Cheltenham PTS Meeting "Sharper than any two-edged sword"

Next Tuesday I'm due to speak at a Protestant Truth Society meeting at Cheltenham Evangelical Free Church. Here's the low down: 

Preaching to the Saints (4)

The final part of my talk on Preaching to the Saints, given at the PTS Preachers Conference on Saturday 16th October.

III. How we should preach to the saints

1. Before we preach anything to the saints we first of all need to preach it to ourselves

The task of preaching is not simply to give doctrinal instruction to the church, but to enable the people of God to understand and feel the truth of Scripture in order to practice it. Preaching will not be a lecture. It will be a living engagement between the preacher and the congregation. The preacher is to think and feel his way into the text so that his preaching becomes a living performance of the message. This does not mean that the preacher "play acts" his sermon. But he must reflectively apply the sermon to himself before he preaches it to others. The preacher will be dramatically involved in the proclamation of the gospel. He will think it, feel it, live it. How can a man preach effectively on the love of God at Calvary if he has no theological understanding of the cross as an atoning sacrifice? How can he preach the sufferings of Christ without being emotionally involved? As Bunyan once put it, "I preached what I smartingly did feel." How can a man preach a message of forgiving love unless his life is shaped by the gospel? Preaching should be an enactment of the drama of redemption - a revelatory event where God's Word is proclaimed to his people in the life-transforming power of the Spirit.

This is what John Owen had some searching things to say on this,

Preaching in the demonstration of the Spirit, which men so much quarrel about, is nothing less than the evidence in preaching of unction... No man preaches that sermon well to others that doth not first preach it to his own heart; for unless he finds the power of it in his own heart, he cannot have confidence that it will have power in the hearts of others. It is an easier thing to bring our heads to preach than our hearts to preach. To bring our hearts to preach is to be transformed into the power of these truths: or to find the power of them, both before, in fashioning our minds and hearts, and in delivering them, that we may have benefit; and to be acted with zeal for God and compassion for the souls of men. A man may preach every day in the week and not have his heart engaged once.

2. We should preach to the saints because we love them and have prayed for them

The task of the pastor-teacher is to preach the Word, but that is not our only task. It is not even our main task, Acts 6:4. Love the people. Engage in pastoral visitation. Get to know your people and let them see that you care for them. Let your preaching be informed by what you know of your people with all their trials and temptations. But don’t use what you have found out in a pastoral visit as ammunition for Sunday’s sermon. If you do that they won’t open up to you again. The people of God will let you get away with a lot, Sundays when the sermon falls flat etc, if they know that you love them and that you pray for them. Like Paul, may we be able to say, “the love of Christ constrains us”. 2 Cor 5:14.

3. We should seek to be as interesting and engaging as we possibly can

While I have emphasised that we must preach biblical doctrine, I don’t mean that we should serve up unreconstructed dollops of Berkhof. Our preaching should be accessible and engaging. Work out a clear and easy to follow structure. Include stories, anecdotes and illustrations not for their own sake, but to illuminate the truth. Even use humour when appropriate. Unless we are engaging our people so that we keep their attention, we aren’t doing them any good at all. Maintaining eye contact will help. Don’t read your sermon verbatim. Look ‘em in the eye and preach!

4. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to preach to the saints

In our preaching we must consciously depend upon the work of the Holy Spirit. As Spurgeon ascended the pulpit steps at the Metropolitan Tabernacle,  he repeated the words of the creed, “I believe in the Holy Ghost”. It is not enough simply to expound God's Word. If preaching is to do anything, the Holy Spirit must be at work in both preacher and congregation. This is why the New Testament does not see preaching simply in terms of an accurate declaration of the truth, but a Holy Spirit empowered event (1 Corinthians 2:1-5, 1 Thessalonians 1:5, 1 Peter 1:12).

The Spirit's empowering presence enables preachers to proclaim the Lord Jesus with boldness, liberty and life-transforming effectiveness. His presence makes preaching an event where the God of the gospel is encountered in all the fullness of his grace and power.

That is what we need when we preach the Word of God to the people of God.

Preaching to the Saints (3)

In this extract from my talk on Preaching to the Saints, given at the PTS Preachers Conference on Saturday 16th October, we're looking at point II. What we should preach to the saints.

4. Preach the whole counsel of God

Under this heading (see here) I suggested that some truths call for special emphasis. Here they are:

1) Behold your God!

Preach God not as the conclusion reached after examining the evidence, but as the basic presupposition of your ministry. "In the beginning God" - Genesis 1:1. That is the starting point for Christian preaching, Isaiah 40:8. Preach God in his love, wisdom, justice, sovereignty, omnipotence etc. It was said of George Whitefield that he made God seem big.

If we are to preach as specifically Christian preachers then we must preach God the Trinity. This means more than simply marshalling the “proof texts” to give our people ammo to fire against "Jehovah's Witnesses". We need to expound what its means to have fellowship with the Triune God. Look at John Owen on Communion with God for help on how to do this. Read the Epistle to the Ephesians and see how Paul's thought is so deeply trinitarian. Draw on the creedal heritage of the church as you preach the Trinity, confessing that in the one being of God there are three persons and that the three persons share the same divine essence.

The external acts of the Trinity are undivided so everything that God does in the world is an act of the Triune God. The Father created all things by his Word through his Spirit. Redemption too is the work of the Trinity. But this does not simply mean that the Father planned salvation, which was accomplished by the Son and is applied by the Spirit. The Son and Spirit were also involved in planning salvation. When the Son became Man, he was sent into the world by the Father, being born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Spirit. At the cross the Son offered himself to God by the eternal Spirit. Penal substitutionary atonement does not involve "cosmic child abuse", because if the Father gave his Son to the suffering of the cross, then the Son also loved us and willingly gave himself for us. In the application of redemption, we are not only to think in terms of the work of the Spirit, but that the Father unites believers to Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Baptism, the Christian initiatory rite is Trinitarian, Matthew 28:19-20. Prayer is fellowship with the Triune God, Ephesians 2:13. Glory will involve seeing God the Father, being forever with Jesus the Lord in the resurrection power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

Behold your God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

2) Union with Christ

Consideration of the ordo salutis or the order of salvation is one of the staples of Reformed systematic theology. Salvation is described as a "golden chain" with one link in the redemptive process leading inevitably to another. Thus it is held that regeneration logically precedes faith and it is on believing in Christ that the sinner lays hold in justifying grace and so on. This is all well and good, but the impression can be left that salvation is received in well ordered, yet discrete bits and pieces.

