december 2011 Our Presbyterian legacy

peter barnes | the leavers | undiscovered joy

December 2011 No. 643 www.ap.org.au the magazine of the presbyterian church of australia

presbyterian legacy editorial 4 A rich history: Peter Barnes his issue of Australian Presbyterian is the last 10 Question of identity: Rowland Ward publication of the magazine in its present form. 12 Endowed with power: Darrell Paproth After 14 years as the editor, I am resigning to take up a new role as the principal of the reflection TPresbyterian Theological College of Victoria. In February 2012 a new magazine called AP will be 14 Undiscovered joy: Bradley J. Moore launched. It will be free and appear quarterly. The editor will be Dr Peter Barnes, who is a lecturer at PTC Sydney and bible study a specialist in church history. 15 Standing firm In this final magazine we explore the crucial subject of the lessons from our past. Although the history of 20 Bible studies in Revelation 1:1-8:5 Presbyterianism in Australia is relatively brief, it is not alto - gether without its value. It is true, of course, that our age, church directory which is so focused on the present, is rather ambivalent towards the past. Many people, even in the church, sub - 17 Every Presbyterian church, state by state scribe to the dictum that “Newer is better”. This leaves us news vulnerable to a certain ahistoricism – the view that suggests that the past is “old hat ” and contains few, if any, lessons for 25 News today. However, this is not a view that is espoused in Scripture. 27 On the Agenda The psalmist makes it clear that the history of God’s deal - ings with His people is replete with lessons for today church (Psalms 78, 106, 107). For instance, in Psalm 107:10-14 we read: “Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom… for 29 The leavers: Drew Dyck they had despised the counsel of the Most High. So He sub - letters jected them to bitter labour… then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and He saved them from their distress.” 32 Not only Scripture, but also our chequered denomina - tional history, remind us that the church can wander in prayer spiritual darkness and suffer the deepest despair if we “despise the counsel of the Most High” (107:11). 34 Beginning in the 1870s, and lasting for at least a cen - tury, our church was paralysed because its leaders lost con - books fidence in the Word of God. The doctrine of biblical inerrancy was jettisoned and the gospel disappeared. It was 35 Athanasius: Simonetta Carr only after 1977 that the church moved to reaffirm its con - One Lord, One Plan, One People: Rodger Crooks fidence in the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture. The challenge of the future years will be to maintain that con - J. S. Bach : Calvin R. Stapert viction, lest we return to the darkness of the past and once again squander our gospel inheritance. back page Peter Hastie ap 36 One flesh: Chuck Colson

THE AUSTRALIAN PRESBYTERIAN (ABN 81 498 399 755) : The national magazine of the Presbyterian Church of Australia. Editorial committee: Peter Hastie (NSW) Themes Editor; Barney Zwartz (Victoria) Production; Stuart Bonnington (West Australia) News Editor; Peter Hastie (NSW), World News Editor. Graphic Design: Sandra Joynt for A&J Moody Design: www.ajmd.com.au. Advertising and subscription inquiries: Michael Timmins, Phone: (03) 9723 9684. Office: PO Box 4014, Croydon Hills 3136. Phone: (03) 9005 8256. Fax: (03) 9876 1941. Email: [email protected] Printed by Adept Mail & Print Services, Boronia, Vic. Published: Monthly except January by the National Journal Committee of the Presbyterian Church of Australia; Convener Peter Hastie. Opinions expressed are those of the contributor and not necessarily those of the PCA, the editor or the committee. Acceptance of advertising does not imply endorsement. Contributions: Submitted articles are welcome. The deadline is the first of the previous month. Donations are always welcome. Print Post approved 34918100384.

| australian presbyterian December 2011 3 A rich history Presbyterians have contributed mightily to Australia

r Peter Barnes is a minister spiritual awakening and revival. of the Presbyterian Church Peter Barnes What do you mean? of Australia who serves as talks to I am referring to instances where large the pastor of Revesby Peter Hastie numbers of people seem to have come to PDresbyterian Church in Sydney, NSW. He saving faith in Jesus. In most cases in is also a lecturer in church history at the Australia these revivals were largely Presbyterian Theological Centre, Sydney. frequently in his autobiography. He localised, but they were powerful in their He has formerly served as speaks disparagingly of Moore College as effects. There were around 30 recorded missionary/theological educator in “Moore College miserable” because his instances in most states across Australia Vanuatu and has been deeply involved in father, an Anglican minister, experienced between 1834 and 1869. Many of these the cause of Christian education. some form of church discipline at the awakenings took place in Methodist Peter has had a long-standing interest hands of evangelicals over some moral churches. in church history as well as the Bible and issue. I think that explains his hostility to In Victoria alone the Methodists grew biblical theology. He has written several evangelicalism. However, his views are from 650 members in 1841 (5.5% of the Old and New Testament commentaries, now out of date, although they were population) to 97,115 in 1881 (11.3%). Both Sides Now – Ecclesiastes and the probably even out of date at the time he Methodists believed in prayer and evan - Human Condition , Paul’s Letter to the wrote. It is true that Protestantism is not gelism. From 1871 to 1906 there were Galatians , Knowing Where We Stand – The as dominant an influence as it once was around 40 recorded revivals, again across Message of John’s Epistles as well as The and it is certainly true that Catholicism most states. Some of these revivals were Milk of the Word , Theological Controversies does not have the clout that it used to. very powerful in their effects, such as in in the Presbyterian Church of NSW, 1865- The strength of the Enlightenment has the Illawarra in NSW and Melbourne in 1915 – The Rise of Liberal Evangelicalism dissipated as well under the rising influ - 1902. Thousands flowed into the and John Calvin: Man of God’s Word. ence of New Age thinking and Islam. churches. However, these revivals did not sweep Peter, how should we assess the Has Evangelical Christianity ever across the nation as a whole. We have not Australian historian Manning had more than a marginal influence known anything like Korea or Wales Clark’s claim that there have been in Australia? where the movement was obvious across essentially three philosophies or It certainly has. For the most part, the nation. Certainly from the 1870-80s religious viewpoints that have vied where it has exercised significant influ - onwards it was not advisable to get off - to win the hearts of Australians – ence, it has been for the good. Until fairly side with the Protestant churches in the Roman Catholicism, the recent times it has been a major force in public arena. The gospel was a significant Enlightenment and Protestant providing stability in marriage and fam - power in the land. That was probably its Evangelical Christianity – and that ily life, affecting wider social attitudes peak – the 1880s. In 1895 there were 908 Roman Catholicism and the towards alcohol (even if overdone at churches in Adelaide alone, but only 770 Enlightenment have been the most times) and gambling and it has been hotels in the whole of South Australia. I successful? strengthened by new instances of spiri - think that provides some gauge on the Manning Clark tells us in his autobi - tual awakening or revival. It has also had influence of Christianity in at least one ography that while he was attracted to a significant influence on education in Australian society. Catholicism and the Enlightenment, he Australia. never felt drawn to Evangelical People commonly regard Australia as Protestantism. He returns to this theme You have mentioned instances of a secular nation and trace that to its

4 australian presbyterian December 2011 presbyterian legacy origins. Is that a fair description? Elizabeth Kotlowski overstate the case. Catholics and English people in the First No, it’s not. Secularists have defi - She has a point when she says that there Fleet. nitely latched on to Australia as a secular is far more Christian influence in nation and have picked out some slogans Australia than is commonly assumed by When did most Presbyterians in from the past and run with them in a secular historians, but it’s dangerous NSW arrive here? way that nobody else has done before. when she starts claiming that Alfred Thomas Mein arrived in 1802 and However, they distort history by simply Deakin, a former Prime Minister and others who were not Anglicans or omitting the religious beliefs of certain advocate of federation, was a Christian. Catholics set up a church at Ebenezer figures. You’ll hear reports on certain He may have been later in life; we are not near Windsor some time later. It was a people – take John Flynn, for instance, really sure. Early on, he was into spiritu - non-conformist church that came later and often you’d never know that he was alism and séances. So we need to be care - to be identified as Presbyterian. Mein a Presbyterian minister. ful about exaggerated claims. was probably a Presbyterian elder. Sir Robert Menzies is another exam - It was the 1820s when the first ple. I don’t where he stood theologically, Presbyterian ministers arrived. The first but he certainly had some kind of faith. three were Archibald MacArthur down in He was a Presbyterian who read the Bible Van Diemen’s Land, Tasmania, and John regularly throughout his life. His funeral Dunmore Lang and John McGarvie in was held at Scots Church, Melbourne. Sydney. They were from three different His biographer, A .W. Martin, hardly groups within the Scottish church. mentioned his Presbyterianism or the MacArthur was a secessionist, Lang was fact that he had any spiritual inclina - from the evangelical wing of the Church tions at all. The problem is that biogra - of Scotland, and McGarvie was a Church phers who are not interested in personal From the 1870-80s of Scotland Moderate. So the divisions of religion simply leave it out. onwards it was not the Scottish church were reproduced in However, I don’t think the answer is advisable to get offside the first three Presbyterian ministers of to go to the other extreme and claim that with the Protestant Australia! Australia was a Christian nation from its Many Presbyterians came from 1840 founding. The first Governor, Arthur churches in the public onwards when transportation was abol - Phillip, was not particularly Christian. arena. The gospel was ished, and free settlers were encouraged, Richard Johnson, the first chaplain to a power in the land. and naturally many came at the time of the colony and an evangelical Anglican, the gold rushes. found it hard going. In fact, in fact he struggled constantly with the authori - Have Presbyterians made any How did that affect the develop- ties until Governor Hunter took over. significant contributions to the ment of Presbyterianism in the The simple truth is that Christianity spiritual life of Australia? different states with the various was in modern Australia from 1788 and Yes, they have. Earlier on they repre - categories, as it were, of churchman- it has continued to exert itself within our sented around 9 to 10% of the popula - ship coming here in Australia? culture. At times it has exerted a strong tion. Many of them have played quite Presbyterianism has always been influence , and a lesser influence in other prominent roles in our national life. stronger in Victoria. There was a strong periods. However, it has always been Probably in the 19th century Rev . Dr Free Church presence there. The Free there from the very beginning of British Robert Steel stands out. He was well Kirkers were also in ascendancy in NSW. colonisation and has provided many of respected, a fine preacher, and he wrote When South Australia was set up, the values of our culture. Incidentally, it some helpful works. However, none of Douglas Pike calls it a “paradise of dis - was John Newton and William his books were ground-breaking in the sent” – mainly Baptists and Methodists Wilberforce who arranged for an evan - sense that they are still published today. – and there were never that many Scots gelical chaplain to be sent to the colony. Steel was a household name in Australia there. Of course, there were no convicts in a way that we could not comprehend there. So were there any Christian now. He was the minister at St Stephen’s, institutions established early on? Macquarie Street (and Philip Street for What part did John Dunmore Lang Yes, Richard Johnson arranged for some of the time) in Sydney. play in the development of the the first Christian school in 1793, the Presbyterian Church of Australia? first of many Anglican schools in Sydney. Were there many people of Lang is an extraordinary figure and However, he was always battling the Presbyterian background in the in many ways an enigma. He had an authorities. When he built his first First Fleet? enormous level of energy that was sadly church, he had to pay for it himself. I No, there were not many. Thomas dissipated in many different pursuits. think it cost him £67 and he was only Arndell, the surgeon, was. Their num - It’s hard to know where to start and fin - reimbursed about four years later. So he bers were low because Scottish law was ish with Lang. He was not a good pastor didn’t get a lot of support. While there not all that keen on capital punishment. because he went back to Britain so was support for formal Christianity, Many of those who came out as convicts many times in search of immigrants. He Johnson was an evangelical and people had their capital punishment commuted was away from his church for years. He were suspicious of Methodists and to transportation to Botany Bay, which was also financially and administra - enthusiasts. was the next rung up on the ladder for tively incompetent. He got his finger Of course, some Christians like punishment. There were far more Irish into too many pies and was embar -

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rassed by a number of failures. One of Not every minister who came to the same could be said for the them was his school, the Australian Australia was suitable for the work. Methodists and Baptists too. There was College. He also broke a lot of promises Is there any lesson here for how a strong evangelical witness in Anglican to the people he brought to Australia, ministers are called and chosen? circles in Sydney as well as in Melbourne. which was a poor witness. So a lot of I think the obvious lesson is that the There was more evangelicalism in people resented him. church needs to be careful and discrimi - Victoria in the 19th century than later Nevertheless, he seems to have been a nating about the ministers that it and the evangelical witness in Sydney sincere Christian who wanted everyone appoints. Character and a commitment was not always consistent. But Sydney to hear the gospel. He was also passion - to the gospel are essential. Lang was not Anglicans have a long tradition of many ate about providing justice for careful in his recruiting and brought out evangelical bishops. Aboriginal people. After the Myall Creek people who had obvious character In the 1880s 52% of professing Massacre in 1838 Lang ensured that at defects and some whose doctrine and Presbyterians in Victoria were regular at least some of the 12 white men who commitment was suspect. Malcolm worship – around 37,000 people. It murdered 28 Aborigines near Inverell in doesn’t prove anything, I know, but it’s northern NSW, and who had been exon - very high. erated, were retried. In fact, seven of them were hanged. Lang condemned the There were also signs of weakness at murders on the ground that we all share the time? the same flesh, are part of the human Yes, there were. I said earlier that race and every one of us is created by Lang was an enigma. But the 1880s were God. also an enigma. In a very strange way, two things coincided in the 1880s. The Did that set a trend for Presbyterian first was that the influence of the evan - attitudes towards indigenous The divisions of the gelicals in the Presbyterian Church people? Scottish church were peaked. It’s a mixed story. I think reproduced in the first The second thing of note is that bibli - Presbyterians always wanted to do more cal criticism raised its head and was not than they did. Certainly in NSW the three Presbyterian effectively challenged. One of the conse - Aboriginal missions were not successful. ministers of Australia! quences of this inaction was that the The ones that were successful elsewhere church ordained ministers who did not often received some support from believe in the full authority of Scripture. Moravian missionaries. I don’t think Prentis calls them “ecclesiastical misfits ”. Further, ministers who began to espouse there’s any doubt that the Aborigines’ Drunkenness and immorality were some views that were consistent with the new best friends were the missionaries and of the problems that arose. German higher criticism were not chal - the people who were committed lenged. Christians. When you have 9% of the To what extent did that impact on population professing as Presbyterians the church’s witness? So a looser form of subscription to and they mainly share Lang’s views on It was quite unhelpful. So were all the ordination standards came in? Genesis 1:28, then you have a significant divisions within the Scottish Church Yes. Certainly Calvinism went into force in the country who believe in better that were replicated here. Lang also eclipse and people who espoused a com - treatment for Aborigines. But there was alienated and annoyed a lot of people. prehensive Reformed view of theology a lot of indifference too, alas. Many evangelicals joined him, and I became much less common. The same don’t think that helped the promotion of trend was also emerging in the UK and What was it about the Moravians the gospel. We shouldn’t look back on USA. Ultimately these new critical views that made them such good workers these times with nostalgic eyes; there came from German universities via with Aboriginal people? were divisions that hampered the wit - Scotland and England. These weren’t They have been the most extraordi - ness of the church and there were minis - ideas dreamt up by Australian theolo - nary evangelistic and missionary ters who should never have been gians. denomination in the history of appointed. Often people who couldn’t Christendom, at least throughout the get a parish in Scotland came out here, Were there different theological 18th and 19th centuries. At one stage, which was a disaster. The lesson from all trends in each state? one in five members of the Moravians this is plain: the apostle Paul wrote about Yes, there were. The Free Church was were missionaries. There’s no church in the qualifications for ministers (1 strongest in Victoria but not that far Christendom that has ever had those Timothy 3; Titus 1) for a reason. Men ahead of NSW, where the majority tradi - sorts of figures. They went to places as need to pass them before they are tion was also that of the Free Church. different as Greenland and the West appointed. However, the Free Church in Scotland Indies. Then they went to India 50 years changed. The first generation lasted less before William Carey ever arrived there. Has there ever been a point in than 40 years, until the heresy of Dr So if you wanted a missionary, all you Australian history where the Robertson Smith in 1881. The trial, had to do was “Holler for a Moravian”. Presbyterian Church has been which was difficult and protracted, took They were outstanding missionaries; particularly strong? six years before he was dismissed. The absolutely devoted and extraordinary I think the 1880s were the high point church took a long time to get rid of him. people. for the Presbyterian Church, although However, it was unable to eradicate bib -

