Category: Church
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Hearing her Voice – Some Personal Reflections by Dani Treweek
After my recent interactive book review, it was also worth including these reflections sent to me by Dani Treweek, a friend and colleague involved in Anglican ministry in Sydney. Dani is the Women’s Ministry Trainer and Coordinator at St Matthias Anglican Church, Centennial Park. She joined the St Matthias staff team in 2009 after graduating…
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“Teaching” in the pastoral letters and today: a brief reply
This post is the fourth (and, for the moment, final) instalment in a kind of “interactive book review” of John Dickson’s Hearing Her Voice: A Case for Women Giving Sermons. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a response to John’s book, entitled “What’s happening to our preaching?” John then wrote a reply entitled “In Defence of Inadequate…
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“In Defence of Inadequate Books on Preaching”: John Dickson replies to my critique of Hearing Her Voice
John Dickson has recently written a book, published as an eBook by American company Zondervan, entitled Hearing Her Voice: A Case for Women Giving Sermons. Last week on this site, I wrote a response to John’s book entitled “What’s happening to our preaching?” John wanted to provide a substantial reply to my response. He has requested me to post…
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What’s happening to our preaching? A response to John Dickson: Hearing Her Voice: A Case for Women Giving Sermons
Update (2015): A lot of discussion has occurred since I wrote this review – including a book-length response. See here for a detailed history of the discussion, with links. On Boxing Day 2012,* a series of electronic booklets called “Fresh Perspectives on Women in Ministry” was released by Zondervan. One of these booklets was written by…
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With gratitude for a rich (and ongoing) biblical and theological legacy – Moore College
A short quiz: Which seminary lecturer described his course this way (and when)? the course quickly developed into an introduction to the theology of the Bible as a whole … ‘the church’ as such was subsumed under the wider theme of God’s creative purpose for Adam, his promise to Abraham and his seed, the elect…
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Anglicanism for dummies (and for everyone else)
Don’t let the dusty-sounding title of Ashley Null’s paper, 16th Century Anglican Ecclesiology, put you off. It’s a devotional, deep, rich, concise yet scholarly account of the roots of the Church of England by one of the most well-respected experts in the field. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to understand this very…
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Jedi masters and the body of Christ
From The Briefing: I’m about to use Yoda as a model for Christian love. If you haven’t seen the Star Wars movies, you’ll probably be mystified by what I’m about to say. This is not the article you’re looking for. Our home group recently spent a few weeks discussing Christian love. We were focusing on…
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The olive tree is not about Gentiles joining Israel (Romans 11:17-24)
A short while ago I wrote a post claiming that Paul doesn’t ever teach that the Gentiles are included in Israel. I said: Gentiles don’t need to be included in Israel. In fact, the opposite is true; we Gentiles are saved by faith in Christ without being included in Israel. That’s one of the apostle…
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Are the Gentiles included in Israel?
Μὴ γένοιτο! No way! Gentiles don’t need to be included in Israel. In fact, the opposite is true; we Gentiles are saved by faith in Christ without being included in Israel. That’s one of the apostle Paul’s big points in Romans and Galatians. We are, of course, included in the promises given to Abraham (Rom…
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The Individual and the Community in Paul
It’s been a concern of mine for some time that a number of New Testament scholars such as Tom Wright take an approach to justification in Paul which subordinates individual issues (such as personal sin, guilt and salvation) to communal concerns. The same is true in some scholarly approaches to Paul’s use of the word…
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The Greatest Expectations
On the Sola Panel: Once I got to church on time, but God arrived 20 minutes late. On the other hand, occasionally I’ve been to church and God didn’t manage to turn up at all. At least, that’s the impression you’d form if you judged by expectations. The times I remember when nobody expected God…
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The Gospel and Ageing
From the Sola Panel What is the most polite way to refer to an old person? Have you noticed how the words we collectively use to refer to old people in the media and in private conversation keep changing? It’s a strange process. We start using a word or phrase, for example, ‘old man’, ‘old…
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Replacing the Spirit with the sacraments
I’ve been listening recently to an online lecture series called Space, Time, [Matter] and Sacraments. The speaker (an influential Church of England Bishop called N. T. Wright) posed some very important questions. For example: How is the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection made “real” to us in our own lives now? How is…
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What is this thing we call the local church?
Lionel Windsor (2005) I’m thinking of asking a dangerous question. It’s a question that I need to ask, but the very act of asking it threatens to lead me astray. The question is this: ‘What is St. Blogg’s?’ This may seem like a strange question, but let me explain why I need to ask it,…
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Women Preaching to Mixed Adult Congregations: A detailed reading of 1 Timothy 2:8-15 in reply to John Stott’s position
The issue of women preaching to mixed adult congregations is one that has caused a lot of consternation in ‘evangelical circles’ in recent times. There is a common argument that women should preach to mixed adult congregations that proceeds along the following lines: Different scholars and respected authorities disagree on the interpretation of the relevant…
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The Bible alone: what does that mean in practice?
This is an imaginary dialogue between a Roman Catholic and an Evangelical written to help Christians better understand the Reformation principle of “Scripture Alone”. “Let my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word.” (Ps 119:169) (Nigel’s words are from an anonymous pamphlet written and distributed by a Roman Catholic…