While Paul sketches out something like a traditional ordo salutis in Romans 8:30, the ordo in this sense is not the organising principle of his theology of salvation. The apostle is far more interested in the historia salutis, that is in salvation accomplished by the death and resurrection of Christ. The central feature of Paul's theology is that Christ died for our sins and was raised from the dead, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. Salvation is received not in discrete bits and pieces, but whole and entire on the believer's union with Christ crucified and risen. This is the organising principle of Paul's concept of salvation. Richard Gaffin writes, "The central soteriological reality is union with the exalted Christ by Spirit-created faith. That is the nub, the essence of the way or order of salvation for Paul."

On being united to Christ by faith the believer receives what Calvin called the double benefit of justification and sanctification. It is in him that we are declared righteous and set apart to God as holy. This is why Rome is wrong to suggest that justification by faith alone leads to antinomianism.

When it comes to election, Calvin made much of the fact that we were “chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world” Ephesians 1:4. The Reformer counselled those who were doubtful of their election not to look within for signs of grace, but to look to Christ as the “mirror of our election”.

But if we are elected in him, we cannot find the certainty of our election in ourselves; and not even in God the Father, if we look at him apart from the Son. Christ, then, is the mirror in which we ought, and in which, without deception, we may contemplate our election. For since it is into his body that the Father has decreed to ingraft those whom from eternity he wished to be his, that he may regard as sons all whom he acknowledges to be his members, if we are in communion with Christ, we have proof sufficiently clear and strong that we are written in the Book of Life". (Institutes III:24:5)

What we say about living the Christian life in our preaching must always be in the context of the believer’s union with Christ. In grammatical terms this is all about understanding the relationship between the indicative and the imperative. The indicative is a statement of truth – it indicates or describes something, “The water in the swimming pool is clear and warm”. The imperative issues a command, “Jump in the water and have a swim.” As Gresham Machen said, “Christianity begins with a triumphant indicative...[it] announces, first a gracious act of God.”

Look at how Paul works this out in Colossians 3:1, 3:3. The believer has died with Christ to the old life of sin and has been raised with him to a new life of holiness. That is the “triumphant indicative” describing the reality of our position in Christ. But we can’t leave it there. The indicative gives rise to the commanding imperative: because you are dead to sin and alive to God – “Therefore…”, Colossians 3:5.

Notice that we are not told that we must die with Christ and be raised with him. That is not something we can do. God does that for us as he unites us to Christ by the Spirit. But as those who are dead to sin and alive to God, believers must put sin to death and bring holiness to life.

Our union with Christ in his death and resurrection gives rise to the essential pattern of the Christian life, which is that of mortification (putting to death) and vivification (bringing to life). “You died” (Colossians 3:3) “therefore put to death” (Colossians 3:5). “You were raised” (Colossians 3:1) therefore bring holiness to life (Romans 6:11-13, 22). Alternatively, Paul speaks in terms of "putting off" sin and "putting on" holiness, Colossians 3:8, 3:12.

Setting the Christian life in this context means that we must always emphasise that the dynamic for holy living is the believer’s union with Christ in his death and resurrection. Apart from him we can do nothing. It is only by abiding in him that the believer will bear fruit to the glory of God. The Christian life is a gospel-driven life, Romans 6:11ff.

3) Church life

One of the hallmarks of our culture is rampant individualism. However, in being united to Christ as individuals, we also become members of his body the church. It is in the church that the means of grace are administered to enable believers to grow. It is in the church that our gifts are identified and then used for the building up of the saints.

Calvin had some very harsh things to say about those who cut themselves off from church life,

when the preaching of the gospel is reverently heard, and the sacraments are not neglected, there…the face of the Church appears without deception or ambiguity and no man may with impunity spurn her authority, or reject her admonitions, or resist her counsels, or make sport of her censures, far less revolt from her, and violate her unity. For such is the value which the Lord sets on the communion of his Church, that all who alienate themselves from any Christian society, in which the true ministry of his word and sacraments is maintained, he regards as deserters of religion... Therefore there is the more necessity to beware of a dissent so iniquitous; for seeing by it we aim as far as in us lies at the destruction of God’s truth, we deserve to be crushed by the full thunder of his anger. (Institutes IV:I:10)

The Westminster Directory of Public Worship states,

When the congregation is to meet for public worship, the people (having prepared theirn hearts thereunto) ought to all come, and join therein; not absenting themselves from public ordinances through negligence, or upon pretence of private meetings

Preach the importance of belonging to a local church and of serving the Lord in that context. A believer who does not belong to a congregation of the saints is an anomaly. Sheep belong in a flock. To disrupt the unity of the church is to fail to walk in a way that is worthy of the Lord, Ephesians 4:1-6. A concerned minister once told R. B. Jones, principal of Porth Bible School, about a somewhat fractious church in South Wales. The fellowship had suffered division after division and one man had left the church and was meeting on his own. R.B. quipped, "The Lord help him if he has a split!"

4) Resurrection hope

The ultimate hope for the believer is not to die and go to heaven. The overwhelming emphasis of New Testament eschatology is not on life after death, but on what happens after life after death, namely the resurrection of the dead, John 6, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4.

Preaching the resurrection hope will inspire believers to serve the Lord,  1 Corinthians 15:58, It will enable the saints to face suffering with joy, Romans 8:18-22, 2 Cor 4:13-18. Point the people of God to their final home in the new creation, 2 Peter 3.

Preach the whole counsel of God, but preach the truth in a biblically proportionate way, giving special attention to the stand-out truths of biblical revelation.

5. The applicatory emphasis of our preaching should be as varied as Scripture

2 Timothy 3:16-17. Don't think of yourself as having a “warning ministry” or as a “devotional preacher”. Ask what is the drift of the text on which you are preaching? What is God saying and doing in the passage? If it is "Remember Lot’s wife" then issue a warning. If it is "love one another", then press the command. If it is the example of Christ, e.g. John 13, then urge that the saints follow their Master. Let the application flow naturally from the the communicative action of the text, then your application will carry divine authority.

Practice discriminating applicatory preaching. Preach to old and young, rich and poor, new converts and seasoned saints. The cocksure need to be humbled and the doubters brought to assurance.

6. Preach the gospel to the saints

They need to hear the good news of what God has done in Christ to rescue people from sin. The gospel is the basis of all we do and say. And it is dangerous to take the gospel for granted. When we take on arguments of unbelievers on a Sunday, we are equipping our people to give a reason for their hope in work on a Monday morning.

7. Beware of hobby horses and strange fixations

Expository preaching will help to deliver you from always harping on about your favoured doctrines, but not necessarily. Don’t be a single-issue preacher. If your big thing is Bible translation, or whatever view you hold on the millennium, then be careful not to bring your obsessions into the pulpit every time you preach.