6 australian presbyterian December 2011 presbyterian legacy lical criticism. We see that in the heresy pleship, The Training of the Twelve , is not of things that were floating around in a trial where Dr Peter Cameron was found a bad book. There are a few hints in it as vague sort of way in people’s minds. One guilty of denying the authority of the to where he is going, but at the end of his of them involved the book of Genesis. Bible. Removing people from office does - life he ends up believing almost nothing. People would say, “We just don’t know n’t necessarily contain the heresy if there Dods is the same. He was thoroughly what to do with the book of Genesis”. Of are many others who believe it. And opposed to biblical inerrancy. But in the course, if you don’t know what to do many of those who doubted the author - end, when he dies, he too can only say “I with Genesis that automatically has a ity of the Bible became far more circum - think there’s a God but there’s not much profound effect on everything else you spect and pulled their heads in. So 10 else I can say.” Isn’t this a terrible way to believe. I mean, if Genesis 1-11 is essen - years later Marcus Dods challenges the die? The lesson here is clear: when you tially myth, poetry or legend, this has authority of the Bible, then A .B.Bruce, abandon biblical inerrancy you shift the huge implications for much of Jesus’ and and then George Adam Smith 10 years foundation and your theology must the apostles’ teaching. If Adam is not an after that. Nothing happens; it was never change. historical figure, what do we make of going to happen. Paul’s teaching about sin and the resur - So what was the knock on effect in rection? Churches in the West have all Australia if so many of our ministers declined from the middle of the 19th were looking overseas? Do you think people railed against a century onwards. What was Calvinistic worldview because it happening to initiate that decline? represented a challenge to human There are ebbs and flows in the state autonomy? of the church, but the overall picture is Yes, freedom was certainly a key word the loss of certitude about authority – a in the post-Enlightenment period. The loss of confidence in the divine authority liberal Protestants used the word “free - of the Bible, how we speak authorita - dom ” over and over and rejected any tively from the pulpit and the message notion that a human being could be we are meant to proclaim. infallible. The liberal Protestants were This, in turn, established a trend very anti-Catholic early on and rejected where the preaching from Presbyterian Ministers usually didn’t both an infallible man, the pope, and an pulpits was not aimed at teaching the articulate their unbelief. infallible book, the Bible. Bible because people no longer believed They just left things out However, there’s more than that it in the same way. They believed it con - in their preaching or going on. Take Jean Jacques Rousseau, tained some truth, that it was the foun - for example. He was one of the greatest dation of things, but they didn’t believe lessened the demands proponents of freedom and rights. He that it was the very word of God. of Scripture. had five illegitimate children and packed them off to orphanages and then wrote a What was happening in the Church book on how to treat children, Emile . Can of Scotland at this time? I think it was the same thing. It was you imagine it? Do you see the The same trend was in progress there fairly quick, although Australia tended to hypocrisy? When Solomon writes in the too. Universities and theological colleges lag a couple of decades behind. It was a book of Ecclesiastes about “madness in simply assumed “the assured results of Western phenomenon; it wasn’t dis - our hearts ”, this particular period of his - biblical criticism”, which meant that the tinctly Scottish or Australian. Everybody tory is surely a case in point. Dr Samuel Bible was treated like any other book. was letting go of biblical authority. And Johnson saw the hypocrisy of it as well. In one sense we do need to treat the those that weren’t were often evangelists He said, “Have you ever noticed that Bible like other literature and recognise who had lost the capacity to ask some of those who make the loudest yelps in its various genres and literary devices, the hard questions. favour of freedom are slave owners?” He but we must also recognise that it claims has a point. Rousseau was not a slave to be the very word of God. So the whole How do we explain this general owner but he did do some dreadful effort of pulling it apart and submitting abandonment of Scriptural things that impinged upon the rights it to human criticism and canons of authority? and freedoms of children. Nevertheless, interpretation represents a refusal to I don’t think that it had a scientific or he has the nerve to yelp about freedom. submit to it. Interestingly, the very peo - theological basis. I think it was more the It’s the same today in our political cul - ple who did this were careful in the pul - spirit of the times. I say that because the ture. The ones who are taking away our pit not to say those things. However, doctrine of eternal punishment was freedoms are those who are always yelp - what they usually did say, even if it was especially under attack at the time and ing about it for themselves. Our problem not erroneous, was not the gospel. this had nothing directly to do with bib - is that we don’t take sin seriously lical criticism. It was more about a moral enough. In the 18th century, people Were there particular people who outrage with the idea that God would believed in the idea of the “noble savage ” were at the forefront of this punish people. So that’s the first thing. and rejected original sin. They believed movement? The second is that which Dr John our problems were in the structures and Yes, there were. People like Marcus Duncan (known as Rabbi Duncan) of the traditions of our culture, not in the Dods and A .B.Bruce were the more dan - Free Church College called “cloudifica - human heart. gerous ones. A .B.Bruce starts off fairly tion ”. What he meant was that this evangelical, and his classic work on disci - period was a time when there were a lot What impact did the loss of the

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notion of the divine authority of the believed that it was possible to hold all haven’t read Schleiermacher, Kant or Bible have on ministers and the tenets of higher criticism and still Ritschl, but that’s what they believe. congregations? remain a disciple of Jesus. T . Jollie We’ve capitulated to it because science is We need to remember that ministers Smith, one of the lecturers, ended up by definition naturalistic. You can’t usually didn’t articulate their unbelief. with a reputation for being conservative exclude God from your premise and then They just left things out in their preach - because he was in the Bible Union. conclude that there’s no God. You know ing or lessened the demands of However, he refused to challenge where you’re going because you’ve Scripture. It was very subtle. Professor Harper on any of these things. already got there. If I can be autobiographical here, I Essentially, what you see in NSW you see studied at Sydney University in the in Victoria as well. The generation by the During the last half of the 19th Bachelor of Divinity course. Many of our 1920s don’t believe in the inerrancy of century, there was a paradigm shift lecturers were from the UTC (Uniting Scripture, and the church doesn’t recover taking place in Europe over the Theological College). One of the New the doctrine until after 1977. origin of life and the age of the Testament lecturers denied the resurrec - Earth. Did it have any significant tion in the class – he was actually asked Did they have a particular effect on Australian church life? outright, “Do you believe in the physical epistemology or theory of I think it did and I can’t agree with resurrection of Jesus?” He said, “No, I knowledge that affected their those who say it didn’t. don’t.” views? Then I heard him preach once and it Did the views of Scottish church was a very carefully phrased sermon on leaders like Thomas Chalmers on the the resurrection. You would have had to age of the earth make it easier or have been listening carefully to see harder for people to accept Darwin’s where he was going. It was disguised and ideas on evolution? deceptive and, quite frankly, his duplicity He made it easier. His view on the age disgusted me. The whole thing was fun - of the earth was from Genesis 1 verse 2 damentally dishonest. You can see why onwards it’s a literal seven days. But he the people often think that the church is postulates the Gap Theory of course. It dishonest when we have lecturers and was speculative. He also speculated that preachers like that. It would be hard to there could be civilisations on other imagine a more danger - planets. He was a speculator in some How did Presbyterian churches deal ous, ludicrous and areas of his thinking. He thought about a with the challenge of biblical futile idea. It hasn’t lot of things. You can think about a lot of criticism? things but you can do harm when you For the most part they were part of worked. It was never put it down on paper and preach them as the problem! The first faculty in the going to work. a great evangelical preacher. In the end Theological Hall of NSW were all believ - none of our CVs are going to be blotless. ers in the full authority of Scripture. But I think by saying those sorts of things then some of them moved. Kinross was Yes, I think that’s part of it. It’s from Chalmers contributed to the general one. Early on he attacked the infamous Kant, Schleiermacher, Albrecht Ritschl. encouragement of speculation. I don’t Essays and Reviews in England in 1860. Spiritual truth is divided from scientific think people can tell the difference, even In 1861, he says the authors are dishon - truth. now, between science and speculation. est and challenges the book for its attack People say that the seal evolved into a on the Bible. He says nothing the most So their view was that something dog, 20 million years ago last Thursday, conservative evangelical wouldn’t say. can be spiritually true even if it’s not and they speak with a suitably grave However, he shifted later on, although scientifically founded? voice, with the films and people like he still sounded evangelical. He still Oh, yes. David Attenborough, and it is all treated believed in the resurrection, the mira - as science and not speculation. But the cles, and so on. So you can believe in the truths of speaker hasn’t shown how that’s true. However, by 1907, there was only one Genesis even though they may be How do you know that? Because it’s a member on the faculty who still believed scientifically wrong. monologue from a documentary, the in the inerrancy of the Bible – Dill Of course, if you push that you get to questions aren’t asked. But it’s a good Macky. The students complained about Rudolf Bultmann and the view that the question – how do you know that? I his refusal to teach higher criticism and resurrection is saying something to us think it just contributed to people think - held a strike. No one on the faculty sup - that is spiritually true but it’s something ing in what Owen Chadwick called a ported him and so he was squeezed out. that just didn’t happen as a historical “friendly haze ” – that’s a good expression So from then on, you have variations of event. There were of course various – around the end of the 19th century. disbelief in the full authority of Scripture grades as to how far you’d go. But that’s a And there was a lot of optimism – so in St Andrew’s. From 1907 not one of common view now. Faith has got noth - much of it unfounded. the lecturers was committed to the inspi - ing to do with reason, nothing to do with ration and inerrancy of the Bible. science, nothing to do with the real Do you think Chalmers in world – it’s part of the never-never land postulating the Gap Theory, ever What happened in Victoria? where fairies dwell. Faith is believing thought that he was weakening the It was a similar pattern. People something you know is not true. People Scriptures?

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Oh, no. He held to inerrancy. He cer - good one to fight on. atonement then became something dif - tainly didn’t see himself as weakening The second is a more nebulous lesson ferent. The emphasis falls on how it Scripture. And I don’t think it is fair or involving the church’s attitude to the affected us – you look at a cross and it true to go back and pin it on Chalmers prevailing worldview. This morning I melts you – nothing happens in the and say he’s the problem. In a healthier was reading Richard Sibbes, the Puritan Godhead. Different views of the atone - society, you’d just say, there’s the great scholar, as part of my morning devotions ment then resulted from that, and a dif - man speculating and he’s gone beyond and he said this: “God’s children are ferent view of hell, of punishment, and the boundaries there. swimming upstream and live contrary to so on. Once you pull one thread from the course of the world.” I know it’s stat - the jumper, you can end up pulling the What’s the verdict of history that we ing the obvious, but it needs to be said. whole jumper to bits. Everything’s con - can say that the Bible is true in a It’s clear from the New Testament that nected to everything else. So little devi - spiritual sense but not necessarily in the church and the world are not the ations lead ultimately to great devia - a historical or scientific sense? tions. It would be hard to imagine a more The fourth lesson is a difficult one. dangerous, ludicrous and futile idea. It To swim against the tide, to use Richard hasn’t worked. It was never going to Sibbes’ example, to swim up stream, is work. If Adam’s not true, what does that difficult. Somehow you’ve got to do it in do to Romans 5 – we’re in Adam, or we’re a way that’s right and godly but is not in Christ. The theology depends on the quirky and belligerent. I know it’s easy history. If Jesus didn’t die, you can to criticise someone else, but Dill become a Muslim. If Jesus did die, that’s Macky, the last member of the NSW fac - the end of Islam and you’ve got to think ulty to hold inerrancy of Scriptures, was about who did die. If he didn’t rise from To swim upstream is a weird and wacky character. He was a the dead, Paul said give it away – go play very good pastor – the people loved him. tennis, go to the beach, because we have difficult. Somehow I think he cared for his people and been made most pitiable (1 Cor. 15:12- you’ve got to do it in a looked after them, but there was some - 19). way that’s right and thing strange about him – he carried a It won’t do to say that this gives peo - godly but is not quirky gun. He was belligerently anti-Catholic ple hope. If the resurrection is not true, and belligerent. and was always fearful that a Catholic it is a delusion. The hope of the resurrec - would kill him. So he carried a revolver. tion only makes sense if there is a resur - rection. The defeat of death is only going You’re kidding me, aren’t you? A to fill me with hope if I actually believe same. When we are told that we cannot revolver? that it happened. We’ve got all these go against the prevailing views of the He certainly did! And he stirred up platitudes today – “my husband has not world we should know that we are in trouble in a way that was unnecessary. died, he lives forever in my memory” trouble. Once you think, “I can’t do this When people read some of his public sort-of-stuff. People should be able to because I will cease to be respectable”, utterances they wrote him off. Of see through this. The Bible is much more then you’re gone. So our attitude to the course, there was more to him than that. hard-headed than that. The Bible says Bible and our attitude to the world are But there was still enough for him to get that if something is not true it’s false and two sides of the same coin – and we’ve nailed in the public eye. There’s a warn - it should be turfed out. got to get both right . ing here. We should not be overly com - The third lesson is that the little devi - bative and testy in our relationships Looking at Presbyterian history ations lead to the greater deviations. If with others. We need to stick to the over the last, say, 180 years, are you want to stop the greater deviations main game. Dill Macky’s problem was there any general lessons that we you’ve got to stop the little ones, but if that he had too many quirks so those on need to focus on as we look to the you want to stop the little ones you can the other side could caricature him as a future? seem very picky and small-minded. dangerous and raving fundamentalist. I can think of at least four lessons that There’s a genuine difficulty here. Of course, people say that about I hope are useful. But when the emphasis came in dur - Christians now. I’ve heard liberal minis - The first relates to the place of ing the late 19th century on the love of ters, one not far from here, say that the Scripture. If you do not hold the God – which is true, God is love – but evangelical attitude to same-sex mar - inerrancy of Scripture, you do not know when it became that which drove every - riage is dangerous; it’s a dangerous pre - where you are going. Angus and his full- thing, and it was understood in an cept. I don’t think you can do anything blown heresy in the 1930s didn’t take Arminian way, that God loves all equally, about that in my view, but we mustn’t the church there in a single bound; it was that affected the view of the atonement. feed that attitude. The reformed evan - a trend, by degrees – often by academic Propitiation became impossible because gelical wing sometimes lacks obvious degrees! It was one step after another. this view of the love of God inhibited it. leaders. But we must avoid being odd - Once a trend has been established, it’s In the Bible, the love of God brings balls and wacky. Sometimes that’s the hard to reverse it. So the inerrancy of about propitiation, and Christ’s dying way things work out and the things you Scripture seems to me to be the key issue does not win the love of God, but satis - want just aren’t there. That might be the – not the only issue, because you can get fies the justice of God. In the liberal main lesson – history is not in our that right and still get a lot of things view, there is no justice of God to be sat - hands. wrong. But that is an obvious one and a isfied because He is only love. So the Those are the four main lessons. ap

| australian presbyterian December 2011 9 presbyterian legacy Question of identity What are the special features of the Presbyterian faith?

Rowland Ward

istorically the Christian Of course one is not looking for a dull faith as understood by monochrome in which any divergence Presbyterians has from traditional expressions or practice experienced tension is automatically condemned. One wants Hbetween the three aspects of correct men who can articulate the faith in ways doctrine, personal piety and social appropriate to their local communities, engagement. All these aspects are and who are aware of different necessary to a well-rounded Christian backgrounds in our mobile, faith. multicultural society. But given the They were well represented in James These variations in secular pressures of the last 50 years, Forbes (1813-51), the first Christian Presbyterian worship, and the impact of the charismatic minister settled in that capacity in as in anything else, movement in the same time frame, the Melbourne. He served the Scots’ Church question of Presbyterian identity is in and then founded the Free Presbyterian reflect theological debate. body in 1846 . commitments. On the one hand he held definitely to n my youth I used to think that if a the Confession of Faith and thought Ichurch of my own stripe was not deviation from strict adherence would Established Church of Scotland available then the Baptists would be come back to haunt the church, but he influence in New South Wales and the best; nowadays I’d say a PCA church also maintained a personal devotion and strong Irish Church and Glasgow Bible would be preferred, but when I go I’m piety that included special gatherings Training Institute influence in not sure what I’ll find in the worship for prayer with other evangelical Queensland is seen to this day. In 1960 service. I may find something similar to believers. On top of that he was a Rev . (later Professor) Robert Miller was my own denomination, or I may find a foremost educationalist, and principal able to state the church was most very traditional PCA style like the founder of the Melbourne Academy Presbyterian in Victoria and most 1950s, or increasingly, it seems, I’ll find (later known as Scotch College), and was vigorously evangelistic in Queensland. a rather casual approach with plenty of involved in many of the early It is not an accident that public aberrant music and a charismatic feel. community enterprises such as the theology in the 20th century, as in If one attends a charismatic church hospital, the temperance society and Samuel Angus and Peter Cameron, was one tends to find a pretty common style , missions to Aborigines. most evident in New South Wales. for all that charismatics usually want to It is not surprising that Australian Such considerations lead one to think stress they are a Spirit-led community Presbyterianism has manifested some about the importance of collaborative and not a structured denomination. So divergence. In any church of some size action in theological education across how is it that Presbyterians, who different emphases will develop through the Presbyterian Church of Australia . It identify as a structured church body geographical, social and political factors is easy , even within a faculty , to be without denying being Spirit-led, have as well as the influence of significant unaware of what fellow faculty members such wide divergences in worship? people. are doing, and the situation between I want to suggest that in fact these The impact of the early dominance of colleges can be just as problematic. With variations in Presbyterian worship , as in the Free Church of Scotland and Irish currently three or four training anything else , reflect theological ministers in Victoria, the much greater institutions for PCA candidates, and commitments. It may be the love of other men who have trained elsewhere, order, beauty, continuity and tradition how does one ensure a shared vision and that controls what we do, or it may be understanding of the Reformed faith? the desire to be with it, and to get people Christian Singles Further, why in an age of widespread in without being very precise about tertiary education does the intellectual method. In either case we are missing Any nice singles can join! rigour and commitment to the highly the Presbyterian point. As Christians Send for FREE colour brochure: educated ministry of Presbyterianism who strive to be biblical we are supposed PO Box 122 WALLSEND 2287 seem increasingly to make little impact? to be committed to the view that the Ph/Fax: 02 4955 5445 Is there some disconnect that needs to glory of God is the chief purpose for www.christiansingles.com.au be addressed? which we are made and that this is the

