Here are a few things on the blog about Luther:

• Luther’s Conversion
• Luther on Reading Books
• The First of Luther’s 95 Theses
• Theology For All Conference (2006) with Carl Trueman
• Book Review of John Piper’s Legacy of Sovereign Joy, including a chapter on Luther and link to an MP3 talk about his life.

Probably some of Luther’s most famous words go something like this:

.. my conscience is captive to the Word of God … here I stand I can do no other, God help me, Amen. Martin Luther, Diet of Worms, 1521

Thanks to ReformationArt.com for the picture of Martin Luther.

And that passage in Gregory of Nazianzus vastly delights me: “I cannot think on the one [God] without quickly being encircled by the splendor of the three [Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit] nor can I discern the three [Persons] without being straightway carried back to the one [God]“.

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, I.xiii.17, Vol 1, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles, (Westminster John Knox Press, 2006), p. 141

October 17th, 2008

REFORM PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR GAFCON MOVEMENT

Reform, the 1,700-strong conservative evangelical network, has pledged support for the initiatives of GAFCON at its annual conference in London.

Revd Rod Thomas, Reform’s chairman, welcomed the clear Biblical leadership given by the GAFCON Primates at the Jerusalem meeting in June 2008, saying that there “we saw what an Anglicanism united in the Gospel and dedicated to mission could look like.”

He highlighted two key areas for Reform in the coming year: developing alternative oversight and growing gospel fellowships.

“Seeking alternative oversight is not necessarily a confrontational act,” he said. “Many Reform members work well with their Bishops, and they need our support not our rebuke.” He encouraged the House of Bishops to develop “English solutions” for the provision of alternative oversight for 25 congregations in the UK who are currently in impaired communion with or being denied oversight from their bishop, and for many others who would be unwilling to receive oversight from a female bishop in the future. However he also warned that “we must take forward the agenda of alternative oversight even if the Church of England cannot currently find a way to accommodate it”.

Concerning growing gospel fellowships he encouraged Reform members to co-operate with other evangelical and orthodox Anglicans to build on the “huge momentum” created by the UK church leaders briefing on GAFCON on July 1st at All Souls church in London. “Co-operation won’t be possible on every issue,” he said “but we now have a unique opportunity to encourage one another in gospel partnership.”

Reform council member Revd Paul Perkin urged church councils as well as individuals to declare their support for the Jerusalem Declaration, the statement issued by GAFCON as the theological basis of the movement and also announced plans to form a Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans in the UK.

The conference voted overwhelmingly to pass three resolutions:

1. This conference welcomes the outcome of GAFCON, pledges the support of Reform for the resulting initiatives and calls on evangelicals in the Church of England to show more courage in promoting the gospel and resisting heretical teaching.
2. This conference recognizes that when bishops accommodate themselves to heretical teaching they deny the faith and therefore abandon their sees. In these circumstances it is vital that alternative oversight should be provided.
3. This conference calls on the House of Bishops to recognize that pursuing the General Synod resolution on the preparation of legislation to allow the consecration of women bishops will permanently damage and narrow the Church of England. We urge the house to prevent this by presenting alternative proposals to the General Synod to preserve the ministry of those who maintain a Biblically orthodox position.

The conference also pledged its unanimous support to the parishes in Vancouver who are facing legal battles with the Diocese of New Westminster as follows:

We the undersigned as active clergy and lay members of the Church of England stand with those parishes in Vancouver that are part of the Anglican Network in Canada, affirming that they are authentically Anglican.

An on-line petition has been established for those who wish to support this:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/cofe-supporters-of-vancouver-parishes.html

*End*

Revd Paul Dawson
Reform Media Officer
020 8432 4036 or 07791 495824.
media@reform.org.uk

Richard Perkins was at the conference and offers some thoughts here:

• Reflections (Part 1) on the Conference
• On Jonathan Fletcher’s opening talk on Nehemiah 8 and Spiritual Reformation 
• (Click here for Bible passage)

He is possibly best known for his sermon Sinners In The Hands of An Angry God. To Celebrate his 300th anniversary in 2003 Mark Dever of Capitol Hill Baptist Church preached this sermon. You can download the MP3 for free here.

To celebrate his 305th birthday, the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University have launched WJE 2.0 – the Works of Jonathan Edwards Online where a significant number of his writings can be read for free.

John Piper has written a few words: Jonathan Edwards’ Birthday - which alerted me to his birthday and finally, here is something from Edwards himself:

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration …

Jonathan Edwards, Resolutions (1722-1723)

Thanks to ReformationArt for the portrait of Edwards.

http://www.free-online.org.uk/

In case you were wondering what a Christian Union is – Dave Bish has highlighted this video explaining just that: What is a Christian Union?

Books Require More Reflection From the Reader

Books Are the Result of Much Reflection By the Writer

Books Bring Accountability

Mark Altrogge, Read Books Not Blogs, The Blazing Center

Why not have a read – and then go a find a good book! If you’re not sure where to start, why not have a look at the little series on reading Christian books or even some book reviews. Then go and find a good book.

What is the Gospel? by Mark Dever (1:51 mins) 

What is the Gospel? by John Piper (3:34 mins)

What is the Gospel Coalition? with Don Carson, Mark Dever, Philip Ryken, Tim Keller, Joshua Harris, Thabiti Anyabwile, CJ Mahaney and John Piper (7:45 mins)

Here in the UK the regional Gospel Partnerships have been a good encouragement.