If in your sermon prep you are struck with a dazzling insight into the text that no one has ever seen before – Matthew Henry, William Hendrickson, Don Carson, etc, it might be because it isn’t there to see. Be a little cautious before you share your “insights” with an unsuspecting congregation.

Some knowledge of the history of Christian doctrine will help you to avoid preaching heresy unawares. I mean who wants to face the accusation having Nestorian tendencies? Oh, and if you have ever said that "Jesus became a human person", the you do have Nestorian tendencies, see here.

So, this is what we should be preaching to the people of God: the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Preaching to the Saints (2)

Here is the second excerpt from my talk on Preaching to the Saints, given at the PTS Preachers Conference on Saturday 16th October.

II. What we should preach to the saints

1. Preach systematically

Not everyone reading this is in a settled pastoral ministry, so this might not apply to you. But for those of us who are, I believe that we should preach systematically through books of the Bible. Scripture is not a random jumble of odd texts, it is in the form of Books from Genesis to Revelation, and our preaching should reflect that. This was the method of John Chrysostom, Augustine, Calvin and Puritans, etc. What I’m commending is not a series of running commentaries on Bible books, but expository preaching. Each message must be each a stand alone sermon in which the text is explained and applied. One of John Murray’s students asked him, “Is it right that a sermon should have once main point?” Murray replied. “At least one.” I’m reading through Tony Blair’s A Journey at the moment. Early in the book he recalls the formative experience of hearing Tony Benn give a speech,

…there was a thread that ran throughout the speech. There was an argument. Sometimes there was digression and the thread was momentarily obscured, but always he returned and the thread was visible one more.

A sermon should have a thread, an argument, one big point that drives the whole message forward. Jay Adams says that we should be able to summarise the main point of our sermons in a snappy ten word sentence. Preach expository series on Books of the Bible. But make sure that what you are doing is expository preaching, rather than simply giving a Bible study.

2. Even one-off sermons should be expository.

Our preaching should model a careful and responsible reading of the biblical text. People should not be amazed by the things that we bring out of the text like a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat. The truth we proclaim should arise obviously from the text we are trying to expound. We should not try to fit all of the “Five Points of Calvinism” into every verse. I once heard a message on John 3:16 in which the speaker spent most of his time trying to prove limited atonement. I'm sure that when properly understood John 3:16 does not contradict the definiteness of Christ's atoning work, but surely that's not the main point of the verse. If text emphasises definite atonement – e.g. John 10:11, Eph 5:25, then preach definite atonement. But the text teaches the bigness and sufficiency of the cross, then preach that truth without embarrassment, 1 John 2:2.

3. Give the people a varied diet

Don’t just stick to the Epistles or the Gospels. I like steak and chips, but wouldn’t want to eat it every day. Variety is the spice of life. In the Bible we have narrative, poetry, prophecy, proverbs and epistles. Faithful preaching will reflect the polyphonic variety of Scripture, taking the differing biblical genres seriously. Messages based on biblical narratives should preach those narratives. The shape of the narrative must be allowed to affect the shape of the message. I once heard a preacher comment on another man's sermon, "I listened to 'so and so' preaching on David and Goliath - he mentioned it once." No doubt the preacher derived some neat, timeless principles from the text, but did he capture the richness of God's communicative action in 1 Samuel 17?

4. Preach the whole counsel of God

According to D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, preaching is “theology on fire”. If that is the case, preachers need to be on fire for theology. Some training courses for preachers simply focus on Bible handling skills. Preachers certainly need to be able handle the Bible with exegetical accuracy. We also need to be able to construct a sermon with a clear structure, attention grabbing illustrations and telling application. But without theology the message will be all style and no substance. We need to get to grips with biblical doctrine – and have a good grasp of what Paul called “the whole counsel of God” Acts 20:27.

Now, the relationship between preaching and theology, especially systematic theology may not always be immediately obvious. Charles Hodge defined systematics like this, "the exhibition of the facts of Scripture in their proper order and relation". But theological study is not simply a matter of investigating the raw materials of biblical revelation in order to draw up an neat and tidy system of truth. Theology, even systematic theology should always be preachable and practical.

John Frame proposed a better understanding of systematics saying, "theology is knowing God, and theology is the disciplined study of God." He is critical of Charles Hodge’s method suggesting that "Hodge didn't have a very clear idea of why we need theology." We need theology says Frame, "for the sake of people. Theology is the application of the Word by persons to the world and to all areas of human life." True theology is applicatory. It enables the people of God to live out the Word of God in the present day context. Similarly John Murray,

Since the Bible us the principal source of revelation and since the Bible is the Word of God, systematics is the discipline which more than any other aims to confront us men with God's own witness so that in its totality it may make that impact upon our hearts and minds by which we shall be conformed to his image in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness of the truth.

 In his The Drama of Doctrine Kevin Vanhoozer argues that the purpose of theology is to enable the people of God to play their roles in the great drama of redemption. He wants to restore the link between doctrine and practice or theology and ministry so that the ‘pastoral lamb lies down with the theological lion’. He says,

…doctrine, far from being unrelated to life, serves the church by directing its members in the project of wise living, to the glory of God. Christian doctrine directs us in the way of truth and life and is therefore no less than a prescription for reality.

So, preachers should aspire to be preacher-theologians, men who have a coherent grasp of biblical doctrine and who know how to apply the truth of God to the people of God. Reading the great works of theology will help us to be better preacher-theologians. Read Calvin’s Institutes, John Owen on Communion with God, make a start on Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics. In understanding be men! Preach the truth in all its vast dimensions.

But while we should preach the Word in all its grandeur and depth, and hold nothing back that will be profitable to the saints, there are some truths that call for special emphasis. But that's for another post...

Preaching to the Saints (1)

Here is an excerpt from my talk on Preaching to the Saints, given at the PTS Preachers Conference on Saturday 16th October.

The phrase, “Preaching to the converted” suggests that something is rather pointless. But preaching to the saints is far from pointless. In fact it is an absolutely necessity, 2 Timothy 4:1-5. In this series I want to look at: I. Why we should preach to the saints, II. What we should preach to the saints, and III. How we should preach to the saints

I. Why we should preach to the saints

There is more to preaching that simply imparting biblical information. The purpose of preaching is not simply to inform but transform. But how can we do that when all we have at our disposal is words? We need to remember that words are very powerful things, especially in the hands of God. The Bible gives us God's authoritative "speech acts". Speech act theory teaches us that words are not just words. We do things by speaking. With the exchange of words we enter into a marriage relationship. With words we may insult people or encourage them. Words do things. They are "speech acts". In terms of speech act theory, God's words in Scripture are the biblical locutions. These locutions - or units of speech have an illocutionary purpose. God does things by his words - he enters into a covenant relationship with his people, makes promises, utters warnings or issues commands. By the Spirit these illucutions are given a perlocutionary power. They actually effect something. Promises are believed, warnings heeded and commands obeyed. In our preaching we must seek to discover and proclaim God's communicative action in Scripture. God's Word is not just "words". Once proclaimed, the Word of the Lord will not return to him void, but accomplish what he pleases (Isaiah 55:11).