10 australian presbyterian December 2011 presbyterian legacy way to enjoy him forever . Third, understanding of Scripture Neglect of public worship is So how does the glory of God occurs in the community of faith in the dishonouring to God and destructive of illuminate our Presbyterian identity? context of our Confession of Faith . piety. But when that worship is centred First, Scripture nourishes the life of The New Testament emphasises that on us as a kind of pick-me-up, glossy the church . We can readily pay lip the gospel is to be passed on faithfully , show, we are moving on dangerous service to the authority of Scripture without addition or subtraction . The ground indeed. James S. B. Monsell was while we actually let our own experience gospel is not to be understood right: “O Worship the Lord in the beauty and culture interpret it rather than the individualistically as if I can adjust it to of holiness/Bow down before him, his other way around. The church can only my preferences, but it to be understood glory proclaim.” live by God’s Word. Sometimes one has communally. Hence we have a A brief article like this can only hint the impression the Code book is more consensus creed in the Confession of at issues. The recovery of family important! The seriously liberal phase Faith. worship and the use of the catechism are in the history of the Australian church Now clearly various procedures and also important. Princeton Professor B.B. reflected not just an imbalance in the aspects of how we worship need not be Warfield somewhere tells the story of three aspects mentioned already but an everywhere the same so long as they two men of calm and purposeful alien intrusion of anti-supernaturalism, bearing, whose very demeanour so that man’s thoughts and not God’s inspired confidence, walking towards were dominant and directive. each other in a street of a city then in Similarly, the emphasis in much of the midst of commotion and violence. the charismatic movement since the They passed, then turned around and 1970s is on my feelings, my desires, my one asked, “What is the chief end of happiness. The concept of sin, if it’s not man? ” The other answered, “The chief blamed on demonic forces, is end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy downplayed as negative and unhelpful. him for ever’” — “Ah!” said the first In this way the path to a God-centred man, “I knew you were a Shorter life and true happiness is blocked up. Let us resolve that God Catechism boy by your looks!” “Why, The wonder of the love of God and the and His glory, supremely that was just what I was thinking of significance of the cross of Christ is seen in Christ, may be you,” was the rejoinder. It is worthwhile evacuated of its true meaning. God in our chief joy. Then we to be a Shorter Catechism boy, adds His glory and grace is reduced to my Warfield. They grow to be men. And good mate, hymns become will find our identity as better than that, they are exceedingly Christianised love songs to Jesus, and Presbyterian Christians! apt to grow to be men of God. So apt, the Holy Spirit is there to give us good that we cannot afford to have them miss feelings about ourselves but not lead us the chance of it. “Train up a child in the in the disciplined life of true godliness. follow the general principles of way he should go, and even when he is Scripture. The Confession says that. old he will not depart from it. ” econd, the church is the gathering of And the Confession is not the rule of In 2012 let us resolve that God and SGod’s people by means of His word faith but a help to faith. The Confession his glory, supremely seen in Christ, may and Spirit . also says that. However, Presbyterians be our chief joy. Then we will find our Paul was clearly well aware of the are committed to the position that identity as Presbyterian Christians! ap culture and intellectual influences in Scripture rules doctrine and life, and Athens when he spoke in the Areopagus that in matters of worship the express (Acts 17). He employed that knowledge direction of Scripture or the good and Dr Rowland S. Ward has so that he might speak more effectively necessary consequence of its teaching is been minister of Knox to them of Jesus and the resurrection. required . Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia in We need to be abreast of the intellectual Ministers have both form and Melbourne since the congrega - influences in our culture also, but we freedom, but it’s to be an ordered tion was formed in 1987. must not descend to social and freedom. Too often we act like management theory as if they are to independents, as if we can ignore the control how we see the work of the wisdom of our fathers and the church. Ministers are not managers per consensus that binds us together. In the se but preachers and proclaimers, Presbyterian system holy moderation shepherds of the flock. Statistics have a ought to be furthered. “Here”, said place but the great means for the Alexander Henderson, the great extension of God’s kingdom is the word Scottish churchman of the 17th century, of God blessed by the Spirit. “Here is superiority without tyranny... After all, the church is not a human here is parity without confusion and institution although there is that face. disorder... and lastly, here is subject Ultimately it is Christ who said, “I will without slavery. ” build my church and the gates of hell Fourth, worship on the Lord’s Day is will not prevail against it. ” Clever at the heart of the church’s life . Public psychology and slick marketing is no worship on the Lord’s Day is the substitute. meeting of God’s people with their Lord.

| australian presbyterian December 2011 11 presbyterian legacy Endowed with power John MacNeil made a striking impression for Christ.

Darrell Paproth

he Rev . John MacNeil was an ness and the higher Christian life from a evangelical Presbyterian min - Methodist friend and in his diary ister who spent his ministry recorded on 1 January 1881: “The new doing the work of an evange - year opened and found me on my knees Tlist. He made a striking impression on asking the fulfilment of the promised Australian society as a minister and as a baptism of the Holy Spirit in a Wesleyan man. Watch-night service. ” Then, on 13 He was a tall athletic man who, in February 1881: “This morning He told 19th-century fashion, wore a full beard me, ‘You have the enduement ’. I believe in his mature years. But it was his defi - ‘The new year opened and Him. Alleluia. I believe Him. ” The rest of nite and striking personality which found me on my knees his life was to be spent mostly in itiner - impressed people. He had a manly asking the fulfilment of ant evangelism. He was in charge of uprightness of character, and a frank, some parishes during this time, but open and earnest manner. There was the promised baptism of these incumbencies were really only also an engaging naturalness and an the Holy Spirit in a interludes. absence of self -seeking. Wesleyan Watch-night MacNeil returned to Victoria where He inherited from his father a strong service.’ for nearly four years he worked as an will, an iron constitution, and a bound - itinerant evangelist. In 1889 the less capacity for work. From his mother Melbourne Presbytery asked him to he inherited an open, generous and accept charge of the old Simpson’s Road unselfish nature: there was a “buoyancy Duncan McEachran, a Free Kirker of the Church in Abbotsford. Abbotsford was a of disposition which rose above all wet - 1843 generation. His warm evangelical working class suburb and the church blanketting ”. There was also a certain piety found a response in the young almost dead; but, as with Jamestown, impetuousness and nervous energy MacNeil who, under McEachran’s min - under MacNeil it was not long before which often characterise the itinerant istry, came to assurance of faith. It was the church revived, increasing its mem - evangelist. not a sudden conversion; rather a nat - bership from 44 to 140 in 18 months. MacNeil was born 19 October 1854 ural culmination of his spiritual growth in the village of Dingwall, Ross-shire, up to that point. MacNeil was one of a s with his other parishes he contin - Scotland. The family moved to Victoria, number of young men who entered the Aued to lead missions in other parts and in 1871 MacNeil began study at ministry as a result of McEachran’s of Victoria. He also took to preaching in Melbourne University. He worked hard influence. the open air in the nearby Studley Park but was never more than an average stu - Following graduation, MacNeil stud - on Sunday afternoons during the sum - dent. However he did make friends eas - ied for the ministry in New College, mer months, attracting audiences of ily: his transparent character and Edinburgh, where he distinguished him - 500 to 1000, and once 5000. He also earnest demeanour commended him to self in evangelistic work for the Student became part of the evangelical network, all, including those who were marked Mission in the nearby slums. Returning and promptly began meeting with a out for success. to Australia, the Free Church sent him group of ministers who committed For example, among his friends were to Adelaide to build up the church there. themselves to spending one night a H. B. Higgins (barrister), R . Hodgson On 20 May 1879, he was ordained by week praying for themselves, their con - (who became a prominent psychologist the Presbytery of Adelaide “as a gregations and the colony. The Band, as in England), Dr McBride (long -time Missionary ”. He spent 18 strenuous they were called, grew to include minis - head of the Public Library), W . Thwaites months at the Jamestown church, ters of other denominations. The active (chief engineer of the Melbourne and which was at low ebb, resigning in membership changed as people moved, Metropolitan Board of Works) and J .F. February 1881 to become a full time but this informal group modelled the Stretch (Bishop of North Queensland). evangelist. collegiality, the commitment to evange - His time at university was also crucial This call was fostered by his aware - lism, and the (deeper-life) spirituality of for his spiritual development. He ness of the impact of Moody’s revival - the evangelical network. attended the flourishing St Andrew’s, ism in Edinburgh, and his desire for an MacNeil might well have got the idea Carlton, the largest Presbyterian church “enduement of power ” for such work. for the Band from his time as a student in the colony. The minister was the Rev . He borrowed books on Christian holi - in Edinburgh when he was involved

12 australian presbyterian December 2011 presbyterian legacy with the “Corstorphine Band ” (now a where he led in prayer before the audi - the Melbourne General Cemetery oppo - suburb of Edinburgh). In the 1870s the ence of 5000. site Melbourne University. Large English Evangelical Alliance issued a MacNeil then sailed for Perth, arriv - crowds lined the journey from his home call to united prayer during the first ing there on 12 September 1894. in Sandringham and a large crowd week of each year. This call was well Returning to Melbourne he formally waited at the graveside. There the ser - supported in the Britain and America, resigned his commission as official vice was conducted by the Revs D . seeing fruit in revivals. MacNeil’s vision Gordon and D .S.McEachran was stimulated by the Band, and he (Presbyterian), H .B.Macartney sent a circular to every minister in (Anglican), S . Chapman (Baptist), and J . Victoria inviting them to join the Band Watsford (Methodist). Each testified to in prayer. The result was a Day of Prayer the quality of MacNeil’s life, ministry on 3 October 1889 held in the and influence. It was an emotional and Temperance Hall. MacNeil estimated moving tribute to a winsome man who that 700 attended. The Band’s next big burnt himself out for Christ, and a sin - event after the Day of Prayer was the cere statement of evangelical ecu - Geelong Convention. menism. J Edwin Orr commented: his When MacNeil accepted the parish of Large crowds lined the death caused “tears from Geraldton on Abbotsford neither he nor the journey from his home the west coast of Western Australia to Presbytery of Melbourne thought it in Sandringham and a Cooktown on the east coast of would be a long appointment. Thus on Queensland. He taught other ministers November 19 of that year the assembly large crowd waited at to pray ”. This was echoed by D. L. unanimously appointed him as the offi - the Melbourne Cemetery Moody: “The death of John MacNeil, of cial evangelist of the presbytery, expect - graveside. Australia, author of The Spirit-filled Life , ing him to devote himself to that role had roused the Christian people of that when his time at Abbotsford was fin - island-continent to a sense of responsi - ished. That time arrived in April 1891 evangelist for the Presbyterian Church bility and the need for spiritual activ - when he resigned the parish to spend of Victoria, and his activity became ity. ” ap the last five years of his life in uninter - increasing non-denominational. But rupted, itinerant evangelism. his time was short. On 27 August 1896, during a campaign in Queensland, sud - Dr Darrell Paproth is a retired lecturer at ollowing a mission to New Zealand , denly and unexpectedly, he collapsed the Bible College of Victoria. Fhe began his official work as assem - and died. He was 41. He was buried in bly evangelist on August 1, 1891, con - ducting missions in nine churches before the assembly of November that year. The years 1892 and 1893 were spent largely evangelising Victorian country centres, with quick trips to South Australia and Tasmania. In 1893 there were no fewer than 35 missions in Victorian churches between February and November. In May 1894, after his return from his second visit to New Zealand, he travelled to Adelaide. There he heard the English evangelist Gipsy Smith , and for the next four months conducted missions at South Australian centres , significantly, mainly in non- Presbyterian churches. His next area of operations was Western Australia; but before that he returned to Melbourne for a brief rest and preparation. At this time there was great excitement among the evangelical community over MacNeil’s Scottish namesake, the Rev . John McNeill, who was paying a long expected visit to Australia, including four weeks of meet - ings in Melbourne. Three extra meet - ings were held in the Exhibition Building on August 29 to 31, which enabled MacNeil to attend one. He was recognised and brought to the platform

| australian presbyterian December 2011 13 reflection Undiscovered joy Working for promotion? You may be missing the point.

Bradley J. Moore

everal years ago I found myself bring us joy, it will ultimately bring joy in a bit of a career funk. I was to others. And then God opens up His restless, annoyed, and gener - pathways and we can begin to experi - ally prone to a good deal of ence His abundance.” Swhining. He then gave me a homework assign - Conveniently, I had given the whole ment. “I want you to spend the next few mess a spiritual stamp of approval by fil - weeks paying very close attention to the ing it under the “God Has Bigger Plans things that bring you joy as you go For Me” department. These particular through your work day. Write it down plans happened to include a high-impact Keeping tabs on my Joy for me.” leadership position at a different, better Inventory somehow “Well,” I thought, “I guess joy isn’t so company. Also, with a far richer salary caused me to gravitate bad.” The truth was, I hadn’t really package. thought much about joy in my life at all After several months of unresolved even more towards lately. angst, I decided to consult a trusted those activities. I obediently proceeded to keep track friend — an older, wiser mentor — to of everything at work that brought me help navigate this important career joy, neatly compiled into a spreadsheet decision and discern God’s will more file which I entitled, “Joy Inventory” . clearly. This friend is a British chap with Much to my surprise, the list filled up a terrific sense of humour, along with a fairly quickly, with categories such as long list of business accomplishments. “Working on strategy projects” , Kind of like Monty Python with a brief - “Organisational change initiatives” and case. We agreed to meet at my office. “Mentoring others.” I shut the door and immediately Keeping tabs on my Joy Inventory unloaded my great burden upon him, somehow caused me to gravitate even working myself into a lather over the more towards those activities. I also untapped, under -utilised leadership realised I was tapping into the very Did you know? potential that was completely going to strengths and talents that best lever - Mike Wharton (PresData Services) is waste. He let me rant for a while, and aged my contributions to the organisa - offering Australian PCA Churches then we sat quietly for a few seconds. tion. website and email hosting for $135.00 Finally, he spoke up, and said: “As we After a while, I forgot about the (plus GST) per year? grow older, it becomes more important career angst and the obsession over my 1 Gig Storage to find joy in what we are doing rather next move. 20 email accounts than what we can achieve. Do you It’s funny. I had been so focused on unlimited redirects agree?” what I didn’t have, or what I thought I 2 Gig Bandwidth per month “Sure thing,” I replied. should have, that I was completely miss - 24x7 FTP access (What I was really thinking): “I don’t ing the potential of what was already You can have your site hosted and want joy, I want a killer career upgrade! there. manage the site yourself using direct I want stock options and an IPO (initial Joy was always an option. ap FTP access. You create your site – you public offering, a launch on the stock control the site. market) in two years and business trips Website development is also to Europe and the Caribbean!” available... ask for a quote. y friend went on to describe how For more information contact: Mthings that seem important when Mike Wharton we are young do not provide the same Phone: (03) 9580 5940 fulfillment later on in life. In order to Email: [email protected] stay happy and productive, he said, we Reprinted with permission from Laity Lodge Website: presdata.com.au need to shift the way we look at our and TheHighCalling.org. lives. “Because when we do things that

14 australian presbyterian December 2011 bible study

Standing firm 20 daily Bible studies in Revelation 1:1-8:5

he church in every age faces attacks from without and from within. Satan is at work to destroy Christ’s Bride. He sometimes uses blatantly hostile outside forces, like the active aTtheism that is seeking to discredit the reliability of God’s Word and the claims of the gospel, or the forces of false religions such as Islam that are using official persecution to prevent proselytisation or conversion to faith in Christ. But he is often more effective in achieving his purposes by “masquerad(ing) as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14), unsettling believers with doctrines that look enough like the “real thing” to gain widespread acceptance, but which subtly undermine the essential truth of the gospel. All this was as true by the end of the first century as it is today. To comfort, reassure, warn and admonish His Bride, the Risen Lord Jesus gave a vision to the Apostle John and commanded him to write it down and have it read out throughout His church. He gives a picture of what is really happening in history, in the outworking of the sov - ereign God’s eternal purposes, in spite of how things might appear to the contrary. He addresses various problems within His church that put it in danger of losing its place among His chosen people. He encourages them to be faith - ful in love, faithfulness and prayer, giving them a picture of the situation from His heavenly perspective so that they would press on and not give up or be led astray. We need this same encouragement today, that we might stand firm against Satan’s attacks, whether these attacks come through hostility or heresy. God’s Word is faithful and true; we can trust it to be a lamp for our feet and a light to our path (Ps. 119:105), and we can use it confidently as the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17) to defend the truth of the gospel; and we can know that Jesus is Lord.

Bruce Christian is a former Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.

| australian presbyterian December 2011 15 bible study

DAY 1 Mystery uncovered . THE PASSAGE Revelation 1:1-3 ie given in distinct signs and symbols – through God’s “angel” THE POINT God does not keep us, His servants, in the dark (1). about what He is doing in His world. The “uncovering of the • John could vouch for its authenticity because of his own mystery” (revelation) through Jesus, the angel (messenger), clear experience: it had come to him as God’s word, and it had and John (Jesus’ disciple and apostle) is part of God’s self-rev - come personally through the man, Jesus Christ, whom he elation in Scripture. As such it is urgent and prophetic. We knew (1). will be blessed by reading it out, by hearing it read, and by • There is blessing to be had this month as we read it together! obeying what it says. • There was urgency in the message because of events to fol - THE PARTICULARS low. • Jesus Christ is the subject, object and means of all God does; TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY He is both the message and the messenger (cf John 1:14; • Does John anticipate that the readers of this revelation will 12:49-50). treat it as mysterious or as clear and profitable teaching from • The “revelation” was “signified” (KJV; NIV “made known”) – God? Why are Christians today inclined to shy away from it? DAY 2 The A to Z of God . THE PASSAGE Revelation 1:4-8 quering death and rising again, confirming our resurrection THE POINT There is only one true God. He is eternal: past, hope; He rules over all earthly authorities; His blood (shed as a present, future. Everything from first to last is His. His Son, sacrifice for us) has set us free from the power of sin and has Jesus, the Christ, is central, and essential, to everything God given us a new place in His Father’s Kingdom; He is coming is and to all He does. again for all to face, including those who crucified Him; every - THE PARTICULARS one will then acknowledge having had a part in His death and • John’s use of “seven” is symbolic of perfection. He is writing will mourn. to 7 specific churches (with some special connection to him?) TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY but his message is to the whole Church. The 7 spirits could • How important is Jesus to our understanding of who God is refer to angels or to the Holy Spirit (4; cf His 7 facets in Isaiah and how He operates in human history? What does this tell 11:2). us about other religions (or versions of “christianity”) that do • Jesus Christ to whom eternal power and glory belong is the not have Jesus at the centre as God the Son who died for sin - key to God’s self-revelation: He is the faithful witness, con - ners?

DAY 3 Jesus, stand among us... . THE PASSAGE Revelation 1:9-16 • The “7” specific churches in Asia Minor (now Turkey) signify THE POINT God wants us to be reassured that, in the midst the whole Church throughout time and space, the 7 lamp - of its suffering and trials, the whole Church, in every place stands signifying God’s presence in His Church always, every - where. and at every time, is indwelt by the risen and reigning Son of • The symbolism of the vision of Jesus in all His reigning glory Man, the Lord Jesus. is both comforting and terrifying: those who are His look for - THE PARTICULARS ward to His coming; those who are not will shrink in fear • The command for John to write down what he saw came before Him. from a very immediate, deliberate experience of the Holy • The “stars” are the angelic emissaries to the churches (see v. Spirit. The trumpet signifies God’s public announcement to 20). mankind. TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY • This is the only reference in Scripture to the 1st day of the • See Daniel 7:9-14 for the background to the “son of man” week as “the Lord’s Day” although it was treated as a special image. Which aspects are comforting and which are terrifying? day by the Early Church (cf Jn 20:19, Acts 20:7, 1 Cor. 16:2). Why? DAY 4 Do not be afraid .

