Lord Carey has been quoted as saying that the English church is in danger of dying out within a generation. The newspapers are delighted as there is nothing most of them would like more than to report the death of the last parishioner who'd stubbornly kept the last church in my country open. The vast drop in church attendance in the last fifty years is wheeled out as ammunition.There's just two problems with this argument. The first is that a quick perusal of what Lord Carey really said … [Read more...]
A Muslim, a Christian, and a Jew walked into a church in Texas . . .
November 15, 2013 by 1,787 Comments
I am here in Texas, in the heart of the Bible Belt. I have met here not just one Muslim, Christian and Jew but a number, and I believe there are Buddhists here also. The speaker list is quite impressive.I’ve already realized that this Global Faith Forum is going to be unlike any other event I have ever attended. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some very interesting people already. These are just some of them:A Christian who is serving in Iraq to help in the provision of specialist hea … [Read more...]
WATCH Billy Graham’s Final Sermon
November 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment
There is a man who, for decades longer than most readers of this blog have been alive, has defined evangelicalism, inspired multitudes, preached the true gospel to millions, met with every president of the USA since the end of World War Two, and is in short without doubt the most respected evangelist the English-speaking world has ever known.I am of course talking about Billy Graham who has just turned 95. If you can watch this video without being profoundly moved, you have no heart!Find a … [Read more...]
Are there apostles today?
November 6, 2013 by 8 Comments
I am nearing the end of my series on Strange Fire. It may feel interminable for some, but believe me when I get the bit between my teeth, sometimes I keep at it a lot longer than I will have done on this!Today I turn to an argument that MacArthur uses against the charismatic movement. He takes some of the odd things some people say and do about the idea of apostles today and rightly rejects that. But again he fails to interact with more responsible groups who do believe in apostles today. … [Read more...]
Healing Today
November 5, 2013 by 13 Comments
MacArthur's argument against the gift of healing seen in his book Strange Fire is an interesting one to me. He seems to distinguish between the idea that God can and still does heal today in response to our prayers, and the concept of the gift of healing. (See James 5:14-15).He does this in several ways. Firstly, he believes that the "Gift" of healing was given exclusively to accredit the Apostles, something which as I said in a previous post, I just don't see as the case allowing for the … [Read more...]
See you in Texas? Come and join the global marketplace for Faith
October 30, 2013 by 3,364 Comments
The vision of Patheos.com who are kind enough to host this blog is to "host the conversation on faith." I outlined in my first ever post on the site why I was thrilled to join in. We really do live in a global village, and so it is vital that we learn how to really listen to each other, and show true respect. Sometimes that mutual respect and understanding is absent in conversations even with those in our own faith (resisting the temptation to give an example...but regular readers will know … [Read more...]
How a generation of Evangelicals failed to colonise TV
October 29, 2013 by 22 Comments
The Reformers commandeered the printing press to great effect in the battle of ideas. In the past 20 years, Evangelicals have also invaded the Internet, publishing a multitude of gospel-centered blogs, sermons, and magazine sites. Unfortunately the generation that came before ours signally failed to colonise TV.I have now finished reading Strange Fire. I want to address the topic of what is on Christian TV before I get back to my series of posts aiming to counter each biblical argument (see … [Read more...]
Help Christian brothers and sisters injured and bereaved in Pakistan church bombing
October 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment
As I was growing up I had some sense that God was calling me to some form of mission. I had no idea that would involve writing a blog which is read around the world, and serving on the leadership team of a church with around 70 nationalities represented. But I had a sense I needed to learn something about cross-cultural ministry. I was raised in two areas of the UK which at the time were filled almost exclusively with indigenous people. I remember praying, "God you are going to have to send me … [Read more...]
Strange Fire: Radio MP3 and Questions for cessationists
October 22, 2013 by 6 Comments
The MP3 of the radio chat I had yesterday is available. It is in two segments Michael Brown speaks first to Phil Johnson and then to myself and Sam Storms. I think that it should make interesting reading.During the chat I posed four questions for cessationists that I think help to determine whether you are a moderate cessationist, or one who doesn't accept any experiences of God as valid. I explain in my book that a vibrant sense of a relationship with God was once very broadly accepted. … [Read more...]
Strange Fire – A Charismatic Response to John MacArthur
October 19, 2013 by 2,002 Comments
See also the following posts: Strange Fire – A Charismatic Response to John MacArthur My review of the book Strange Fire: MacAthur accuses charismatics of being like Mormons John Piper responds to John MacArthur’s Strange Fire Conference RT Kendall responds to MacArthur’s Strange FireChristians have a long history of disagreeing with each other over doctrine. There is nothing new about that. Sometimes that disagreement can get quite heated. So for example, in the time when Wesley a … [Read more...]
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