Bearing this in mind I want to reflect critically two current approaches to preaching; the exemplary and salvation-historical models. Both have strengths but neither is sufficient in and of itself.

Exemplary preaching stresses that practical and applicatory value of Scripture. This is, of course very important. The Bible itself uses its characters as practical examples of what to follow or avoid – “Consider the patience of Job”, “Remember Lot’s wife”. But at its worst, the exemplary method can reduce the Bible to a set of moral tales. The gospel-based dynamic for Christian living is neglected for the sake of “being practical”.

The redemptive-historical school seeks to locate particular texts within the grand sweep of Scriptural revelation. This approach has value because texts not understood in isolation from the bibles’ essential plot line. But redemptive-historical preaching sometimes has difficulty with the exemplary and practical nature of Scripture. The effect of this is that preaching may become little more than an exercise in biblical theology. This may inform believer's minds. But it falls short when it comes to practical application. In our preaching, we need to show the people of God how they are to live in the light of the gospel. Doctrine must direct practice.

By preaching, the people of God are enabled to play their roles in the drama of redemption in accordance with the biblical script. In our preaching we must bridge the gap between redemptive-historical metanarratives and the Bible's exemplary and practical teaching. It is in the light of what God has done in Christ as revealed in Scripture that believers are to model their lives on the biblical examples and obey the Lord's commands. This approach reflects the structure of many of the New Testament epistles, where a doctrinal opening section is often followed by practical exhortation and application - see Ephesians & Colossians. John Owen rightly argued that preaching

is appointed as the great means of working the souls of men into a likeness and conformity unto the Lord Jesus, or the changing of them into his image. It is appointed for the refreshment of the weary, and consolation of the sorrowful, and making wise the simple.

In the power of the Spirit, our preaching will do more than instruct and exhort. It will transform the people of God into the image of Christ. The ascended Christ has gifted the church with pastor-teachers for this very reason Ephesians 4:12-16. That is why we should preach to the saints.

Kevin Vanhoozer said,

The world is filled with therapists and managers. What the church needs now is people who can (1) articulate from the Bible the truth about God, the world, and ourselves in terms that are faithful to the Bible and intelligible in the contemporary context (2) exhort their congregations to say and do things that corresponds to the truth of Jesus Christ as attested in the Bible

PTS evangelistic leaflet: Who is Jesus?

The Protestant Truth Society has produced a couple of evangelistic leaflets written by yours truly. A number of churches use the leaflets in their door-to-door, open air and literature distribution activities. Here is an excerpt from Who is Jesus? a 10 page leaflet priced 15p, with the possibility of a discounted cost for bulk orders:

I suppose that most people would agree that Jesus Christ is the most famous and influential person in history. He lived on our planet for only 33 years, yet countless millions of people have been and are fascinated by him. The faith he founded - Christianity - has spread throughout the earth and is still changing people’s lives today.

But who is this man, who was born about 2000 years ago? He has been the subject of whole libraries full of books, yet his mysterious glory defies human analysis. Artists have been moved to honour him, but his greatness cannot be captured on canvas. Composers have written some of their greatest masterpieces in homage to Jesus but his majesty demands music the like of which we can never imagine. Poets have ransacked the whole range of human language yet their words have failed to fully express the elusive splendour of Jesus of Nazareth.

So, who is this Jesus? What can we know of a man who lived so long ago? Records of Jesus and his early followers exist in ancient Jewish and Roman texts. But the fullest and most accurate depiction of the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus is found in the Bible.

Unto us a Child is Born

The origins of Jesus’ human life are supernatural. He was born of a virgin. Mary, his mother was told by an angel:

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:35)

But Jesus’ conception by the Holy Spirit in the womb of his mother was not the beginning of his existence. As the Son of God, he eternally existed eternally with God. John opens his gospel with these thought provoking words about Jesus as the Word of God:

"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." (John 1:1)

The Bible teaches that the Son of God, equal to God in power and glory became man.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

That is why, when he was born people came to worship him. Wise men from the East sought him out and offered him their costly gifts. Poor shepherds visited the Babe "and returned glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20).

Jesus entered fully into our humanity. He became a real flesh and blood human being. As the old Christmas Carol put it "tears and smiles like us he knew”. In Jesus, God knows what it is to be human.

To request samples or place an order contact the PTS Christian Bookshop.  

PTS Preachers Conference

This year's PTS Preachers Conference is to be held on Saturday 16th October at Ebenezer, Old Hill, Cradley Heath in the West Midlands. The subjects and speakers planned are:

Preaching and the Scottish Reformation (David Carmichael)

Preaching to the saints (Guy Davies)

Preaching to the sinners (Andrew Davies)

Conference Sermon (Jeremy Brooks)

The conference runs from 9:30am to 4:30pm, and the fee of £20 includes a fish and chip lunch. To book, or for more information visit the PTS website, here.

Jeremy Brooks responds to press coverage of PTS Papal Protest

Saturday's Daily Mail included this report of the Protestant Truth Society's Papal Protest in  London on Friday afternoon,

When the Pope later arrived at Westminster Abbey, a mob of 500 Evangelical Protestants accused him of being the ‘anti-Christ’. They outnumbered and out-shouted the secular protesters whose views have dominated BBC reports. The demonstrators, from the group the Protestant Truth Society, screamed ‘Heretic’ and ‘Nazi’.

In response, Jeremy Brooks, PTS Director of Ministries has written this letter to the paper,

Dear Sir

In your weekend coverage of the Pope's visit to Britain, you published a small piece entitled Abuse victims and evangelical Protestants join in the catcalls, which reported that, "The demonstrators, from the group the Protestant Truth Society, screamed: 'Heretic' and 'Nazi'." As one of the leaders of the PTS protest, I would like to say that I never heard anyone in our group use either of those terms, and that had I done so, then I would have intervened immediately to stop them. The purpose of our peaceful protest was not to insult either the Pope or his Roman Catholic followers, but rather to highlight his false claims to be the head of the church on earth, the sovereign over the nations of the world, and that Rome's gospel is the biblical one. Biblical Protestants believe that Christ alone is both Head of the church and Sovereign over the nations, and that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in the finished work of Jesus Christ alone.