THE PASSAGE Revelation 1:17-20 LORD (Jehovah God); here Jesus takes the same title for THE POINT The vision was given to John by Jesus for the Himself! (Next time a Jehovah’s Witness comes around ask enlightenment and comfort of the whole Church. Basic to this him to explain this.) is the fact that Jesus Himself is God: Jesus, who came to earth • John was commanded by Jesus to write down the whole as a man, who lived among us, who died on the cross, who vision so that the Church would see that God does control all rose again from the dead, and who now reigns in heaven, is history, and that He is bringing it to a predetermined end for none other than God eternal, holding His Church together our benefit. with power over death and hell! • Jesus is always present with His Church: we are special to THE PARTICULARS Him. • Jesus was there at the beginning (cf John 1:1f), and will be TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY there at the end (cf Matt. 28:20) – we need not fear, His hand • What special comfort is it to you to know that Jesus holds is on us. the keys of death and hell? (see Jn 10:28-29.) What does this • Isaiah 44:6 uses the title “the First and the Last” for the teach us about our own salvation and God’s sovereign grace?

16 australian presbyterian December 2011 church directory Come worship with us! If you are passing through or moving nearby, feel free to ring the Minister, Clerk or Elder. Find us on the Web at: http://www.presbyterian.org.au/states.htm

northern territory Kids’ Church: 9.30 am. 1st & 3rd Sunday EAST MAITLAND Sess. Clrk: Mr Peter Boggs, (02) 4861 3079. George St. 9.30am. Beresfield: Beresford Ave. BURWOOD (St. James) 7.45am. Raymond Terrace: Irrawang St. DARWIN 46-48 Belmore St. 9.15am 9.45am. Pastor Gordon Peden (02) 4932 0370. Kormilda College 10.00am. Bees Creek 1st Rev. David Maher (02) 9744 6542 EPPING and 3rd Sundays 5pm. Rev. Rob Duncanson BURWOOD CHINESE Bridge & Rawson Sts. 9.00am, 10.30am & (08) 8945 7878. 46-48 Belmore St. 9.15am & 11.15am 6.30pm. Rev. Matthew Oates (02) 9876 1188. (Cantonese) 10.30am & 5.00pm (English). GLEN INNES Church Office: (02) 9715 3889. Rev. Dennis Heron St. 10.30am m/tea, 11.00am service. australian Law (Senior Minister) 0414 812 776. Pastor Lance Jackson (02) 6732 6607. capital territory Rev. Eugene Hor (English Associate) 0414 GOSFORD 992 106. Mr Joe Lin (Chinese Assistant) 14-16 Young St. West Gosford. 8.00am. 0405 203 064. Miss Amy Leong (Youth & 9.45am. 6.30 pm. Rev. M. Cropper CANBERRA, BELCONNEN Children’s Worker) 0415 777 829. Mr Peter Office: Ph (02) 4323 2490. Cnr Gatty St. & Ross Smith Cres, Scullin. Hughes (P/T Youth Worker) 0404 949 190. GOULBURN (St Andrews) Sunday Service 10:00 am CAMPBELLTOWN Clifford St. 9.30am. 7.00pm 2nd & 4th Elder: Mrs J. Cram (02) 6278 7379 34 Lithgow St. 8.30 am. 10.00 am. Sundays. Also Taralga and Crookwell. CANBERRA, FORREST (St Andrew’s) Samoan service 12.30 pm. Phone: (02) 4821 3115. 1 State Circle (opp Parliament House). Rev. Jim Elliot (02) 4625 1037. GRANVILLE/MERRYLANDS Service Times: 9.30am. & 7.00pm. CARINGBAH Granville: 14 Hutchinson St. 9am. Church Office: (02) 6295 3457 393 Port Hacking Rd. South. 9.30am & 6.30pm. Chinese language 11am. Merrylands & CANBERRA, TUGGERANONG CASTLE HILL Monitor’s Rd. 10.30am Rev. Winston Mah Isabella Plains Early Childhood School, cnr 247 Old Northern Rd. 9.30am & 6.00pm. 0403 113 657. Canley Heights: 3 Derria St. Ellerstone Ave & Noorooma St, Isabella Rev. Moses Hahn (02) 9634 2911. Inquiries 9609 7384. East Parramatta: Plains. Worship Service & Sunday School CHATSWOOD Inquiries B. Frost 0433 908 130. 10.00am. Evening service 6pm. St Andrew’s, Anderson St. 9.00am, 10.30am GRIFFITH Session Clerk: 6296 5216. & 6.30pm. Rev. Jeff Read (02) 9419 5932 Opp. Collina Oval, Blumer Ave. 9.30 am. (W), (02) 9419 7349 (H). Ass. Rev. Warren Manse: (02) 6962 4827. Esdale. Dr L. Thorpe (02) 6962 1934 new south wales CHERRYBROOK HURSTVILLE John Purchase Public School Hall, Cnr. Park Rd. & McMahon St. 9.30am & Purchase Road. Service: 9.30 am. 5.30pm. Rev. Kevin Murray (02) 9580 1425. ANNANDALE-LEICHHARDT Rev. Stephen Fong (02) 9875 4894 KIRKPLACE Hunter Baillie, Johnston & Collins Sts. CHINESE CHURCH Meets at 9.30am at 12-16 Derby St, 10.00am. Rev. Peter Dunstan (02) 9810 7869. Cnr Crown & Albion Sts. Surry Hills. Kogarah. Rev. Steve Chong (02) 9587 1081. ARMIDALE (St. Paul’s) English 9am & 5pm / Cantonese 10.30am / KOREAN, SYDNEY (Young Nak) Faulkner St, 9.30am. & 7.00pm. Mandarin 9am / Bilingual Service 12noon / 7-9 Manson St, Telopea. 9.30am. 11.00am. Rev. David M. Seaman (02) 6772 3093 Sunday School 9am & 10:30am / Youth 9am. 3.00pm. S.Clerk (02) 9816 3807 ASHFIELD Church Office (02) 9331 4459. Rev. David MAROUBRA Liverpool Rd. & Knox St. 10.15am & 6.00pm Tsai (02) 9747 4845 or 0408 5516 606. 8 Robey St, 10.00am. 7.15pm. Rev. Peter Hastie (02) 9798 6572. COFFS HARBOUR Chinese Service, 4pm. BEACON HILL (St Andrew’s) 187 Harbour Dr. 8.00am & 9.45am. Rev. Johnnie Li (02) 9349 1312 244 Warringah Rd. 9.00am. & 7.00pm. Harbourside Evangelical Church: 5.00pm & MITTAGONG Rev. Trevor Cheetham (02) 9451 5076. 7.00pm. Mittagong Presbyterian Community Church. BEECROFT Rev. Jamie K. Newans (02) 6652 3183 Cr Alice & Edwards Sts. 9.00am. Sess Clrk Mary St., 8.45am. 10.30am. & 5.30pm. CORNERSTONE Mr John Currie, (02) 4872 4293. Rev. Paul Cooper (02) 9876 2478. @ Concord: Meets Concord Public School MOREE (St Andrew’s) BONDI 9.30 am. Cnr Burwood Rd. & Stanley St. Cnr Albert & Auburn Sts, 10.00am. Cnr. Castlefield & Miller Sts. Concord. Rev. Mark Powell (02) 9702 5281 Tel. (02) 6752 1083 10.00am & 6.00pm. @ North: Meets Eastwood Heights Public MORUYA Rev. John Graham: (02) 9130 6607. School 9.30am. Lincoln Street, Eastwood. 31 Evans St. 9.00am. BONNYRIGG Rev. C. S. Tang (02) 9688 7880. Rev. Peter Pallett (02) 4474 2186. Western Regions Chinese Church COWRA MOSMAN (Scots Kirk) 14-16 Bibbys Place. 9.30 am. (English) & 46 Macquarie St. Belmont Rd. (nr Military Rd), 9.00am. 11.00 am. (Mandarin) Rev. David Stone Ph (02) 6342 1467. Rev. Adrian de Graaf (02) 9969 6101. S.Clerk: Stanley Chen (02) 9753 2073 CRONULLA MOSS VALE BOWRAL 13 Croydon St. 9.30am. 7 Browley St 9.30am & 6.00pm Cr Bendooley & Wingecarribee St. 9.30am. Rev. Russell Stark (02) 9523 5875. Rev. Steve North (02) 4869 4795.

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MURWILLUMBAH TERRIGAL (Scots Kirk) Cnr, The Community Hub & Overton Lea 16 Wollumbin St. 9.00am & 6.30pm. 2 Willoughby Rd. 9.00am. Blvd, 10.00am each Sunday. Church Office (02) 6672 2226. TOUKLEY Rev. Peter Owen (03) 9307 6583. NAROOMA Cnr Hargreaves St and Victoria Ave. BUNDOORA 1 Farncombe Ave. 11.00am. 9.30am Morning Worship Bundoora Hall, Noorong Ave. 10.00am & Rev. Peter Pallett (02) 4474 2186. 6.00pm 2nd Sunday Mar, Jun, Sept, Dec. 6.00pm. Office: Mrs M. Goodson (03) 9017 NEWCASTLE (St Andrews) Rev. Rex Swavley (02) 4392 9904. 9037. www.bpc.org.au Cnr. Laman & Auckland Sts 9.30am & TUROSS HEAD BURWOOD 6.00pm. Office: (02) 4929 2857 277 Hector McWilliam Dr. 9.00am. (Chinese Presbyterian Church) 11.00am. NEWCASTLE (Grace Presbyterian) Rev. Peter Pallett (02) 4474 2186. Cnr. Greenwood &Tennyson Sts. 6 Callistemon Close, Warabrook WAGGA WAGGA SOUTH Rev. Dr John Elnatan (03) 9801 7645. Sundays, 10.00am & 6.00pm 60-62 Coleman St. Turvey Park CAMBERWELL - Trinity Rev. John Macintyre (02) 4023 8455 9.00am & 10.30am. cnr Riversdale & Waterloo Sts. 10.00am. www.gracepc.com.au Rev. Sandy McMillan (02) 6925 1228. Rev. Philip Mercer (03) 9882 8102 Surfside Stockton – 32 Fofar Street WAHROONGA CAMPERDOWN-TERANG Sunday 4.00pm Wahroonga Presbyterian Church, Terang: 155 High St. Rev. Jon Nuttall (02) 4928 3410 Cnr. Illoura Ave. & Stuart St. 9.30am. Camperdown: Cnr Campbell & Brooke Sts. www.surfsidestockton.org.au Rev. David Yu (02) 9489 3302. Session Clerk: T. Fleming (03) 5594 8231. NORTH SYDNEY-GREENWICH WEE WAA CANTERBURY (St Peter’s) 234 Blues Point Rd. 10.00am & Mitchell St. (02) 6795 4259 146 Canterbury Rd. 10.30am. & 7 pm. 6.45pm. Wednesday 1.15pm. WENTWORTH FALLS (St Andrew’s) Rev. Grant Lawry (03) 9836 4601. Greenwich: (Taylor Memorial) Falls Rd. 9.00 am. CANTERBURY JAPANESE 86A Greenwich Rd. 10.00am. Session Clerk: Mr J. Grant (02) 4759 1998 146 Canterbury Rd. 10.30am Rev. Dr Stephen Pym (02) 9460 9637. WEST WYALONG (Home Mission Station) Rev. Shojc Tsuchihira (03) 9511 0421. ORANGE (St James) Pioneer Memorial, Court St. 10.30am. CAULFIELD-ELWOOD Cnr Anson St. & Matthews Ave. 10.00am. Barmedman: 1st & 3rd Sunday. 9.00am. Caulfield: Neerim/Bambra Rds. 11.15am. Rev. Robert McKean (02) 6362 6304 Mirrool: 3rd Sunday. Tallimba: Weethalle: Elwood : Scott/Tennyson Sts. 9.15am. PARKES/FORBES/PEAK HILL Last Sunday 7.00pm. Contact Mrs Helen C. Rev. Phillip Chang (03) 9505 3013. Parkes: S. School 10.00am; Service 11.00am. Husking, Session Clerk (02) 6972 2143. CHELTENHAM Pioneers’ Presbyterian Forbes: 9.00am. Peak Hill: 9.00am 1st WOLLONGONG (St Andrew’s) 8 Park Rd. Cnr. Charman Rd. 9.30am. Sunday. Rev. Craig Bland (02) 6862 2730 Cnr Kembla & Burelli Sts. 9.45am & 6.00pm. Rev. David Brown (03) 9583 2785. PENRITH (St Andrew’s) Rev. Granville Pillar (02) 4226 1725(O). CLIFTON HILL Doonmore St. near High St, 9.00am, 10.30am WOO DFORD Cnr Michael & McKean Sts North Fitzroy. & 7.00pm. 88-89 Great Western Highway, Woodford. 10.45 am. Rev. Peter Phillips (03) 9346 8044. Rev. William Morrow (02) 4721 2440. 9:00am. Ph: (02) 4751 7715. COLAC (Scots) PORT MACQUARIE (St Andrew’s) WOONONA 90-94 Armstrong Street. 10.00am. Cnr William/Munster Sts, 9.00am., 10.30am 7 Gray St. Rev. Peter Currie (02) 4284 4057. Rev. Marvin Hagans H: (03) 5250 4360 Rev. S Donnellan (02) 6582 2505 WOY WOY O: (03) 5231 2398 RANDWICK 118-120 Blackwall Rd. 9.00 & 10.30 am. CRANBOURNE/LYNDHURST Alison Rd. & Cook St. 10.00am. & 5.00pm. Rev. K. Rathbone (02) 4342 2856. Cranbourne: Cnr Russel & Sladen Sts Rev. Grant Thorpe (02) 9399 3183. 10.00am weekly. REVESBY Lyndhurst: 214 Westernport Hwy (entry Cnr Tower St & Eastern Avenue, frm Pyramid Pl) 2.00pm 2nd & 4th Sunday of Service: 9.00am & 6.30pm. victoria Mth. Mod: Rev. Bill Medley (03) 9786 2976. Rev. Dr Peter Barnes (02) 9774 5740. CROYDON HILLS ROSE BAY (St Andrew’s Scots) Maroondah Community Centre, Brentnall Cnr Dover Rd & Carlisle St. ARARAT Rd, Croydon (next to Maroondah Secondary Service times: 10.00a m. 330 Barkly St (Cnr Albert St). 10.00am. College). 10.00am. Rev. Martin Spadaro (02) 9388 1206(O). Rev. Ian Hutton (03) 5352 4054 Rev. Matt James (03) 9725 5370. SOUTHERN CROSS ASHBURTON DANDENONG Park Ave. East Lismore. (02) 6621 3655. Junction of High St. and High Street Rd. 51 Potter St. 10.00am. SPRINGWOOD near Warrigal Rd. 10.15am. Rev. John Rickard (03) 9792 4252. 160 Macquarie Rd. 10.30am. & 6.00pm. ASPENDALE DONVALE Winmalee : 481 Hawkesbury Rd. 9.00am. Cnr Station St. & Lyle Grv. 9.00am. & Cnr Springvale Rd & McGowan St Donvale. A. Min. Mark Armstrong (02) 4751 1188 6.00pm. Rev. John Dekker (03) 9587 0661. 8.30am, 10.30am & 6.30pm. Rev. Gerald (O). Rev. Keith Walker (02) 4751 1188 (O). AUBURN Vanderwert (03) 9842 9493. (03) 9841 7020 (O) SUTHERLAND Cnr Rathmines & Station Sts Hawthorn East DROMANA-MORNINGTON Cnr Flora & Glencoe Sts. 9.30am & 5.30pm 10.00 am. Rev. Trevor Cox (03) 9882 5256 Dromana St Andrew’s, Gibson St. 9.00am & Rev. Andrew Clausen (02) 9521 2361 BAIRNSDALE 5.00pm. Mornington (The Chapel) Cnr SYDNEY (Scots Church) 15 9 Nicholson St. 10.00am. Strachans Rd. & Nepean Hwy. 11.00am. 44 Margaret St. Sydney. Sun: 10.30 am. 1st of Month 5.00pm. S/school 9.00 am. Rev. Dr Michael Wishart (03) 5975 9514. Wed: 1.15pm. Interim Moderator: Rev. Gary Stephens (03) 5153 1669 DROUIN Rev. Peter Hastie (02) 9798 6572. BALACLAVA Church St. 8.45am. 10.30am. 7.00pm. TAMWORTH (St Stephen’s) 106 Hotham St. & Denman Ave. 9.30am. Rev. Mark Smith (03) 5625 4112. Cnr Matthews & Crown St. 9.00am & Rev. Bob Thomas 0417 592 646. ELTHAM 6.30pm. Moonbi 9.00am. BENDIGO (St John’s) 23 Batman Rd. 10.00 am Rev. Stuart Andrews (02) 6765 8754. Forest St. 10.30am & 6.00pm. Rev. Don Elliott (03) 9439 9720 Tamworth Community Presb Church, Rev. Philip Burns (03) 5443 6189. ESSENDON St Stephens, Cnr Matthews & Crown St. BLACKBURN Cnr Wilson & McPherson Sts. 9.15am & 10.30am Rev. David Hassan (02) 6765 2865. 53 Gardenia St. 11.00am. 7.00pm. Rev. Peter Phillips (03) 9346 8044. TAREE Rev. P Locke (03) 9725 6417 FLEMINGTON Albert St. 9.00am. BRIMBANK Norwood St. 9.30am. Rev. Paul Harris (02) 6552 1082(O). Sydenham Community Centre S. Clerk Miss R. Anstee (03) 9650 9903.

