The ‘perfect preacher’?

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Tim Keller, in his recent book, Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Scepticism, p50, notes:

Theodore Beza was a younger colleague and successor of John Calvin, the founder of the Reformed branch of Protestantism during the Reformation. In his biography of Calvin, Beza recalled the three great preachers in Geneva during those years— Calvin himself, Guillaume Farel, and Pierre Viret. Farel, said Beza, was the most fiery, passionate, and forceful in his sermonic delivery.
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Hallowed be your name

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Matthew 6:9

Notes for a short group Bible study.  They were going through the Lord’s Prayer, one line per week, and I was asked to take this line with them.

Names

Share something about your name

Names in Scripture

Deborah (Bee); Jonah (Dove); Esau (hairy); Benoni (Son of my sorrow); Ichabod (The glory has departed)

Change of name – Abram/Abraham; Jacob/Israel; Simon/Peter; Saul/Paul

Names of God

Ex 3:13-15 (“What is his name?” … ” ’… The Lord, the God of your fathers…has sent me to you.’” …

A world without Down’s Syndrome?

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In England and Wales between 1989 and 2012 almost 20,000 babies were diagnosed pre-natally with Down’s Syndrome.  Of these, 92% were aborted.

Recently, the UK government has decided to roll out a new pre-natal test (NIPT test) for Down’s Syndrome.  It is thought to be 98% accurate.  It is likely to lead to over 100 Down’s Syndrome babies being identified each year, with the expectation that most of these, too, will be aborted.

In a TV programme this autumn, actress Sally Phillips (mother of an 11-year-old son, Olly, who has Down’s Syndrome), asked, ‘What’s so dreadful about Down’s Syndrome?’  …

The Day the Revolution Began

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I’ve been going through Tom Wright’s important new book The Day the Revolution Began: Rethinking the Meaning of Jesus’ Crucifixion (SPCK, 2016) with a fine tooth-comb.  Here I offer a synopsis of what I think Wright is saying.

Part One: Introduction

1. A Vitally Important Scandal

In appearance, the death of Jesus was just another tragic failure.  In reality, it launched the most important revolution the world has ever seen.  From now on, everything would be different.  …

Wanted: prophetic discernment

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In Micah, chapter 2, the prophet suddenly turns from a message of stern warning to one of hope.  It strikes me that to know when people are living under God’s frown, and when they are living under his frown requires a level of discernment that we might characterise as ‘prophetic’ .

In this connection, I was interested in a note concerning the Puritan Nicholas Byfield.  He ‘was known for his excellent scholarship, judgment, and aptitude, in addition to his ministerial skills.…

Preaching the Minor Prophets

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Alison Lo notes that the Minor Prophets resonate strongly with our contemporary church and society, with their themes of ‘social justice, religious corruption, financial impropriety and social and political unrest’.

They offer rich material for the preacher, then, and the following principles will help.  I summarise:-

  1. Consider the historical and cultural context.  Each prophet spoke into a specific situation: sometimes this is indicated by the heading of the book (Hos 1:1; Amos 1:1; Mic 1:1, etc.).
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