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... Read more
It was wonderful today to see my dear friend as he skillfully pastored his own people today. I wanted to share with you some notes from his sermon. The greatest sermons are not the greatest expositions but the sermons that are lived. It doesn’t do any good to simply know what Gods word says we have to live it. If we believe truly that Jesus is the only way we should love everybody. We should want everyone Muslim, atheist or... Read more
I had only read a partial transcript of this portion of the Strange Fire conference before, as during the event I watched some sessions live and read transcripts of others. Someone recently sent me a link to this YouTube clip and I was again shocked and horrified. I really feel that more than almost anything else this clip demonstrates the reason for my concern about MacArthur’s comments in the conference and book. I keep thinking I am done with all... Read more
The Strange Fire online conversation seems to just run and run. In the latest significant intervention, RT Kendall, who was a successor to Lloyd-Jones at Westminster Chapel has written an open letter to MacArthur: I have admired you as an able writer and speaker for years. I have not only read your book Strange Fire but listened to your talks as well as the panel discussions at your recent conference. I am as reformed theologically as you are and can... Read more
I wanted to share some very personal reflections here. This is a bit in-house so if you are a new reader from the Global Faith Forum you may want to move along, especially if you are from another faith. But it was ironic to me that just as we were talking about how people from different faiths can disagree but still get along, we seem to be having some difficulties getting along with some people within our own faith. So... Read more
The final session had the following panel SUHAIL KHAN ANDY BRANER AZHAR AZEEZ DAVE GIBBONS KEVIN BROWN We need to work to bring faith back to the public square. We can reach out locally and around the world as faith groups to partner with communities to make a difference. Allowing for a clash of cultures can lead to innovation. It is important for us to get out of our churches and serve the world. It is important for us to... Read more
Today’s session included the following speakers: AYATOLLAH AHMAD IRAVANI RICK LOVE RASHAD HUSSAIN DOUGLAS JOHNSTON TOM DINE The Ayatollah explained that he is now an American citizen and feels like he has Iran as a mother, and America as a father, but that they are not getting on well at the moment. He feels his role is to try and be a bridge of understanding between the two. Many Jews want peace with Iran. Tom Dine, a leading Jew stated... Read more
This afternoon’s panel included the following speakers RABBI YITZCHOK ADLERSTEIN, GOVERNOR DAVID BEASLEY A. LARRY ROSS MARK GALLI RICK LOVE SUHAIL KHAN They were each asked what their message is. For all of them they wanted to promote peace and understanding between people of faith. As Bob Roberts keeps stressing this does NOT mean that we compromise our faith, nor does it mean that we pretend we agree. Bob keeps saying here that he longs for everybody to follow Jesus.... Read more
Here at the Global Faith Forum we had another fascinating session where the peace efforts between Jews and Arabs were discussed. I chose to listen rather than write. But Scott Beebe has posted his notes here. The session addressed ideas and research which is explained more fully in the website Is Peace Possible?. Bob Roberts acknowledged that Evangelicals have often been biased towards the Jews. He said it was important that we were both pro Israeli and pro Palestinian. Read more
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