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FRANKSTON 7.30pm (1st Sunday of the month). Asst. Rev. Teddy Woo (07) 3865 4185 30 Radiata St. 10.30am & 6.00pm. S. Clerk – Mr Jeff Broad (03) 5484 6284. ATHERTON (Tablelands) Rev. Bill Medley (03) 9786 2976. ST KILDA Cnr. Alice & Jack Sts. 10.00am & 6.00pm. Session Clerk: Mr John Disney 8707 0462. Cnr Alma Rd. & Barkly St. 11.00am & Rev. Cameron Wills (07) 4091 7203. GEELONG (St. George’s) 7.00pm. Rev. Bob Thomas 0417 592 646. BALD HILLS Cnr. Latrobe Tce & Ryrie St. 10.00am. SHEPPARTON 58 Strathpine Rd. 9.00am. & 6.30pm. Ministers: The Very Rev. Dr Allan Harman (03) Cnr. Hayes & Leithen Sts. 9.00am. & Rev. John Trappett (07) 3103 6144. 5255 2134. Rev. Peter Wilding (03) 5281 1723. 7.00pm. Also Stanhope, Kyabram. BRISBANE KOREAN GEELONG NORTH Rev. Kyung Ee (03) 5831 6494. 122 Allingham St, Kuraby 9am & 11am. 60 Victoria St. 9.30am. SOMERVILLE 145 Ann St. 2.30pm. Rev. Darren Middleton (03) 5278 1887. Cnr Jones Rd. & Park Lane. Rev. Dr M. M. Y. Kim (07) 3300 3132 GEELONG WEST (Scots) SORRENTO-RYE BRISBANE (St Paul’s) Cnr. Pakington & Waratah Sts. 10.00am. Sorrento: St Andrew’s, Kerferd Avenue 53 St Pauls Tce. Spring Hill. Clerk: Mr Drew Chittenden 0404 496 428. 11.00am. Rye: Cnr Collingwood & Lyons Rev. A. Gardiner (07) 3831 7458(O). GISBORNE (St Andrew’s) Sts. 9.15am. 6.00pm. BROWN PLAINS Fisher Street 10.30am & Evening service last Rev. John Brennan (03) 5985 6492 276 Waller Road. Heritage Park. 9.30am & Sunday of month 5.30pm (7.00pm Summer SOUTH YARRA 6pm. Rev. Danny Mihailovic (07) 3800 4421. daylight savings) 621 Punt Rd. 10.30 am. & 5.30 pm. BUNDABERG HAMILTON S.Clerk: Mr J. Adlawan (03) 9808 7391. Cnr Water & Alice Sts. 9.00am & 7.00pm. St Andrew's, Gray & McIntyre Sts. SUNSHINE Rev. Wallace Brown (07) 4151 4766. 10.00am & 5.30pm McKay Memorial, Anderson Rd. 10.00am. & CABOOLTURE Rev David Schulz (03) 55721009 6.00pm. Rev. John Cho (03) 9311 1661. 24 Cottrill Road. 9.00am & 6.00pm. HAWTHORN SURREY HILLS (St Stephen’s) Rev. John Nicol (07) 5499 1977 (office) 580 Glenferrie Rd. 11.00 am. & 7.00 pm. Canterbury & Warrigal Rds. 10.15am & 0418 876 634 (mob.) Rev. Graham Nicholson (03) 9819 5347. 6.00pm. Family Services 6.00pm (2nd & 4th CAIRNS HEATHMONT Sunday). Rev. Chris Siriweera (03) 9833 3306. 87 Sheridan St. 9.00am. & 6.30pm. Cnr. Waterloo St. & Canterbury Rd. Deaf Presbyterian Church Korean 11.00am. Cook Island 11.00am. Heathmont 10.00am. Canterbury & Warrigal Rds. 2.00pm. Rev. Harry Oh (07) 4051 2238. Rev. Andrew Venn (03) 9870 5182. Rev. Tony Salisbury (03) 9551 3634 CALLIDE VALLEY HORSHAM (Mod. Rev. Chris Siriweera (03) 9833 3306) Biloela: Cnr. Kariboe & Melton Sts. 16 Kalkee Road 10.00am & 7.00pm. WANGARATTA – REGIONAL PARISH 10.00am. Jambin: Three Ways 8.30am. Rev. Willem Vandenberg (03) 5382 3735. Wangaratta , 158 Rowan St. 11.00am & Rev. Gaius Goh (07) 4992 1441 . KANGAROO GROUND 5.00pm (9.00am 1st Sunday) CHARLEVILLE/BLACKALL 265 Eltham-Yarra Glen Rd. 9.30am. Yarrawonga , 47 Orr St. 8.45am (11.00am 78 Galatea St. 9.00am. Rev. Rod Scott (03) 9763 4248. 1st Sunday). Myrtleford , 78 Standish St. CLAYFIELD (Scots Memorial) KOREAN MELBOURNE 7.00pm (5.00pm June, July, August). 29 Bellevue Terrace, 9.30am & 6.30pm. 16 Walnut Rd. North Balwyn. 11.00am & WARBURTON Rev. Andrew Richardson 0423 160 412 2.00pm. Rev. Stephen Kim 0430 136 155. 3471 Warburton H’way. 10.00am. COORPAROO LEONGATHA Brian Harvey (03) 5966 2309. Emlyn St. 10.00am. Cnr. Bent & Turner Sts. 10.00am. WARRNAMBOOL (St John’s) Rev. Phil Case (07) 3397 8793. Session Clerk: (03) 5662 2107 Warrnambool: Spence Street. 10.00am CREEK ROAD MALVERN (Includes Children’s program) & 5.00pm Presbyterian Ministry Centre. 1541 Creek 161 Wattletree Rd. 10.30am. & 5.00 pm. (in the church hall Princess St). Road (cnr Fursden Road). Carina 8.30am, Rev. Philip Daffy (03) 9509 7373. Office: (03) 5562 2029. 10.30am & 6.30pm. Centre: (07) 3398 MELBOURNE South Warrnambool: MacDonald St. 9.15am. 4333. Rev. Steve Cree (07) 3398 4333 The Scots’ Church, Cnr. Russell & Collins Woodford: Mill St. 11.00 am. DECEPTION BAY–BURPENGARY Sts. 11am & 5.30pm. Wed. 1.00pm. Rev. Ben Johnson (03) 5562 2029. Peace Presbyterian Church. 9.30am. 10.30am (Indonesian Service) Werner WEST FOOTSCRAY 155-157 Maine Terrace, Deception Bay. Brodbeck Hall, 156 Collins St. 141 Essex St. (Scots) 10.00 am. Rev. John Gilmour (07) 3203 2526. Rev. Douglas Robertson (03) 9650 9903. Session Clerk: Ms J Swift (03) 9687 5701 GLADSTONE (St Andrew’s) MELTON WILLIAMSTOWN (St Andrew’s) Goondoon & Bramston Sts. 10.00am. Mowbray College, Centenary Ave. 10.00am. 87 Cecil St. 10.00am. Benaraby: O’Connor Rd. 8.00am. Rev. Phil Simmonds (03) 9747 8195. Rev. Bruce Riding (03) 9397 5338 Calliope: Dawson H’way (Stirrat St.) MOE — YARRAM WOORI YALLOCK 2nd Sunday 9.30am; 4th Sunday 8.00am. Rev. Stephen Deroon 1363 Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Rd. 9.30am. Ph: 4972 1058. Moe: 34 Fowler St. 10.00am. Rev. Dean Carroll (03) 5964 7563. GOLD COAST (I) Yarram: Cnr. Dougherty & Montgomery WYNDHAM Arundel: 132 Allied Drive 9.00am & Sts. 2.00pm. 116-120 Blackforest Rd. 10.00am. 10.45am. (07) 5571 5676. NOORAT Pastor Shane Cassidy (03) 9974 2024 www.arundel.org.au Cnr Mc Kinnons Bridge & Glenormiston Rds. Robina: Cnr University & Cottesloe Drives 10.30am. Rev. Miles Fagan (03) 5592 5220 10.00am & 6.30pm. NUMURKAH Rev. Kevin Ridley (07) 5571 1416 58 Saxton St. 11.15am. Tallygaroopna: queensland GOLD COAST (II) Victoria St. 9.30am. Cobram : Cnr High and Mudgeeraba: Cnr Mudgeeraba Rd & Pine Sts. (Anglican Church) 2.30pm. Regency Pde. 9.00am. Rev. Frank Savage (03) 5862 1621. ACACIA RIDGE Rev. Ray Evans (07) 5530 7003. Yarram: Cnr Dougherty & Montgomery Cnr Mortiner & Beaudesert Rds. GRACEVILLE Sts. 2.00pm. 9:00am & 6:00pm. Rev. Daniel Bigg, 12 Bank Rd, Graceville, Brisbane. 9.30am RESERVOIR (St. Andrews) (07) 3277 0010 (O), (07) 3711 5410 (H). and 6.30pm. Rev. David Secomb 81 Edwardes St. 10.00am. ASCOT (07) 3122 9561. [email protected] Session Clerk 9497 4785. 68 Charlton St. (Near Airport). GORDONVALE (St Paul’s) ROCHESTER Nundah: 14 Rode Rd 9 Norman Street, Gordonvale. Service: Cnr Victoria St. & Echuca Rd. 10.30am & Rev. Guido Kettniss (07) 3216 4151. 10.30am each Sunday. Minister: Rev. Bruce

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Harrison (07) 4056 2470. Asst. Rev. Kwang-Ho Song (07) 4778 3823. PENOLA Babinda (St Andrew’s): 25 Church St, WEST TOOWOOMBA Portland St. 9.30am. Babinda. 8.30am each Sunday. Ph: (07) Cnr Greenwattle & South Sts. 7.45am, PORT AUGUSTA 4056 2470. 9.30am & 5.45pm. Rev. Esa Hukkinen Jervois St. 10.00 am. HELENSVALE (Northlinks) (07) 4613 6691, (07) 4633 4188 (O). Barry Rossiter (08) 8642 2059. 1 Shepparton Road – 9.30am. WINDSOR SEACLIFF Rev. John Evans (07) 5580 1367. 60 Maygar St. 8.30am. Kauri Pde. Seacliff. 9.30am. HERVEY BAY Wilston: 28 Macgregor St. 9.45am. Rev. S. Slucki (08) 8296 1581. 5 Denman’s Camp Road, Scarness. 9.30am Rev. Stuart Atkinson (07) 3356 4124. WHYALLA & 7.00pm. Rev. John Roth (07) 4124 7018. 28 Ramsay St. 10.00 am. S/Clerk IPSWICH H. Mashford (08) 8645 0818. Cnr Limestone & Gordon Sts. 9.30am, 10am & 6.30pm. western australia Forest Hill: Church St, 9am. Office: (07) tasmania 3413 1050, Fax: (07) 3413 1051. ALBANY ITHACA Spencer Park School Hall, Reidy Drive, 100 Enogerra Tce, Paddington. Spencer Park. 10.00am & 4.00pm. Chris CORNERSTONE (Hobart) 10.00am. Service: 9.30 am. 6.30pm. Woonings Ph: 0428 665 123. “The Philip Smith Centre”, 2 Edward St, Rev. Robert Herrgott (07) 3300 6158. BASSENDEAN Glebe. 5pm “Soul Church” @“The Cupping MACKAY 14-16 Broadway. 9.30am. Room”, 105 Murray St. Cnr Harvey St. & Evans Ave. Nth Mackay. Rev. Ross Fraser (08) 9248 3252. Rev. Campbell Markham (03) 6234 4719. 8.30am & 6pm each Sunday. BICTON CROSSROADS 4pm. Rev. Gerhard von Tonder. Harris St. & View Tce. 9.30am & 7.00pm. 25 Tasma St. H.M. Dan Shepheard (03) 6234 Sarina: Sarina Beach Rd. 10.30am each FREMANTLE (Scots) 8207. crossroadshobart.org Sunday; Ph. (07) 4957 2835. 90 South Tce. Worship & Sunday School DEVONPORT (St Columba’s) MARANOA 10.00am & 5.00pm. Rev. Stuart Bonnington 13 Edward St. 10.00am. Don : Waverley Rd. Roma: Queen Street 9.00am. Word on Wednesday 12.30pm 2.00pm (1st & 3rd Sundays). MAROOCHYDORE (08) 9398 1304 Off. (08) 9336 6542 Rev. Steve Warwick (03) 6424 6066 45 Okinja Road Alexandra Headland 9.00am MANDURAH HOBART (St John’s) & 7.00pm. Rev. Jens Norved. Cnr Sutton and Gibson St 10:00am 10.00am & 6.30pm. 188 Macquarie St. Church Office (07) 5443 7073. Rev. Paul Bloomfield (08) 9319 0706. (03) 6223 7213. MARYBOROUGH PEPPERMINT GROVE (St Columba's) Rev. Alistair Bain 0407 568 717. 523 Alice Street. 9am. (07) 4122 4656. Cnr Venn & Keane Sts. 10.00 am. 5.00 pm. Rev. Rod Waterhouse 0438 555 983. Moderator: Rev. Wal Brown (07) 4152 0769. No pm. service 3rd Sunday of the month. LAUNCESTON (St Andrew’s) MILES Rev. Keith Morris (08) 9384 9186. Civic Square. 10.00 am & 5.00 pm. Cnr Warrego and Leichhardt Highways WEST LEEDERVILLE (Henderson Memorial) Church Office: (03) 6331 5412 9.00am. Rev. Walter Jones (07) 4627 1180. Cnr Kimberly & Ruislip Sts. 10.30am. Rev. Peter Thorneycroft 0438 315 412 NORTH PINE English & Japanese Service 1.00pm. MONTROSE 57 Old Dayboro Rd. Petrie. 9.00am & Rev. Steve Young (08) 9448 8755. Cnr. Islington Rd. & Walker St. 10.00 am. 6.30pm. Rev. P. Cornford (07) 3285 2104. Mod. Rev. Rod Waterhouse 0438 555 983. REDCLIFFE PENINSULA MOUNT STUART WoodyPoint, Cnr. Ellen & Hawthorne Sts. south australia Rev. David Jones 0400 134 701. 9.30am. & 6.00pm. Scarborough: Jeays St. Primary School Gillon Cres. 10am. 8.00am. Rev. Peter Whitney (07) 3284 2578. RIVERSIDE ROBINA Eden St. 10.45 am. Cnr Cottesloe & University Drs. ADELAIDE (St Andrew’s) Glengarry 9.15 am. Frankford H'way. Rev. Kevin Ridley (07) 5571 1416. 92-98 Archer St. North Adelaide. 10.30 am. Winkleigh 9.15 am., 2nd Sunday. ROCKHAMPTON (Fitzroy) Rev. Chris ten Broeke. Rev Dr Benno Zuiddam (03) 6343 5717 St. Stevens – Burnett St. 8.30am & 6.30pm Session Clerk Mr D. Niven (08) 8381 4615. ROKEBY John Knox – Rundle St. 10.00am ELIZABETH Presby. Community Church, Tollard 9.30am & Mt Morgan: St Enoch’s, East St. 4.00pm. 106 Goodman Rd, Elizabeth South. 9.30am. 4.30pm. Rev. Neil McDonald (03) 6248 1824. Rev. Jon Chandler (07) 4922 1825 (O) Rev. Kevin Stow (08) 8284 1719. Session SCOTTSDALE (07) 4922 1540 (A/H) Clerk: Mr Bob Arstall (08) 8825 5226. George St. 11.00am. Bridport : Westwood SANDGATE LARGS NORTH St. 9.00am. Loudon St. 9.00am & 6.00pm. Brenda Terrace. 11.00am. Rev. Greg Munro (03) 6352 2527. Rev. D.K. Ashman (07) 3269 1231 Pastor Raymond Brewer (08) 8263 9692. STANLEY (St James) THE GAP MILLICENT Fletcher St. 10.30am. The Gap High School Auditorium Cnr Fifth & Sixth Sts. 10.30 am. I.M. Rev. Steve Warwick (03) 6424 6066. 1048 Waterworks Rd, 9.30am. Also Rendelsham ULVERSTONE (St Andrew’s) Rev. Chris Perona (07) 3300 2987 MT BARKER 65 Main Rd. 10.00am. TOOWOOMBA NORTH (St David’s) 36 Hutchison St. 10.00 am. Rev. Charlie Kennedy 0400 228 241. Mary St. Also at Geham. Pastor Robert Finster (08) 8391 2270. WEST TAMAR (Auld Kirk) Rev. Andrew Clarke (07) 4632 8027. MT GAMBIER 50 Auld Kirk Road Sidmouth 10.00am. TOOWOOMBA SOUTH (St John’s) Allison St. 10.00 am. 5.30 pm. Also Allendale, Caveside Road Mole Creek 2.00pm. Cnr Cranley & Geddes Sts. 9:30am, 6pm. Nelson (Vic). Rev. Gary Ware (08) 8723 9028. Pastor Ian Partridge (03) 6330 3702. Rev. Graeme McKay (07) 4635 4560 NARACOORTE Murphy’s Creek , Thor St 9:30am. Church St. 10.00am. To register your church in this section of AP Westbrook , Westbrook Hall, Main St. 9am. NORWOOD (St Giles) is an easy, low cost exercise. TOWNSVILLE (Willows) 79 The Parade. 9.15am & 7.00pm. Session Facsimile the AP office on: (03) 9723 9685 26 Carthew St. Kirwan 9:00am & 6:30pm Clerk Tom Morgan (08) 8331 3499. or E-mail us at: [email protected] Rev. David McDougall (07) 4723 1232 PARA HILLS The Annual Fees are: TOWNSVILLE (St Andrew’s) 174 Maxwell Rd. 10.15am & 5.00pm. Rev. Congregations under 50 $45.00 plus GST 113 Wills St. City. 9.00am & 6.30pm. Damien Carson (08) 8264 4607 (Office) Congregations 51 -99 $55.00 plus GST Rev. Peter Barber (07) 4771 2460. (08) 8262 7680 (Home) Congregations 100 or more $65.00 plus GST

20 australian presbyterian December 2011 bible study

DAY 5 When love goes off the boil . THE PASSAGE Revelation 2:1-7 – a cooling off from the surge of their initial enthusiasm. THE POINT The specific messages to the 7 churches come • The urgent, remedial action needed included: from One who is intimately involved with them and vitally – real repentance leading to the rekindling of their first love. concerned for their welfare; He takes their commitment to • Jesus stresses that failure to repent will lead to a final rejec - His ways very seriously. tion of them as a church; but overcoming would reinstate THE PARTICULARS them fully. • The positive aspects of church life at Ephesus include: • The Nicolaitans infiltrated the Church with evil practices – strenuous labour and patient, persevering steadfastness; that the Lord hated because they contravened His revealed – spiritual discernment; intolerance of false Truth. teachers/heretics; TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY – putting up with affliction for the sake of Christ’s honour. • What action do you (your Church) need to take in the light of • The negative aspects of church life at Ephesus include: this passage? Have we become “tired” and lost our first love? DAY 6 The Church under attack . THE PASSAGE Revelation 2:8-11 people, but rather belong to the “synagogue” of Satan (cf John THE POINT When the Church is facing intense persecution, 8:42-44). even to the point of death, it is comforting to know that death • Extreme poverty in this world can be a sign of heavenly has already been conquered her risen Lord. At the end of our riches. earthly pilgrimage we will receive the crown (victor’s wreath) • The devil can do his worst to God’s people but his power, so of (eternal) life. great from man’s perspective, is but finite and limited by God’s THE PARTICULARS unchangeable plan. The “10 days” is symbolic of this reality. • Jesus is the Lord of all history from beginning to end. • Escape from the second death (see 20:6,14; 21:8) is eternal Ancient Smyrna had been destroyed and raised up again; and life. by His own resurrection Jesus is the source of new life to TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY believers. • Are you easily discouraged by opposition if you try to make a • For Jews to persist in their opposition to their Messiah and stand for Christ? How does this passage help you to persevere His followers is a sign that they are no longer God’s chosen in your faith? Pray for Christians under intense persecution.

