we can not as like the world as we can.

Westminster Conference 2011 Day 1

We are at a new venue for the Westminster Conference this year. The Salvation Army Hall on Oxford Street is centrally located and well kept, light and airy. We had a little problem with acoustics but nothing that could not be overcome. Numbers were a little disappointing as we did not reach the hundred mark this time. We had good papers though and decent discussion.

1. Bob Letham on Christian Liberty and the Westminster Confession.

Bob began by pointing out two major factors influencing the Westminster Confession's statements regarding Christian liberty - the repression in the archepiscopate of William Laud and antinomianism. he also confessed that there is not much regarding Chapter 20 in the extant minutes except for the fourth and final section where Independents questioned the role of the magistrate. The location of the chapter is significant, coming as it does after the chapter on the law and before that on worship.

He then worked through the four sections under the headings - the basis, heart, boundaries and defence of Christian liberty, finishing with a section on the practice of Christian liberty and considering the Assembly debates on the logistics of The Lord's Supper, days of thanksgiving, etc. 

2. Knox Hyndman on the covenanters

He began by explaining how after the Reformation Scotland uniquely entered into covenant with God as a nation on the Old Testament model of Israel in 1581 and 1638, not forgetting the Solemn League and Covenant with England in 1643. Under four headings he outlined covenanter principles and practice, the demands of absolutism that led them in the direction they went, the Restoration period in particular when a third of the clergy were ejected and the legitimacy of revolution. They eventually split on  protester, resolutioner lines (differing over how much power should be given to the King in the ordering of church affairs) but were all disappointed in part with the settlement of 1689.

3. Stephen Rees on Obadiah Holmes

We reported on Stephen's paper on this man at the assembly some time ago. This fresh paper illuminated the subject well. It was especially helpful to have the differences between the Plymouth and Massachusetts colonies explained in detail.

So a good day on subjects increasingly relevant to us today.

Westminster Prog 2011 Day 1

These are the details for the first day of the Westminster Conference in December.

Double click the pic if you need it enlarged.

Grace Assembly 09

The programmes for the next Grace Assembly, May 19-21, are now out. Hope you can read some of the detail. (Try double clicking pics).