Yours faithfully

Rev. Jeremy Brooks, Protestant Truth Society

PTS Papal Protest

I'm writing this post in Starbucks, Paddington Station, in between munching on a tasty panini and slurping a nice big cup of cappucino. It's busy and the hubhub of friendly chit chat fills the air. My train isn't due to leave for home for another 30 minutes or so. Sitting here watching the world go by, it seems a million miles away from this afternoon's Papal Protest outside Westminster Abbey.

Quite a crowd gathered to cheer or jeer the pope on his arrival. Banners were unfurled and biblical texts placarded. Some chanted, 'We love the pope!', others shouted, 'Antichrist, Antchrist!'.

Me, I had several good conversations with members of the crowd and handed out some gospel literature. It was good to have fellowship with other members of the PTS. Stephen Holland interviewed me for one of his YouTube films. Jeremy Brooks, our Director of Ministries was interviewed by BBC News.

I hope that the protest was an effective witness for the gospel. A friend texted me to say that our singing sounded good on TV, so that's something.

Papal Protest

Later today I'll be heading off to London to take part in a protest against the state visit of Pope Benedict XVI. The event has been organised by the Protestant Truth Society, which exists to assist Christians and churches to stand for biblical truth in all its glory and against error in all its forms. It will be a peaceful protest. We have no wish to disrupt the Papal visit. We respect the freedom of Roman Catholics to follow their faith in this land. If they want to gather to meet the pope as he travels around the UK, that’s fine. On some matters we agree with him. For example, he is right to warn against an aggressively secular outlook that has little room for faith-based values in society. We admire Rome's strong stance on abortion, euthanasia and the unique value of heterosexual marriage.

The purpose of our protest is to bear witness to some important biblical truths that we believe are undermined by certain Roman Catholic teachings.

Doctrinal differences

Evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics share a commitment to some essential Christian truths such as the doctrine of the Trinity and that Jesus is the Son of God who became man to save us from sin. But serious differences still exist.

1. Who is the head of the Church?

According to the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church,

The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor, "is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful. For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered.(Para. 882)

We disagree with that claim. According to Scripture Christ is the sole head of the church He alone has supreme and unhindered power over the people of God, Ephesians 1:22-23. Matthew 28:18-20.

2. Who has authority over the Church?

Is it Bible plus the Pope making infallible pronouncements as Rome says, or is it  solely the Holy Spirit  speaking in the Scriptures?

3. What happens at the Lord’s Supper?

At the heart of Roman faith and worship is the Mass. Rome teaches that the bread and wine at the Lord's Table are "transubstantiated" into the body and blood of Christ. At the Mass the priest re-offers the sacrifice of Christ. We believe that the Lord's Supper is a fellowship meal where the people of God eat bread and drink wine as symbols of the incarnation and sacrificial death of Christ. We feed upon Christ by faith as he is present among his people by the power of the Holy Spirit. There is no need to re-offer Christ's sacrifice as he atoned for sin once and for all at Calvary.

4. How may be come into the presence of God?

According to Rome the faithful may enter the presence of God through intermediaries such as the Pope, priests, Mary and the saints. We believe that Jesus Christ is the sole mediator between God and men, 1 Timothy 2:5. Only by his obedience, blood and intercession may we draw near to the Father by the presence of the Spirit.

We think that it is worth bearing witness to these biblical truths that are undermined by Roman Catholic teaching.

Political

 The pope's visit also has political implications. In the past popes exercised huge political power in Europe and beyond. Famously it was the pope who refused to allow Henry VIII to divorce Catherine of Aragon, which led to Henry’s breech with Rome. Even today the pope wields political power as head of the Vatican City State. The Vatican has diplomatic relations with 178 countries and has a permanent diplomatic mission to the EU. We think that this is problematic, because the church was founded not to wield political power, but to preach the good news of Jesus to the world and nurture the followers of Christ. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world”.

When Pope John Paul II visited the UK in 1982 he came simply to encourage the Catholic faithful. But Pope Benedict XVI is here on a formal state visit. This throws up all kinds of constitutional issues for our Protestant nation. At her Coronation Oath Her Majesty the Queen swore to uphold,

the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel… [and] maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law

But only recently the pope was making overtures to disaffected Church of England clergymen, tempting them to convert to Rome over the issue of women bishops, much to the annoyance of the Archbishop of Canterbury. That puts the Queen as supreme governor of the Church of England in a very difficult position.

The reason why the monarch cannot be a Roman Catholic is not a matter of religious discrimination. It is to save the UK’s head of state from a conflict of interest. Our sovereign should not be subject to the authority of another head of state, namely the pope.

We hope to highlight these issues by holding a peaceful protest this afternoon at The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Broad Sanctuary, Westminster, see here.

I discussed the Papal Visit with Matthew Smith on the this morning's BBC Radio Wiltshire breakfast programme. You might be able to catch the interview on BBC iPlayer, when it becomes available, here. It was broadcast around 7.45am, approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes into the programme.

The State has no right to act as if it were the head of the Church (1)

The Pharisees were out to ambush Jesus. The killer questions was, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or nor?” The dilemma for Jesus was this. If he said, “Of course not, Caesar is a tyrannical Gentile dog.” Then the Pharisees would have reported him to Pilate as a dangerous subversive. However, if he said, “Yes, of course, Israel is part of the Roman Empire and we should pay our dues.” then they would have denounced him as unpatriotic and disloyal to God’s own people, the Jews. Famously Jesus answered their question by saying, Matthew 22:21. The trouble is that Caesar can sometimes demand that which belongs to God. Early Christians were thrown to the lions for not confessing that Caesar is Lord. Obviously we are not in a situation where the head of state demands our worship. Ours is a different and more subtle challenge. Recent decades have witnessed systematic dismantling of the Christian heritage of our country. We are living in an increasingly secular society where the authorities have little patience with faith-based values. But we cannot give to Caesar that which belongs to God alone

Christian adoption agencies have been forced to close because they refuse to place children with homosexual couples. Christian registrars have been sacked for declining to officiate at Civil Partnerships. Gary McFarlane, a Christian marriage guidance counsellor was dismissed because he asked to be exempted from counselling homosexual couples. His appeal against his dismissal was rejected by Lord Justice Laws because his views were "held purely on religious grounds". They therefore could not be justified and would be "irrational, as preferring the subjective over the objective ... divisive, capricious and arbitrary". The cases I’ve mentioned have affected individual believers, but the Church itself has recently faced challenges in this area. It was only with some difficulty that amendments were made to the Equality Bill that otherwise would have forced Churches to hire people whose beliefs and lifestyle are not on accordance with the teaching of Scripture. That happened under the previous government. But before the General Election David Cameron said in an interview,

I don't want to get into a huge row with the Archbishop here... but the Church has to do some of the things that the Conservative Party has been through – sorting this issue out and recognising that full equality is a bottom-line, full essential… if our Lord Jesus was around today he would very much be backing a strong agenda on equality and equal rights, and not judging people on their sexuality.