DAY 7 The Church in the world . THE PASSAGE Revelation 2:12-17 THE PARTICULARS THE POINT Christians are often required to live and witness • God’s Word is living/active, sharper than any double-edged in places that are especially under the power of “the Evil One” sword (see Hebrews 4:12), powerful to conquer all opponents. through the influence of false religion (eg Islam) or ungodly • We are especially required to stand firm in our society that living (eg sexual immorality/perversion or officially sanc - has largely rejected God’s truth and has succumbed to Satan’s tioned godlessness). Pergamum was noted for emperor-wor - lies. ship and heathen temples. This made Christian witness often • If the Church has failed to stand against error it must repent. a matter of martyrdom, as in the case of Antipas. But the • If we stand firm, our heavenly citizenship is guaranteed. reigning Christ knows all about it and is able to counter opposing beliefs with the piercing power of His Word and to TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY protect believers with a supply of spiritual strength and a • How is the Church today in danger of compromising under “new” passport to heaven unknown to outsiders. the increasing pressure of secular values? What must we do? DAY 8 A wolf in sheep’s clothing? .

THE PASSAGE Revelation 2:18-29 full force of His majesty (“Son of God” used only here in THE POINT The big problem for the Church in Thyatira was Revelation). the influence of a wicked woman (code name: Jezebel) who, • In spite of their many good points (growing in love, faith, ser - while claiming to be God’s spokesman, was leading many vice, perseverance), too many of them were being influenced astray by advocating worldly, sensual ideas that led ultimately into compromise with the world’s ungodly ideas and ways. to gross immorality. Her most dangerous aspect was that she • Nothing escapes the One “whose eyes are liking blazing fire”. was among them as a professing believer who had some credi - • While allowing adequate time for repentance, Jesus’ ultimate bility (cf 2 Cor. 11:13-15). The Risen Christ required that she, intolerance of worldliness in His Church is uncompromising. and all who were influenced by her teaching and lifestyle, be • All who persevere and overcome will reign for ever with dealt with severely. Jesus. THE PARTICULARS TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY • The influence of the “Jezebel” figure (see 1 Kings 18-21) in • Are we diligent enough today to avoid the “Jezebel” syn - the Church in Thyatira led Jesus to introduce Himself with the drome?

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DAY 9 Dead men walking . THE PASSAGE Revelation 3:1-6 spiritually alive and yet be dead – a very serious warning! THE POINT Can a more disparaging evaluation be made of a • God exposes sin in order to give opportunity to repent, but church than this: “You have a reputation of being alive, but the time to respond is limited and can be terminated without you are dead”? Yet Jesus was prepared to declare it publicly of notice. the Church in Sardis, in order to warn them and bring them to • Whole churches can be under condemnation while some repentance! And, in spite of this fact, there were still individ - faithful saints remain untarnished. Swift action needs to be ual believers who were spiritually alive and persevering in taken to awaken the Church while they still remain as a spark their faith. of life. THE PARTICULARS • The names of true believers are written securely in Christ’s • Jesus remains Lord of the Church He purchased with His Book of Life; they are clothed in His righteousness and He own blood – although He knows what our true spiritual condi - pleads for them before His Father’s throne of grace in heaven. tion is. TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY • It is possible for a Church to have a good reputation as being • What do people think of your Church? What does Jesus think? DAY 10 The Key of David . THE PASSAGE Revelation 3:7-13 but the open door of genuine salvation remained open to wel - THE POINT The Church in Philadelphia was much like the come them. one in Smyrna: they suffered at the hands of the deluded “cho - • Although the Christians were considered weak and useless by sen people” (Jews); they received only praise, not criticism; the prosperous community among whom they lived they were they were persecuted by Satanic opponents for their faith; a strong and steadfast in what really mattered – their commit - crown of life would reward their resolute, obedient witness as ment to Christ and to the commands and demands of His those loved by Jesus. Gospel. THE PARTICULARS • Severe trials will come to the Church, but those who over - • Jesus is God’s holy agent who is trustworthy (true), and who come will be secured a place as citizens of the heavenly alone determines who is included in, and who is excluded from Jerusalem. God’s Kingdom: (holding the key of David, etc – cf Isaiah TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY 22:22). • The Church is the true Israel today, the chosen people of • The faithful believers may have been despised and barred God, and by God’s grace will inherit all of His covenant from association with those who claimed to be God’s people, promises.

DAY 11 Affluent... but effluent . THE PASSAGE Revelation 3:14-22 ple. THE POINT The Laodicean situation was probably even • We can appear to be prosperous and healthy, while spiritually more contemptible and dangerous than that in Sardis. They we might be quite destitute. Jesus is the only one who can also were unaware of the peril they were in. They were quite deal with our blindness and our nakedness before the living comfortable with things as they were: blessed with material God. resources, no-one really rocking the boat or getting too fanati - • Jesus’ criticism and harsh treatment are intended for our cal about their faith. But that was the problem! King Jesus good. wanted action, enthusiasm. Tepid Christianity is worse than • Jesus longs to be welcomed into the life of His Church; He cold Christianity! And God was willing to show His love meets our initiative with His invitation to share in His heav - through discipline and on the basis of true repentance would enly home. reinstate them at His throne. TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY THE PARTICULARS • In what ways is the Church in developed Western countries • Jesus rules, and is the authentic witness to God’s revelation. in danger of making the same mistake as the Church in • Jesus looks for and expects a spirited response from His peo - Laodicea? DAY 12 Our God reigns .

THE PASSAGE Revelation 4:1-6a John 10:9). THE POINT Following the details of Jesus’ concerns as He • The trumpet-like voice signifies a public announcement to moves among His Church on earth, John is given a vision of all. His rule in heaven. This vision will enable him to see some - • The “vision” John received would encourage believers because thing of the real power, authority and glory with which Jesus they would see that, whatever happened, God was in control. now reigns, and this will help him and his readers to cope with • The symbolic representation of the throne, its occupants and the difficulties they will face in “what must take place after surroundings portrayed a picture of glory, beauty and power. this” in their lives on earth. • The 24 elders on thrones depict the OT and NT Church THE PARTICULARS (12+12). • Jesus overcame evil and entered the door of heaven to sit TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY and reign with God His Father (3:21). John is now shown a • With threats of terrorism today and intensifying opposition picture of what this means for those who prevail through His to the true Gospel, are you encouraged by this glimpse of name and enter His glory through the door He has opened (cf heaven?

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DAY 13 Every knee shall bow . THE PASSAGE Revelation 4:6b-11 gent Man in God’s image; and the swift/free (eagle). Their THE POINT The picture God reveals to us of Himself is many eyes may speak of the all-encompassing aspect of their unacceptable to the natural, unregenerate man. He can’t toler - worship. The wings relate to cherubim who obey the Lord at ate such egotism! But in the heavenly realm it is quite clear to His bidding. The elders, representing the Church universal, all that God is entirely worthy of all the praise given to Him: unite with them in harmonious and devoted worship, giving He is thrice holy, almighty and eternal (“was, is and is to all glory to God. come”); He brought into being all that is and substantiates its • All glory, honour and power belong alone to God the Creator. existence. In the end, all earthly power and glory must sub - mit completely to His sovereign rule. TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY THE PARTICULARS • Make a list of all the attributes and works of God that prove • The 4 living ones have similarities with the vision in Ezekiel He is worthy of all our praise and worship. Use this list as the 1 and may symbolise all creation bowing in worship before basis for praising Him now, reflecting on what He means to God: the wild/strong (lion); the domestic/servile (ox); intelli - you. DAY 14 Jesus, the Key to all history . THE PASSAGE Revelation 5:1-5 is but one whole story, there is nothing beyond it, it is His- THE POINT The scroll represents the whole course of story! Creation’s history from its beginning to its climax in the • Breaking the seals symbolises explaining the meaning of the Return of Christ. But it is a confusing history: there is scroll, ie providing a solution, a key, to the whole riddle of life. good/evil, success/failure, clarity/perplexity. What is the key • Only one person is qualified to do this, the Lord Jesus to this mystery? Is there no-one who can explain this enigma? Christ, who died and rose again in fulfilment of all the OT. Yes there is! It is the story of God’s redeeming love in His Without Him the whole Universe remains a mystery (2 Son, Jesus Christ, who died on a cross of shame to redeem for Corinthians 1:20). Himself a people – His Church! TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY THE PARTICULARS • What does this passage teach us about Christianity in rela - • The writing on both sides of the scroll, and its seven seals, tion to all other religions or attempts to explain the meaning symbolise its complete coverage of every aspect and event of of life? What does this mean for apologetics? evangelism? mis - the whole of human history – from beginning to end, history sions?

DAY 15 The song of heaven . THE PASSAGE Revelation 5:6-14 plete insight); and is fully connected with the Holy Spirit’s THE POINT Here we have heaven’s glorious theme song. ministry. Chapter 4 gave us a picture of the whole creation praising God • Our prayers are part of the worship of the Church as Creator. Now we see the whole creation praising Him as Triumphant. Redeemer. The extent of their praise defies description and • The Elect consist of a very large but definite number of those their song is one of the most beautiful in Scripture. It is the who have been purchased with the blood of the Lamb; they song we’ll sing in heaven! are the ones who will reign with Him as kings and priests. THE PARTICULARS • Ultimately all creation will praise the Lamb (Phil. 2:10-11). • At the very centre of the throne is a Lamb bearing the marks of slaughter. Jesus’ sacrificial death is at the heart of who He TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY is – Redeemer of God’s Elect (see Jn 12:32-33, Phil. 2:8-9). • How essential to the Creation story is the story of The Lion of Judah who can open the seals is a crucified Lamb. Redemption? Does Creation really make any sense without • The Lamb has 7 horns (complete power) and 7 eyes (com - Redemption (see Rev. 13:8, 17:8, 1 Pet. 1:18-21, Mt 25:34)? DAY 16 A world in conflict .

THE PASSAGE Revelation 6:1-8 and a world out of harmony with its Designer/Creator (pale THE POINT Christ’s opening of the seals shows His sover - horse). eign control over all history. The four horsemen of the apoca - • It was the Lamb, the crucified Christ, who opened these 4 lypse show this in terms of Judgement. As the opening of the seals, showing that He is the Sovereign Lord of all history, seals continues we‘ll see that the Church has nothing to fear including judgement as well as mercy (cf Isaiah 45:7). It was because no matter what disaster occurs it is all under the the 4 living creatures who summoned the riders to “Come!”, Lord’s control and will be for the ultimate benefit of His showing that the Creation acknowledges its own implication Church – it is He who opens the seals! in its suffering. THE PARTICULARS TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY • Things that have always darkened human history are abuse • What evidence can we see in our world today of the relevance of power (white horse), hostility (red horse), deprivation and of the opening of the first 4 seals? How are God’s sovereignty the unjust distribution of resources (black horse), and the real - and man’s responsibility seen to work together in these ity of death and hopelessness through war, famine, disease events?

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DAY 17 How long, Sovereign Lord? . THE PASSAGE Revelation 6:9-17 His Church, is assured; but it must patiently await the full out - THE POINT The opening of seals 5 & 6 gives a context in working of His total Plan. which to answer the big question, “Why do bad things happen THE PARTICULARS to good people?”. In the end, the whole Creation is under • The Elect are known to God and are securely in His presence, God’s Judgement and subject to the outpouring of His wrath. clothed in a white robe – the righteousness of Christ (see 3:4- This was to be the inevitable result of Adam’s rebellion. 5). Noah’s flood was the first of many previews of the final • The end of the world will be a terrifying cosmic event with events John saw depicted when the 6th seal was opened. But dire consequences from which none will escape (as symbolised during the course of human history God has been rescuing His by the 7 classes: kings, princes, generals, rich, mighty, slave, Elect from the final impact of the Day of Wrath. The number free). of them, and the extent of the unjust suffering they must TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY endure in the Fallen world, are fixed quantities known only to • Do you find comfort in the opening of the 5th seal? Christians the Sovereign Lord. Thus, the final vindication of God’s Elect, are suffering unjustly today but God knows what He is doing! DAY 18 When the roll is called... . THE PASSAGE Revelation 7:1-8 with the same number from each confirms the numbers are THE POINT We see here that the number of the Elect symbolic. The important thing, however, is that the Elect are (144,000) is clearly symbolic (in spite of what Jehovah’s known to God by name and their eternal security is sealed in Witnesses try to tell us!). In Revelation, 12 (3x4) represents heaven. Nothing can ever harm them (cf John 10:28-29, the Covenant which the Tri-une God (3) has made with the Romans 8:38-39). earth (4, cf 4 winds in verse 1). Thus, 7 (3+4) represents com - THE PARTICULARS pleteness (cf 7 churches, 7 seals, etc, and comment on 6:15 • History is the Plan of a Sovereign God who controls all yesterday). The number 1,000 is used to represent a very things for the final good of His Church, not the outworking of large but fixed, finite number known to God (cf 1,000 years in a contest between good and evil the final result of which is 20:6). The Church, the New Israel, consists of a vast multi - tude (cf 7:9) from both the Old (12 tribes) and New (12 unknown. Apostles) Testament dispensations and represented by the TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY number 144,000 (1000x12x12). The naming of the tribes • What is your security in this threatened, fragile world?

DAY 19 A glimpse of Heaven . THE PASSAGE Revelation 7:9-17 • The white robes point to justification, the palms to victory. THE POINT John was given a glimpse into heaven: who are Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb, is at the centre with the Father. there, why they are there, what they are doing, what is it like. All glory and praise are directed to them alone. All is made Having such a glimpse helps us to cope with how things are new. on earth. It is much easier to live with frustration and hard - TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY ship if we know that everything is moving towards a good • Does your congregation reflect what heaven will be like? ending, that all the things that confuse us now have a purpose How many different nations and languages are represented? in God’s eternal Plan, a Plan which cannot be foiled. Rejoice in Do you sing the praise of Jesus enthusiastically when you this scene! meet together for worship? Is Jesus the focus of your wor - THE PARTICULARS ship? Is “serving” a key word? Do you see each other as sin - • Humanly speaking, the number of God’s Redeemed is count - ners saved by grace, clothed in the righteousness of Christ less. And they are made up of people from every part of the alone? Do your attitudes show evidence of God’s healing globe! power at work? Is there joy? DAY 20 The power of prayer . THE PASSAGE Revelation 8:1-5 THE PARTICULARS THE POINT The opening of the 7th seal introduces us to • The trumpets will announce the coming judgements but they another look at the whole course of history, this time symbol - are suspended by the intervention of the prayers of the saints. ised by the sounding of 7 trumpets. But before this new reve - • The prayers of the saints (those made holy as God’s Elect by lation actually begins, two significant things happen which redemption in Christ) are a significant part of God’s working. serve to remind us of the awesome privilege that is ours. • Our prayers are assisted by God’s ministering spirits (see Firstly, the long silence reminds us that we are being brought Hebrews 1:14, Romans 8:26-27). They are part of our wor - into the very presence of the God who is Creator, who controls ship. every event in history, and who has achieved our eternal salva - tion through the death of His own Son. Secondly, we are told TO PONDER ... AND TO PRAY that we actually have an active part to play in the process of • Has your awareness of God been deepened by these studies? history through our prayers! • Do you realise what power you are wielding when you pray?

24 australian presbyterian December 2011 news

ernment in Baden-Württemberg. The sultan of the state of Selangor, The lawyer, a member of the socialist Sharafuddin Idris Shah , accepted a news Left party, took on the case after several report prepared by the JAIS which said other attorneys rejected it. Both the JAIS did not act illegally in the raid Sundermann and his client are no longer on Damansara Utama Methodist Act, plead US Copts members of the Catholic Church. Church . While church leaders wel - In a worst-case scenario the pope comed the sultan’s wish for religious Egyptian Coptic Christians living in would have to pay a fine of between 30 harmony and his decree that there will the United States have sent a letter to and 2500 Euros ($A39 to 3270). be no prosecution against any parties US Secretary of State Hillary However, if the pope enjoys diplomatic involved, Dr Ng Kam Weng , research Clinton , imploring her to take more immunity, even a miracle won’t help this director at Kairos Research Centre, action against what they termed a case. argued that the powers granted by the “crime against humanity” facing the The Local state enactments “cannot be taken as Christian population in Egypt from the license” for Muslim religious authorities Muslim Brotherhood . Iranian pastor ‘tortured’ to intrude or trespass onto the premises The head of the American Coptic of a church. Association, Monir Dawoud, warned The mistreatment of a pastor in Iran The sultan’s ruling asserted that, the United States government that the awaiting a decision on his death sen - based on investigations by JAIS, there Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s most tence for refusing to recant his faith were attempts made to “subvert the organised and popular Islamic group, is amounts to physical and psychological faith and belief of Muslims” – illegal in “attempting to annihilate Christians” torture, a source close to the pastor’s Malaysia. The sultan commanded JAIS and other minority groups in the coun - family said. Yousef Nadarkhani , sen - to provide counseling to the 12 Muslims try. tenced to death a year ago after a court present at the dinner in order to restore Dawoud called for international pro - of appeals in Rasht, Iran, found him their faith and belief in Islam. tection of Christians in the country as guilty of leaving Islam in September well as an Egyptian Charter of Rights 2010, is in deteriorating health, accord - Pakistani evangelist shot and Freedoms that guarantees the ing to a member of Nadarkhani’s rights of all minorities, the disabled, denomination, the Church of Iran , An evangelist was shot dead in women and children. who requested anonymity. Karachi, Pakistan, last month by an The controversial leader, who many He said that communication with unidentified gunman in what his family Coptic Christians in Egypt say does not Nadarkhani is limited, but that sources believes was a radical Muslim group’s speak on their behalf, also accused the close to the imprisoned Christian indi - targeting of a Christian. Brotherhood of wanting to change the cated that he has undergone physical Zahid Jamee l, 25, told Compass that American Constitution based on the and psychological torture. “Certainly he his father, Jameel Saawan , and a Koran. was hit, but his [telephone] conversa - helper were opening the doors of their Assist tions are heard [by authorities],” the cosmetics shop when a young man source said. “We know that he has been appeared and shot his father, first in the Buckle up, your Holiness in extreme situations, and we consider neck and then in the face. that torture. When you have spent time The young assassin fled on a motor - A German man has filed a complaint in a solitary cell unable to talk to others cycle on which two people were waiting, against Pope Benedict XVI for not for a long time, or you are told you will keeping watch for him, Jameel said. wearing a seat belt in his “Popemobile” be killed, this is also torture.” Jameel’s father had not spoken of any during his last trip to Germany. Authorities have also continued to threats on his life in recent weeks, Johannes Christian Sundermann , a pressure Nadarkhani to recant his faith though he had received threats after lawyer from Unna in North Rhine while in prison. The court in Rasht was voicing his desire to start a welfare Westphalia, filed a legal complaint expected to pronounce a verdict on organisation for poor Christians in the against the German-born pope formerly Nadarkhani’s appeal last month but Essanagri area of Karachi two years ago, known as Joseph Ratzinger for not instead sent the Christian’s case to the he said. wearing his seat belt on several occa - nation’s Islamic authority, Supreme Compass Direct sions “for more than one hour at a Leader Ayatollah Khamenei , to make time”, according to a report in the a ruling. Army abuses in Burma Westfälischen Rundschau newspaper. Compass Direct The pope allegedly broke the law dur - Serious violations of human rights ing his visit to Freiburg at the end of No action over raid continue to be committed by the Burma September as part of his tour of Army in eastern Burma, while humani - Germany. A Malaysian sultan has decided not to tarian conditions deteriorate due to a Sundermann represents a Dortmund prosecute Christians or the Muslim lack of international funding, according man. As evidence the two are offering state officers who burst into their meet - to a new report by a human rights YouTube videos and are also calling the ing in August, but local commentators agency. Archbishop of Freiburg , the chairman have continued to express concern over Christian Solidarity Worldwide of Germany’s Bishops Conference and the raid by the officers of the Selangor (CSW) said in a news release that last Winfried Kretschmann , the Green Islamic Religious Department month the group conducted another Party politician who heads the state gov - (JAIS). fact-finding visit to the Thailand-Burma

| australian presbyterian December 2011 25 news

border, visiting Karen refugees in camps attacks by a radical Islamist sect . Kathmandu bomb defused on the Thai side of the border as well as Boko Haram , whose name trans - internally displaced people (IDPs) across lates as “Western education is forbid - Security forces have defused a “pow - the border in Karen State. den” from the local Hausa language, has erful” bomb packed inside a sack and CSW also met former political pris - claimed responsibility for dozens of placed at the entrance of a Protestant oners, exiled activists, representatives shootings and attacks with improvised church in central Kathmandu. The of the democracy movement, non-gov - explosive devices this year. bomb, which was in a cloth bag and ernmental organisations and diplo - “The Geidam divisional police head - stuffed in a white plastic sack, was dis - mats, plus several recently arrived quarters and First Bank were bombed covered yesterday outside the refugees, who had fled fighting by Boko Haram and fire was exchanged Navajiwan Church , which belongs to between the Burma Army and ethnic into the night between police and Boko the Assemblies of God grouping of armed groups. Haram members,” a police spokesman churches at around 6pm by the janitor , One Karen IDP told CSW, “Whenever told reporters. “Four policemen were Arjun Magar . the Burma Army comes, they burn vil - killed, 20 wounded, eight churches and “The sack was left just outside the lages or shoot people. So whenever the 20 market stalls as well as Geidam gate. I became suspicious when I saw Burma Army comes we run away council secretariat are completely another bag inside, so I called the church because we know what will happen if we destroyed.” elders who called the police,” he said. don’t.” Reports of forced labor, looting, Boko Haram often targets politicians, Police cordoned off the area in extortion and torture remain wide - who the sect say are corrupt and have Kupondole district before making the spread. left the north-east region impoverished. bomb safe with a series of controlled Assist It claimed responsibility for an attack in explosions. Damaturu, the capital of Yobe, earlier An army bomb disposal expert later Vietnam: Baptists attacked this month that left at least 65 dead. It said three high-powered devices were was also behind two bombings in the found in the sack and would have caused A gang of men attacked leaders of a capital Abuja this year, the latest in extensive damage if they had gone off. Baptist house church network near August, a suicide attack at the UN build - Suman Gurung, the church pastor, Hanoi last month, leaving one pastor ing which killed 26 people. said people in the area had a lucky unconscious and seriously injuring sev - Reuters escape . eral others, including women and Security has become a major concern teenage children. Leaders of the Agape Claims endanger Christians for Christians in Kathmandu following a Baptist Church were participating in a bomb attack on the United Mission to spiritual renewal meeting at the home Charges that a pastor in Jammu and Nepal, a Christian NGO, on November of pastor Nguyen Danh Chau in Lai Kashmir state “lured” Muslims to 22. Tao village, Bot Xuyen commune, My Christianity by offering money are false UCA News Duc district, when the gang intruded at and have put the lives of the clergyman 9:30 a.m., sources said. and other Christians in danger, accord - Sick Cardinal testifies Beating people and smashing prop - ing to Bishop Pradeep Kumar erty, the gang seriously injured more Samantaroy of the Church of North A retired Roman Catholic cardinal than a dozen participants and warned India denomination. who suffers from cancer and dementia Nguyen Danh Chau that they would kill Following the arrest last month of testified behind closed doors for about him if he continued gathering the Rev. Chander Mani Khanna , pas - three hours recently as lawyers in the US Christians, the sources in Vietnam said. tor of All Saints Church in Srinagar, prepare for a ground -breaking priest The seriously injured Christians Bishop Samantaroy told Compass by abuse trial. included five male pastors, four female phone that the time has come for the Prosecutors deposed 88-year-old for - pastors and other church leaders, and church to speak up against the “discrim - mer cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua in several of the leaders’ teenage children. inatory action” by authorities in India’s case he cannot appear for the March The denomination’s top leader, Kashmir Valley. The bishop of the trial of three priests, an ex-teacher and a Nguyen Cong Thanh , said he had met Amritsar Diocese said the pastor told church administrator. The three priests with the injured. “All they could do was him his life was in danger, as the charges and the former teacher are charged with weep, and I also could not prevent my have angered local Muslims. raping boys. The administrator is the tears from flowing,” he said. “Why do The government must provide pro - first Roman Catholic church official they gratuitously beat servants of the tection to the pastor, churches and charged in the U.S. for his administra - Lord like this – what crime have they Christian institutions “immediately” , he tive actions. committed, what enemies have they said. Pastor Khanna was arrested for Church lawyers fought to block made?” creating “enmity” between religious Bevilacqua’s testimony. However, Compass Direct communities and hurting religious sen - Common Pleas Judge M. Teresa timents. Bishop Samantaroy said the Sarmina deemed him competent after More attacks in Nigeria allegation made by Kashmir Grand reviewing his medical records and meet - Mufti Bashir-ud-din Ahmad that ing him, her office said. Churches, homes and the police head - Pastor Khanna had converted Muslims The church administrator, quarters in the small northeast Nigerian by offering money was “totally baseless Monsignor William Lynn , town of Geidam have been set ablaze in and untrue”. Bevilacqua’s long -time secretary for a wave of night time gun and bomb clergy, is charged with felony child

26 australian presbyterian December 2011 news endangerment and conspiracy. He’s But Christians say they will have to accused of transferring predator priests wait, that the secular and liberal parties without warning to new parishes. agenda are very young and may collect more UCA News support. The strong Islamist showing left NATO victims mourned many of the youthful activists who took Egypt: vote alarm part in the uprising against former pres - Christians from the Pakistani city of ident Hosni Mubarak feeling that their Toba Tek Singh have condemned the Christian leaders in Egypt voiced sur - revolution had been hijacked, the killings of citizens by NATO forces in prise and alarm at the success of Associated Press said. Pakistan. Islamist groups in the first round of Catholic News Agency A mourning prayer service was orga - Egypt’s parliamentary elections but nized for 26 Pakistani security person - stressed that the process is still in an Climate apartheid: bishop nel killed in a battle with NATO forces early phase. last month . The Muslim Brotherhood’s South African Anglican Bishop Christians in Toba Tek Singh includ - Freedom and Justice Party took Geoff Davies has compared rich coun - ing children, youth and older people 36.6 % of the vote while the Salafist Al- tries’ behaviour at this month’s Durban came from different areas to the district Nour Party — an even more extreme climate talks with apartheid, saying office of the Pakistan Muslim League Islamist group — garnered 24.4 %. wealthy nations were trying to keep (Nawaz) to join the mourning prayer By contrast, the secular Egyptian power and wealth for themselves. service. Bloc won only 13.4 percent of the coun - Speaking to reporters on December One of the organizers of the prayer try’s 9.7 million valid ballots, the 6, the Anglican church leader urged deci - service, Ashfaq Fateh , welcomed those Associated Press reported on December sion makers to put the needs of people who attended the prayer. He said, 5. and the planet before profit. “Pakistan has been scarifying its own Father Antoine Rafic Greiche , Bishop Davies, who runs the people since the war on terror has been official spokesman for the Catholic Southern African Faith launched, however drone attacks killing Church in Egypt, said leaders expected Communities Environment civilians and security personnel are the Muslim Brotherhood “to do well but Institute , also insisted that climate enhancing anger against NATO. ” we did not expect at all the success of change is a moral issue. Assist the Salafists” . “Climate change is a moral issue and “Their success is a big surprise and a it must be met by the moral principles of Muslims grab land cause for alarm not just for Christians justice, equity, compassion and love,” he but for moderate Muslims who will be declared. In an attempted land-grab in southern very annoyed by what has happened,” he “We need to put the well-being of the Punjab Province, police and cohorts of a told Germany-based charity Aid to the planet and people before self-interested, retired military official beat two Church in Need . financial considerations. We are being Christian women and shot at Christians “The Salafists’ attitude to Christians driven by almost evil forces that care who came to help them on November is to say that they can get their passport just about profit. 25, local Christians told Compass . to go to the USA, France, UK or some - “Here we are on South African soil About eight police officials led by where else in the West,” the priest said. where apartheid was defeated. Yet we Sub-Inspector Muhammad Arif of “They always talk about Egypt as a are seeing a global apartheid. Rich coun - Kot Sarwar Shaheed police station, Muslim country even though there are tries are keeping wealth and power for along with armed associates of a retired up to 13 million Christians living here.” themselves.” senior military officer, Air Marshal Fr. Greiche reported that the Salafists Bishop Davies, whose organisation is Maqbool Shah , arrived at the fields of have discussed forbidding tourism, bar - a partner of UK-based global develop - Nazeer Masih in the Kot Addu area ring women from wearing swimming ment agency Christian Aid , said it and ordered the six or seven women costumes, and forcing them to be would be immoral to allow global warm - working there to leave, said Christian “totally covered up.” They want to ing to exceed two degrees celsius. rights advocate Waseem Shakir . implement Sharia Islamic law “rigor - “If temperatures go up to four or five Masih’s wife, Martha Bibi told ously” . degrees it will catastrophic,” he said. “In Compass the women were still in shock. Coptic Catholic Bishop Kyrillos Africa we are concerned. Scientists say “They pulled away our headscarves from William of Assiut in Upper Egypt said: African temperatures will increase twice our heads and started hitting us indis - “We are not afraid of the Salafists and as much as the global average. It is criminately with clubs and punches,” the Muslim Brotherhood . The success of immoral for nationals to say we will con - she said. the Salafists has surprised us but we tinue to emit carbon until we hit two In the last few years Muslims have must wait and see what happens in the degrees.” made several attempts to seize land next two rounds of the elections.” Ekklesia from the Christians, usually succeeding Bishop Antonios Aziz Mina of as Christians are a marginalised minor - Giza, another Coptic Catholic, said the Christ ‘obscene’ in text ity, Shakir said. Muslim Brothers “know what they are Compass Direct doing.” “I am afraid what they, and the A Pakistani Christian leader has Salafists, might do if they got power,” he attacked the Pakistan said. Telecommunications Authority

| australian presbyterian December 2011 27 news

(PTA) who is reported to have told seem that Pakistani Muslim majority knowledge of them, and as soon they mobile phone companies to begin block - hatred for Christians exceeds the love were brought to my attention, I brought ing text messages containing “obscene” for one of their own prophets. The selec - them to the prime minister’s attention words including “Jesus Christ.” tion of other words raises further ques - this morning, and he immediately Mobile phone companies Telenor tions. I am baffled at terms such as ‘ath - ordered them brought down.” Pakistan and Ufone confirmed to the letes foot’ and ‘flatulence’ receiving a CNN Belief Blog BBC that the PTA has sent them a “dic - ban when they are commonly used med - tionary” of banned words and expres - ical terms.” Christ off calendar sions. “Ufone say they are now working on Israeli ad withdrawn Christian leaders in Australia have how to block the offending words,” said By Heather M. Higgins condemned changes to the national cur - a BBC story. “A letter dated November riculum that will replace the terms BC 14, apparently written by Muhammad A TV commercial, intended to encour - (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini) Talib Doger , an official at the PTA, has age Israeli expatriates to return home, in text books. been leaked to Pakistani media. has provoked a storm of protest for its Under the new curriculum, which “It states that mobile phone opera - implied criticism of Christianity and was due to be released next year but has tors should begin screening the words, been taken down, reportedly by per - been delayed, BC and AD will be provided on a list attached to the letter, sonal order of the Israeli PM. replaced with BCE (Before Common Era) within seven days.” The ad shows a young girl on her and CE (Common Era). The BBC went on to quote Anjum mother’s lap, video-chatting with her Sydney Anglican Archbishop Nida Rahman , corporate communica - grandparents, who live in Israel and who Peter Jensen said that taking refer - tions director for Telenor Pakistan, as are pictured with four candles burning ences to the birth of Jesus Christ out of saying, “We have received both the dic - brightly on a menorah behind them. school books was an “intellectually tionary and the memo and we’re dis - When the Jewish grandmother asks absurd attempt to write Christ out of cussing a way forward.” the child what holiday it is, she replies human history” that he likened to call - Wilson Chowdhry , chairman of the “Christmas!” instead of Hanukkah; the ing Christmas “the festive season”. British Pakistani Christian joy drains from the grandparents’ faces It is absurd because the coming of Association , has told the ASSIST News as they turn to each other in disappoint - Christ remains the centre point of dat - Service that one of those “offending” ment. ing and because the phrase “common words is “Jesus Christ”. In a message This Hebrew-language spot, titled, era” is meaningless and misleading. sent to ANS, he said that among the “It’s time to return to Israel before Liberals education spokesman words and expressions that have to be Hanukkah becomes Christmas,” was Christopher Pyne said it was pointless blocked are athlete’s foot, flatulence, removed from the Israeli Ministry of to deny Australia’s cultural heritage. Jesus Christ , monkey crotch, back door, Immigrant Absorption’s YouTube “Kowtowing to political correctness bewaquf (foolish), bakwaas (nonsense) , channel earlier this month after it by the embarrassing removal of AD and and Wuutang (a presumed reference to unleashed criticism from many Jews. BC in our national curriculum is of a American rap group the Wu-Tang Clan.) Michael Oren , Israel’s ambassador piece with the fundamental flaw of try - “The inclusion of the name of Jesus to the United States, told CNN’s ing to deny who we are as a people,” he Christ within this list of offensive words Suzanne Malveaux on Friday that said. is another example of the intense hatred Prime Minister Benjamin “Australia is what it is today because that resonates within Pakistan towards Netanyahu insisted that the ad, and a of the foundations of our nation in the Christians,” stated Chowdhry. handful of others like it, be taken down. Judeo-Christian heritage that we inher - “It beggars belief that Jesus Christ “The prime minister’s office knew ited from Western civilisation. ” could be considered a word offensive to nothing about these ads,” Oren said. The Rev . Fred Nile , an MP in the Muslims as He is written about as a “They weren’t brought to the prime New South Wales parliament, described great prophet in the Koran. It would minister’s office for approval, we had no the changes as “an absolute disgrace” and the “final insult” to Australian Christians. “The direction of the national cur - riculum is towards almost a Christian cleansing to remove from our history any references to the role Christianity had in the formation of Australia and Visiting Ballarat? still has today,” he said. But the Australian Curriculum, Worship with us at Ebenezer Presbyterian Church. Assessment and Reporting Every Sunday 10.30 am. Authority , which is responsible for developing the secondary level national 214 Armstrong Street South. curriculum, said the new terms were the Rev. Dr John Woodward Phone: (03) 5334 2909 increasingly common standard for the representation of dates. Barnabas Fund

28 australian presbyterian December 2011 church The leavers Why are young adults abandoning the church?