Recently David Cameron signalled his support for the appointment openly homosexual Jeffrey John as Bishop of Southwark, although the appointment was rejected in the end.

Once again the issue is: Who is the head of the Church? Can the Church simply change its beliefs and practices and undergo a process of reinvention something like a political party in order to adapt to perceived public opinion? The challenge of intolerant secularism is akin to the challenge faced by the German Churches in the 1930’s. In their Barmen Declaration the Confessing Church stated,

8.11 Jesus Christ, as he is attested for us in Holy Scripture, is the one Word of God which we have to hear and which we have to trust and obey in life and in death.

And

8.17 The Christian Church is the congregation of the brethren in which Jesus Christ acts presently as the Lord in Word and sacrament through the Holy Spirit. As the Church of pardoned sinners, it has to testify in the midst of a sinful world, with its faith as with its obedience, with its message as with its order, that it is solely his property, and that it lives and wants to live solely from his comfort and from his direction in the expectation of his appearance.

The State has no right to try and impose its secular values on the Church and we must be prepared to resist this trend. As far as our beliefs and conduct are concerned the Church is subject to the sole headship of Christ. In the seventeenth century James VI of Scotland (who later became James I of England) attempted to impose his will on the Scottish Kirk. Andrew Melville told him where to get off in no uncertain terms,

Sirrah, ye are God's silly vassal; there are two kings and two kingdoms in Scotland: there is king James, the head of the commonwealth; and there is Christ Jesus, the king of the Church, whose subject James the Sixth is, and of whose kingdom he is not a king, not a lord, not a head, but a member.

Knowing what we do of James, if anything Melville was being a little generous in describing the king as a member of the Church in any meaningful sense. But similar sentiments might be aimed at our present Prime Minister in his attempt to tell the Church what she should teach and believe. Quoting the Barmen Declaration once more,

8.18 We reject the false doctrine, as though the Church were permitted to abandon the form of its message and order to its own pleasure or to changes in prevailing ideological and political convictions.

Jesus is our head and the Church is subject to his voice as expressed in Holy Scripture, which is our sufficient and authoritative guide in all matters of faith and conduct, 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Is the pope really head of the visible church?

In the Prime Ministerial Debates prior to the General Election, a question was asked that managed to unite Gordon Brow, Nick Clegg and David Cameron. It was this, given his stance on homosexual rights and abortion did the candidates welcome the Pope’s visit to the UK in September? All three politicians said that they welcomed the Pope’s visit. And all three agreed that he was wrong on gay rights and abortion. I think that they were unitedly wrong on both counts. It is not necessarily a good thing that the Pope is visiting the UK, although we agree with him on the issues raised by the questioner.

When he arrives in the UK for a four day official state visit, the Pope Benedict XVI will meet the Queen and the Archbishop of Canterbury, address a gathering of both Houses and Parliament and beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman. What should we make of all this? Hopefully it goes without saying that anti-papal bigotry is out of place. And I’m not sure that noisily protesting and waving placards is the best way to get out point over when the Pope arrives in our country. But when popemania hits the UK we might be given an opportunity to explain why we are not so enthusiastic concerning the arrival on our shores of Benedict XVI. I mean, not all Catholics are exactly over the moon about having the hardline Cardinal Ratzinger as the leader of their Church. When the Cardinal succeeded Pope John Paul II one American Roman Catholic complained, it "is like electing Rumsfeld after George Bush".

Now I realise that Evangelicals have largely lost interest in the controversy with Rome. We have other battles to fight such as the inerrancy of Scripture and the defence of our religious liberties, let alone the challenge of reaching the UK with the gospel. But we can’t get away from it that easily. In the face of a hostile secular society, Evangelicals are being increasingly drawn to Rome. After all, we are agreed on a good number of essential truths such as the Trinity and the virgin birth, sacrificial death and resurrection of Christ. In the States the Evangelicals and Catholics Together movement has been actively trying to resolve outstanding differences between Rome and Evangelicals. Many question whether the divisions of Reformation were justified. Also in the States the Manhattan Declaration committed leading Evangelicals and Catholics to speak out on the issues of marriage, abortion and freedom of religion. Fair enough, but the Declaration also implied that both parties proclaim the same gospel. The UK’s counterpart, the Westminster Declaration included the obligatory Roman Catholic signatory.

But the Reformation isn’t quite over yet. Many of the great doctrinal differences between Rome and Evangelicals are unresolved and one of them is, “Who is the head of the Church?” So, what exactly does the Roman Catholic Church say on this matter? I quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church,

CRC 882: The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor, "is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful. For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered.

This is a clear violation of biblical teaching. The blasphemous claim that the pope may exercise "unhindered power" over the Church is a direct challenge to the unique headship of Christ. The idea of the primacy of the Bishop Rome was unknown in the early centuries of Church history.

The New Testament knows nothing of hierarchical Church government with the pope lording it over cardinals, bishops, priests and people. Local Churches were led by their appointed elders. Elders served under the authority of the apostles. But all was in subjection to Christ, the one true head of the Church.

Our head, the Lord Jesus is Prophet, Priest and King.

His prophetic role is undermined by Roman Catholic teaching,

891: The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful - who confirms his brethren in the faith he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals. . . .

As Prophet Christ continues to infallibly teach and guide the Church through the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scriptures. The Spirit enables the people of God to recognise the Bible as the Word of God and understand its contents. The ascended Christ has gifted the Church teachers with whose task it is to explain and apply the Bible to his people, Ephesians 4:11-12.

We need no other priest than Jesus, our great High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. He atoned for our sins once for all on the cross. He ever lives to make intercession for us. Roman Catholic teaching denies this saying,

893: The bishop is "the steward of the grace of the supreme priesthood," especially in the Eucharist which he offers personally or whose offering he assures through the priests, his co-workers.

Ministers are not priests who re-offer the sacrifice of Christ at the Mass. Christ's death atoned for sin once and for all, Hebrews 9:28. The only mediator between God and men is the Man Christ Jesus, 1 Timothy 2:5. In him all of God's people are constituted a royal priesthood, 1 Peter 2:9. We recognise no popes, bishops, clerical priests or any other supposed mediators between God and his people. Christ alone is sufficient for that task.

Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. The exalted Jesus is head over all things for the church, Ephesians 1:22-23. He, not the pope has "universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered", Matthew 28:18-20.

We therefore resist Roman Catholic claims concerning the pope's headship over the visible Church. The Bishop of Rome is a usurper and therefore cannot be a focus of unity for all Christian Churches. Christ alone is head of the Church. It would be an act of disloyalty to our Saviour to recognise any other Lord and head of the Church but him.

To be continued...

Who is the Head of the Church?

Last night I drove to Cheltenham to speak on behalf of the Protestant Truth Society at Cheltenham Evangelical Free Church on the queastion Who is the Head of the Church? 

Here's an excerpt from the intro:

At certain points in church history the big issue has been, “Who is the head of the Church?” This was the case at the time of the Reformation, when the Reformers insisted that Christ alone is the head of the Church to the exclusion of the pope. It was the defining point in the Disruption of the Church of Scotland in 1843 that led to the founding of the breakaway Free Church of Scotland. The seceders could no longer tolerate the position where local grandees appointed church leaders. In 1934 the German Confessing Churches published the Barmen Declaration in an attempt to resist the Nazification of the Church. They asserted that the Church belongs solely to Christ and is subject to his Word alone.

I suggest that this is one of pressing issues of our time. In recent years the Government has attempted to ride roughshod over aspects of the historic teaching of the Church. Secular rights-based equality legislation has trumped biblical teaching on sexuality. Christian adoption agencies have had to close. Back in January of this year there was a titanic battle in the House of Lords to protect the freedom of Churches to employ only people whose beliefs and lifestyle are in accordance with the Bible.

Also, we can’t ignore pope’s visit to UK in September. The Roman Catholic Church claims that the Bishop of Rome is the head of visible church. The goal of ecumenical movement is to reunite Christendom under the authority of the pope. How should we respond to that as Evangelical Protestants?

So, as we consider “Who is the head of the Church?” we will be bearing in mind both the political and the religious contexts of the question.

To be continued...

Change of date for Cheltenham PTS Meeting

The head that once was crowned with thorns

Is crowned with glory now

A few days ago I flagged up a Protestant Truth Society meeting at Cheltenham Evangelical Free Church on 28th June, where I was due to speak on Who is the Head of the Church? see here. The meeting has been rescheduled for 20th July as I will be attending my father-in-law's funeral on the original date.

PTS Meeting: Who is the Head of the Church?

In preparation for the above meeting I've been having a fresh look at the Theological Declaration of Barmen that set out the Confessing German Evangelical Church's opposition to the Nazification of the Church in the 1930's. Recent government attempts to impose its secular values on the Church in the UK have given the Barmen Declaration added relevance for our situation. The Declaration was drafted by Swiss theologian Karl Barth who was a professor at Bonn University at the time. He was later thrown out of Germany for refusing to swear an oath of allegiance to Hitler. You don't have to be a card carrying Barthian (and in case you are worrying - I'm not) to applaud the Declaration's ringling affirmation of the Lordship of Christ and the independence of the Church from unwarranted state interference. 

8.11 Jesus Christ, as he is attested for us in Holy Scripture, is the one Word of God which we have to hear and which we have to trust and obey in life and in death.

8.12 We reject the false doctrine, as though the church could and would have to acknowledge as a source of its proclamation, apart from and besides this one Word of God, still other events and powers, figures and truths, as God's revelation.

8.17 The Christian Church is the congregation of the brethren in which Jesus Christ acts presently as the Lord in Word and sacrament through the Holy Spirit. As the Church of pardoned sinners, it has to testify in the midst of a sinful world, with its faith as with its obedience, with its message as with its order, that it is solely his property, and that it lives and wants to live solely from his comfort and from his direction in the expectation of his appearance.

8.18 We reject the false doctrine, as though the Church were permitted to abandon the form of its message and order to its own pleasure or to changes in prevailing ideological and political convictions.

PTS Preachers Conference

Left to right: Dafydd Morris, Alun McNabb, Roland Burrows & Geariod Marley

It seems a while ago now, but on Saturday 17th October I attended the Prootestant Truth Society Preachers Conference at Old Hill. It was the first conference of its kind and attendence was encouraging. Here's a brief report:

Preaching and the 1859 Revival

Dafydd Morris

Dafydd, PTS rep for Wales drew attention to the impact of Finney-inspired "new measures" on the 1859 revival in Wales. American preacher C. G. Finney introduced practices such as the "altar call" and the "anxious seat" to try and pressurise people into deciding for Christ. The numbers of "decisions for Christ" were widely publicised in a rather triumphalistic way. Rather than thinking of revival in terms of a sovereign work of the Spirit, Finney argued that revivals could be obtained any time if certain conditions were fulfilled. Calvinistic preacher Asahel Nettleton protested against these "new measures", but nevertheless they were widely accepted in the Evangelical world. A biblical understanding of revival transmuted into revivalism, where the work of man was emphasised at the expense of the work of God.

The 1859 revival in Wales was not immune from Finneyite measures. Humprey Jones, a Welsh Methodist preacher who spent time in America introduced practices such as publicising the numbers of "decisions for Christ" when he returned to his homeland, hoping to spark off a fresh revival. But while the Finneyite strand in the 1859 revival is to be regretted, there is no doubt that it was a true work of grace. Sleepy churches were challenged as preachers rebuked those who were "at eaze in Zion". The "lukewarm" were urged to repent and seek the Lord. Powerful applicatory preaching was the order of the day and by this means the Holy Spirit awakened the churches. Dafydd Morgan was much used in the revival. A sudden enduement with power transformed him into a mighty preacher of the gospel. It was said that he went to bed one night like a lamb and arose the next morning like a lion. Revival preachers like Morgan were dependent upon the Spirit to enable them to preach Christ with power and effectiveness.

Preaching during the revival was grippingly Christ-centred, with a strong focus on the atoning blood of the Saviour. Sinners were convicted of their sin and brought to know the joy of forgiveness as they believed in Christ. Large numbers of lasting converts were added to the churches. The face of society was changed as a result of renewed Christian influence. Perhaps the reason why Christian people aren't so interested in revival today is that we don't know what we are missing.

Called to preach: Getting Going

Geariod Marley

I. A preacher must be a converted and called man

We cannot truly preach Christ unless Christ is in our hearts. The call to preach involves an inward conviction and recognition of gifting by the church.

II. Set out with settled convictions on preaching

The Reformation moved the pulpit to the central place in church buildings to emphasise the importance of preaching. We too should insist that preaching is central to the life of the church.

III. Christ is the main theme in all preaching

As the Puritans said, we must preach 'One Christ by Christ to the praise of Christ'. We should preach Christ evangelistically to the lost that they might be saved. We must preach him boldly from all the Scriptures. Heralding Christ and the demands of godliness may incur opposition from church members who do not want their sins exposed. But we must press on.

IV. Faithful and effective preaching and personal piety

1 Timothy 4:16. Preachers mus be men of prayer and men of the word. We should try and read the whole Bible once a year and feed on the preaching of the word ourselves.

Called to preach: Keeping going

Alun McNabb

The veteran minister, now 74 years of age, shared with us some of the things that had enabled him to keep going for 50 years as a preacher. He warned against putting the wrong type of men into the ministry, 'square pegs in round holes'. We need to be sure that we are truly called to the pastorate. Better for a church to have no minister at all than an ungifted one. What we need as Christians is the same as what is needed for ministry- a close walk with the Lord. Adopting an anecdotal style, Alun listed some of the things that had kept him going. A good wife. Good health. Private prayer. The church Prayer Meeting. Good books like Pilgrim's Progress. Godly people who did unusual things for the Lord like the church member who came to church without wearing shoes because she had given them away to a poor women on the way to the service. Other ministers. Keeping unity in the elders' meeting. Conversions. Converts becoming pastors. The study of other people's preaching. We way not be the most gifted of preachers, but we must all strive to be the best preachers that we can be. The Holy Spirit, Luke 11:13. Calvin's advice that 'excellence of gift produces carelessness and sloth'. We need to work at preaching - content, communication and delivery. Preaching is not a running commentary. A sermon must have one main point and be digestible and interesting. Imitate Jesus the great storyteller.

Conference Sermon

Roland Burrows

Taking his text as Joshua 6 and Hebrews 11:30, Roland urged us to face the challenges of the day. By faith we must work, wait and win. Like Joshua we need to take God at his word and see what he is able to do.

In all, this was an encouraging conference and as a preacher I found it challenging and helpful. It was good to renew fellowship with old friends and also to meet people who seem to have heard of me from the blog. Several times I was asked, "Are you the Exiled Preacher?" It is hoped that a similar event will be arranged for October next year. Details to be announced.

Jeremy Brooks on why broken Britain needs Christian values

A brief interview with Jeremy Brooks, Director of Ministries at the Protestant Truth Society, where he explains why representatives of the PTS will be attending the Conservative Party conference in October. I ask him if this means that the Society is now taking sides in party politics. Read on to see his response.

GD: October's Evangelical Times carries a front page article entitled What price politics? In the piece the Protestant Truth Society together with some other Christian groups is criticized for planning to send delegates to the Conservative Party Conference. Is the Society becoming party political?

JB: In a word, no. The PTS, Church Society and Christian Watch are simply co-operating to run an exhibition stand at the forthcoming Conservative Party Conference in Manchester this October. None of these Christian groups are affiliated to any political party, nor do any of them have any intention of seeking such affiliation.

GD: Why is PTS only sending a delegation to the Conservative Party Conference?

JB: Between the three Christian groups involved, it's costing us approx. £8,000 to run this exhibition stand. We cannot afford to do this at all three of the major party conferences. Therefore, with the Conservatives being the favourites to win power at the forthcoming General Election, we have chosen to target them, desiring to reach those who'll have the most influence.

GD: What do you hope to achieve from attending the Conservative Party conference?

JB: The theme of our exhibition is Why broken Britain needs Christian values. The Tories have, rightly, made much of the idea of Britain being broken, but we're not convinced that they have any real understanding of why it is that Britain's broken. It's our conviction that Britain's greatness in the past was a direct result of it's being founded upon Christian values, and that it's present broken state is an equally direct result of that foundation of Christian values having been largely eroded over many decades, and particularly during recent years. Therefore, we have published a very attractive 32 page booklet with six keynote articles addressing the following subjects: Civil Liberty and Free Speech by Gordon Murray of the Protestant Truth Society; The British Constitution and the European Union by Duncan Boyd of All Souls, Langham Place, London; Marriage and the Family by Norman Wells of the Family Education Trust; Abortion and the Sanctity of Life by Steven Foster of SPUC Evangelicals; Islam and Britain today, also by Duncan Boyd; and Crime and the Community by Mark Mullins of the Christian Legal Centre. We'll be distributing this booklet freely at the Conference. We acknowledge, of course, that Christian values will only be strong in an atmosphere of meaningful Christian faith. But nonetheless we regard it as part of our Christian duty to speak to the political leaders of our nation about the importance of scriptural truth, biblical morality and Christian values. We covet the earnest prayers of the Lord's people for His blessing to rest upon our humble endeavours.

GD: Are you sensitive to the concerns expressed in the ET article that evangelical Christians can sometimes align themselves too closely with parties on either side of the political spectrum? The 'Christian Right' movement in America being a case in point.

JB: We are sensitive to those concerns, and in many ways share them. However, the idea that our presence at the Tory Conference is somehow akin to the relationship between many North American evangelicals and the Republican Party is, quite frankly, both misleading and unfair.

GD: Can you confirm that PTS is a non-party political organisation and that the Society will not endeavour to tell Christians which party to support or how to vote in the next General Election?

JB: The PTS has no allegiance to any political party, and has no intention of encouraging Christians to support any particular political party or vote in any particular way at the forthcoming General Election. We're not political activists, seeking to influence the Christian public on behalf of politicians, but rather we're lobbying, seeking to influence politicians on behalf of the Christian public.

GD: So, we are not becoming the Protestant Tory Society, then?

JB: Absolutely not!

GD: That's a relief!!

John Calvin: his relevance for today

Here is an excerpt from my paper on Calvin for the Bristol & Clifton Protestant League at Buckingham Chapel, Bristol on Saturday 26th September, 2.30pm.

I hope it will become more than evident in the couse of this address that John Calvin and what he stood for is relevant for us today. But there is always a danger in trying to make a figure in history ‘relevant’ to present day issues. After all Calvin was born half a millennium ago. His concerns as a man of the sixteenth century are not necessarily the pressing concerns of today’s church. We must be careful not to make Calvin an artificial debating partner in 21st century arguments. Would Calvin have had a telly? What might he have thought about the Credit Crunch? What may be Calvin’s take on the implications of Globalisation for the mission of the church? Who knows? I certainly don’t. But the great thing about Calvin is that he transcends his own time because his life and thought were radically shaped by the living and active Word of God. He was not often sidetracked from the big and central themes of biblical revelation. If Calvin has relevance for us today it is because his teaching brings us back to what the Holy Spirit is saying in Scripture.