Drew Dyck

ome striking milestones appear reared in the church will be “disengaged” on the road through young by the time they are 29. Barna Group adulthood: leaving for univer - president David Kinnaman described the sity, getting the first job and reality in stark terms: “Imagine a group aSpartment, starting a career, getting photo of all the students who come to married — and, for many people today, your church (or live within your commu - walking away from the Christian faith. nity of believers) in a typical year. Take a A few years ago, shortly after uni, I big fat marker and cross out three out of was in my studio apartment with a every four faces. That’s the probable toll friend and fellow pastor’s kid. After They are not an of spiritual disengagement as students some small talk over dinner, he ‘unreached people navigate through their faith during the announced, “I’m not a Christian any - group’. They are our next two decades.” more. I don’t know what happened. I just brothers, sisters, sons In his book unChristian , Kinnaman left it.” relayed his findings from thousands of An image flashed into my mind from and daughters, and interviews with young adults. Among his the last time I had seen him. It was at a friends. many conclusions was this: “The vast Promise Keepers rally. I remembered majority of outsiders [to the Christian watching him worship, eyes pinched faith] in this country, particularly among shut with one slender arm skyward. Americans claiming “no religion” almost young generations, are actually How did his family react to his deci - doubled in about two decades, climbing dechurched individuals.” He reports that sion? I asked. His eyes turned to the from 8.1 % in 1990 to 15 % in 2008. The 65 % of all American young people report ground. “Growing up I had an uncle who trend wasn’t confined to one region. having made a commitment to Jesus wasn’t a Christian, and we prayed for Those marking “no religion,” called the Christ at some point. In other words, him all the time,” he said wistfully. “I’m “Nones” , made up the only group to have most unbelieving outsiders are old sure they pray for me like that.” grown in every state, from the secular friends, yesterday’s worshipers, children About that time, I began encounter - north -east to the conservative Bible Belt. who once prayed to Jesus. ing many other “leavers”: a basketball The Nones were most numerous among To tweak Kinnaman’s language, the buddy, a soft-spoken young woman from the young: a whopping 22 % of 18 to 29- problem today isn’t those who are my church’s worship team, a friend from year-olds claimed no religion, up from unchristian , but that so many are ex- youth group. In addition to the more 11 % in 1990. The study also found that Christian . Strictly speaking, they are not vocal ex-Christians were a slew of others 73 % of Nones came from religious an “unreached people group” . They are who had simply drifted away. Now that homes; 66 % were described by the study our brothers, sisters, sons and daugh - I’m in my early 30s, the stories of apos - as “de-converts.” ters, and friends. They have dwelt tasy have slowed, but only slightly. Other survey results have been grim - among us. Recently I learned that a former col - mer. At the May 2009 Pew Forum on league in Christian publishing started a Religion and Public Life, top political sci - handful of researchers insists that blog to share his “post-faith musings”. entists Robert Putnam and David Athe dramatic drop-off in 20-some - These anecdotes may be part of a Campbell presented research from their thing spirituality is not cause for alarm. larger trend. Among young adults in the new book American Grace . They reported They view the exodus from the church as US and the West generally, sociologists that “young Americans are dropping out a hiatus, a matter of many post-colle - are seeing a major shift taking place of religion at an alarming rate of five to giate Americans “slapping the snooze” away from Christianity. A faithful six times the historic rate (30 to 40 % on Sunday mornings. response requires that we examine the have no religion today, versus 5 to 10 %a In his recent book Christians Are Hate- exodus and ask ourselves some honest generation ago). ” Filled Hypocrites … and Other Lies You’ve questions about why. There has been a corresponding drop Been Told , sociologist Bradley Wright Recent studies have brought the in church involvement. According to says the trend of young people leaving trend to light. Among the findings Rainer Research, approximately 70 % of the faith in record numbers is “one of the released in 2009 from the American American youth drop out of church myths” of contemporary Christianity. Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), between the age of 18 and 22. The Barna Wright, a shrewd contrarian, says mem - one stood out. The percentage of Group estimates that 80 % of those bers of every generation are regarded

| australian presbyterian December 2011 29 church

with suspicion by their older counter - Campbell. receive some variation of this answer: parts. He describes himself as a youth Second, the life-phase argument may moral compromise. A teenage girl goes sporting “longish hair and a disco-print no longer pertain. Young adulthood is off to college and starts to party. A young shirt,” and asks readers, “Do you think not what it used to be. For one, it’s much man moves in with his girlfriend. Soon the adults of that generation had any longer. Marriage, career, children — the the conflict between belief and behav - faith in the future based on teens like primary sociological forces that drive iour becomes unbearable. Tired of deal - us?” Though he acknowledges that “we adults back to religious commitment — ing with a guilty conscience and unwill - can’t know for sure what will happen” , are now delayed until the late 20s, even ing to abandon their sinful lifestyles, Wright believes the best bet is that his - into the 30s. Returning to the fold after they drop their Christian commitment. tory will repeat itself: “… young people a two or three-year hiatus is one thing. They may cite intellectual skepticism or commonly leave organised religion as disappointments with the church, but they separate from their families, but these are smokescreens designed to hide then rejoin when they start families of the reason. “They change their creed to their own.” match their deeds,” as my parents would Ultimately we will have to undertake say. the slow but fruitful work of building I think there’s some truth to this — relationships with those who have left more than most young leavers would the faith. care to admit. The Christian life is hard Rodney Stark also calls for calm. The to sustain in the face of so many tempta - Baylor University sociologist concedes tions. Over the past year, I’ve conducted that data from his school’s research mir - A tectonic shift has in-depth interviews with scores of ex- ror that of the above studies, but Stark occurred in the broader Christians. Only two were honest isn’t shaken. “Young people have always culture. Past generations enough to cite moral compromise as the been less likely to attend [church] than primary reason for their departures. are older people,“ he writes. Stark is con - may have rebelled for a Many experienced intellectual crises that fident that the youngsters will return. “A season, but they inhab - seemed to conveniently coincide with bit later in life when they have married, ited a predominantly the adoption of a lifestyle that fell out - and especially after children arrive, they Christian culture. side the bounds of Christian morality. become more regular [church] attendees. However, in many cases, moral com - This happens in every generation.” promise wasn’t the whole story. For example, one friend has had distinctly here is something to these argu - Coming back after more than a decade is postmodern misgivings. When his father Tments. Scholars like Wright and considerably more unlikely. learned of his decision to leave the faith, Stark expose the folly of breathless pre - Third, a tectonic shift has occurred in he rushed his son a copy of Mere dictions of Christianity’s imminent the broader culture. Past generations Christianity , hoping the book would demise. The North American church may have rebelled for a season, but they bring him back. But C. S. Lewis’s logical does not teeter on the brink of extinc - still inhabited a predominantly Judeo- style left him cold. “All that rationality tion. But, in my view, the crisis of people Christian culture. For those reared in comes from the Western philosophical leaving the faith has taken on new grav - pluralistic, post-Christian America, the tradition,” he told me. “I don’t think ity. cultural gravity that has pulled previous that’s the only way to find truth.” First, young adults today are drop - generations back to the faith has weak - I also met leavers who felt ping religion at a greater rate than young ened or dissipated altogether. Christianity failed to measure up intel - adults of yesteryear — “five to six times So 20 and 30-somethings are leaving lectually. Shane, a 27-year-old father of the historic rate,” say Putnam and — but why? When I ask church people, I three, was swept away by the tide of New Atheist literature. He described growing up a “sheltered Lutheran” who was “into Jesus” and active in youth group. Now he spoke slowly and deliberately, as if testi - out back tag along fying in court. “I’m an atheist and an empiricist. I don’t believe religion or psy - chics or astrology or anything supernat - ural.” Laurie & Gwen Peake are again planning a 4wd tag along trip in May 2012. Others have been hurt by Christians. They will revisit many places of historical interest to the Presbyterian Katie, a former believer in her early 30s, Inland Mission such as Charleville, Innamincka, Beltana and Oodnadatta. had been molested by two members of The tour will start at Charleville on Saturday 5th May and terminate at her childhood church. Her mother occa - Alice Springs on Sunday 20th May. They will make contact with as many sionally still drags her to church. Once, patrol padres as possible. They are inviting people, at their own expense one of her mother’s friends approached and risk, to join in on this trip and discover first hand the mighty work Katie with an intense look of concern. that PIM undertakes. High Clearance 4wd vehicle essential. She grabbed Katie by the shoulders: Numbers are limited so if you are interested please contact laurie and gwen “Katie, you’ve become so hard,” she said. Katie’s voice faltered as she recalled on 07 4627 4157 or [email protected] the encounter. “That affected me,” she

30 australian presbyterian December 2011 church said. “I don’t want to be hard.” She so much to be done about that. But we existing doubt” . De-converts reported paused to regain her poise. “But you have in the church have control over at least “sharing their burgeoning doubts with a to be hard, or else life will hurt you.” one part of the equation: how we Christian friend or family member only A sizable minority of leavers have respond. to receive trite, unhelpful answers” . adopted alternative spiritualities. A pop - While we feel rightly perplexed, if not Churches often lack the appropriate ular choice is Wicca. Morninghawk devastated, when loved ones leave, we resources. We have programs geared for Apollo (who renamed himself , as is com - should not let grief carry us away. I gender and age-groups and for those mon in Wiccan practice) discussed his talked with one parent who was despon - struggling with addictions or exploring rejection of Christianity with candour. dent over his grown son’s loss of faith. the faith. But there’s precious little for “Ultimately why I left is that the He said his son was “into satanic stuff”. Christians struggling with the faith. But Christian God demands that you submit After a little probing, I found that the two recent books suggest this may be to His will. In Wicca, it’s just the other son was really a garden-variety pluralist. changing: Essential Church? Reclaiming a way around. Your will is paramount. We Generation of Dropouts , by Thom and believe in gods and goddesses, but the Sam Rainer, and Lost and Found: The deities we choose to serve are based on Younger Unchurched and the Churches our wills.” That Morninghawk had a That Reach Them , by Ed Stetzer. Both of Christian past was hardly unique among these equip churches to reach disaf - his friends. “It is rare to meet a new fected people. Wiccan who wasn’t raised in the church,” The answer, of course, lies in more he told me. than offering another program. Nor should we overestimate the efficacy of n my interviews, I was struck by the slicker services or edgy outreach. Only Idiversity of the stories — one can Christians often have with prayer and thoughtful engagement hardly lump them together and chalk up one of two opposite will at least some of the current exodus all departures to “youthful rebellion” . and equally harmful be stemmed. Yet there were commonalities. Many de- reactions when they talk One place to begin is by rethinking conversions were precipitated by what how we minister to those from youth to happened inside rather than outside the with someone who has old age. There’s nothing wrong with church. Even those who adopted materi - left the faith. pizza and video games, nor with seeker- alist worldviews or voguish spiritualities sensitive services, nor with low-com - traced their departures back to what mitment small groups that introduce happened in church. He loved Jesus but saw him as one fig - people to the Christian faith. But these What pushed them out? Again, the ure in a pantheon of spiritual luminar - cannot replace serious programs of dis - reasons for departing in each case were ies. This is a far cry from his father’s cipleship and catechism. The tempta - unique, but I realized that most leavers assessment. I cringed inwardly when I tion to wander from the faith is not a had been exposed to a superficial form imagined them discussing matters of new one. The apostle Paul exhorted the of Christianity that effectively inocu - faith. church at Ephesus to strive to mature lated them against authentic faith. Christians often have one of two every believer, so that “we may no When sociologist Christian Smith and opposite and equally harmful reactions longer be children, tossed to and fro by his fellow researchers examined the when they talk with someone who has the waves and carried about by every spiritual lives of American teenagers, left the faith: they go on the offensive, wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by they found most teens practicing a reli - delivering a homespun, judgmental ser - craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Eph. gion best called “moralistic therapeutic mon, or they freeze in a defensive 4:14, ESV). deism”, which casts God as a distant crouch and fail to engage at all. Ultimately we will have to undertake Creator who blesses people who are the slow but fruitful work of building “good, nice, and fair” . Its central goal is nother unsettling pattern emerged relationships with those who have left to help believers “be happy and feel good Aduring my interviews. Almost to a the faith. This means viewing their about oneself” . person, the leavers with whom I spoke skepticism for what it often is: the tor - Where did teenagers learn this faith? recalled that, before leaving the faith, tured language of spiritual longing. And Unfortunately, it’s one taught, implicitly they were regularly shut down when once we’ve listened long and hard to and sometimes explicitly, at every age they expressed doubts. Some were their stories, and built bridges of trust, level in many churches. It’s in the air ridiculed in front of peers for asking we will be ready to light the way back that many churchgoers breathe, from “insolent questions” . Others reported home. ap seeker-friendly worship services to low- receiving trite answers to vexing ques - commitment small groups. When this tions and being scolded for not accept - naive and coldly utilitarian view of God ing them. One was slapped across the crashes on the hard rocks of reality, we face, literally. Drew Dyck is a manager in shouldn’t be surprised to see people of At the 2008 American Sociological the Church Ministry Media any age walk away. Association meeting, scholars from the Group at Christianity Today The reasons that 20 and 30-some - University of Connecticut and Oregon International, and author of things are leaving are complex. A signif - State University reported that “the most Generation Ex-Christian (Moody). Reprinted from icant part of leaving has to do with the frequently mentioned role of Christians Christianity Today, 2010. new culture we live in, and there is only in de-conversion was in amplifying

| australian presbyterian December 2011 31 letters

a big bang, and they don ’t believe you young earth, but to disbelieve the plain can use the red shift to measure velocity meaning of this part of Scripture for letters of stars and galaxies. Hence the size and extra-biblical reasons (“because many age of the universe cannot be measured scientists say so”) is a disservice to the with present methods. We can ’t hang faith, and an invitation to disbelieve Genesis 1 needs no debate our theology on scientists – they keep other parts of Scripture, for other extra - changing their minds every few years! biblical reasons. The debate continues in your maga - The literature of Genesis, as Rev. We see this in other denominations zine between old and young earthers, Peter Barnes so ably asserts, is clearly where many teachings and practices and it is disappointing to see that once historical. The writers of Genesis 1 long held are being changed to accom - again the proponents of an old (or a clearly intended it to be taken as mean - modate a permissive world. We should “possibly old”) earth, in this case Rev. ing that God created the earth in six 24- remain faithful to the clear meaning of David Palmer, have failed to read the hour days. These professors do not Scripture despite what the world says. young earthers’ extensive documented believe this, but they can ’t make the David points to the church defending a literature and have not addressed the Hebrew text say anything else. They geocentric universe a few hundred years arguments. Were David to peruse the probably don ’t believe the miracles of ago, and misusing a few obscure texts to appropriate websites (e.g. www.cmi.org, the Exodus either, even though there support it. This is not strictly correct, as www.icr.org, and http://christianan - were over a million witnesses, it was the articles on CMIs website explain. swers.net/creation/menu-age.html written down by Moses, and subse - But we need not debate science and which gives a summary critique of the quently translated into Syriac, Persian secular history in these pages, we should geological dating methods which David and Greek. All four ancient language accept the clear teaching of the Bible seems to assume are “set in stone”) he texts have survived some 2500 years where it is clear, and Genesis 1 is one of would find ample material to cast and more and say the same thing. those unambiguous passages. doubts on any assertion that scientists Attempts to make Genesis 1 say Dr Philip Dawson know how old the Earth is. something other than six 24-hour days George Town, Tas. Similarly were he to peruse Halton do violence to the text, to Moses ’ words Arp’s (secular) website, and also look up attributed to God in the fourth com - Don’t limit the Lord www.cosmologystatement.org he would mandment, to Jesus ’ words about the see that the greatest living astronomer Old Testament and Himself, and so are a I cannot let David Palmer’s article in and hundreds of others dispute the disservice to the faith. It may not be the October AP to pass with a wink and reigning paradigm, they don ’t believe in essential for salvation to believe in a a nod. Surely God will judge the descen - dants of Edom because they stood by and did nothing. Actually the items of issue I have with his letter are manifold, so I must constrain myself to just a few. Fundamentalism and home-school - ing are not some new -fangled American thing. They have both been around since Old Testament times , long before America was even thought of. This is simply a matter of history. All old -earth doctrines place death before the Fall. Thus they make the curse a nonsense from God. The Lord God is omnipotent; we know that God could have created the universe in all its complexity in an instant of time or over a very long time. But when Christians believe that He chose to do so in six 24- hour days, they are being consistent with Scripture. When Mr Palmer says in his article “an impossibly huge amount of activity as set out in Genesis 1 and 2”, he limits our infinite God. This would indicate that the god he is talking about is a dif - ferent god than the one true God found in the Bible. God is in the business of miracles; impossibilities are but a trifle. The combined weight of all human authority, understanding, wisdom and knowledge might raise questions within us; but when we say that things must

32 australian presbyterian December 2011 letters not have been done the way God says it that the particles are all travelling away there would be a remnant that would be was done, because of what we think we from each other at enormous speed and with Him in His kingdom. know, we are treading very close to call - no known force would cause those parti - If it were possible for these promises ing our infinitely Holy God a liar. We are cles to join together. to be rescinded because of anything preaching a liberal theology instead of a The battle for people’s souls today is Israel had done, then we as Christians basic or reformed one. At the very least, largely fought on the issue of evolution. are on very shaky ground indeed. It is more weight and authority has been It would make sense for theological col - because God keeps His promises to placed on man’s knowledge than on leges to present some basic creation sci - Israel that we can trust Him when He God’s Word. ence requirements to students. says, “I give them eternal life; no one can I am, I suppose, a fundamentalist in Neil Cadman, snatch them out of my hand. My that I believe that a plain reading of Norman Park, Qld Father, who has given them to me, is Scripture is enough to get the clear greater than all; no one can snatch them understanding of what God is trying to Two flocks, for now out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:28) . convey to us, without having to read it It is because He keeps all His in the light of man’s wisdom or liberalis - ‘T his is what the LORD says: ‘Only if promises that we can be certain that we ing/changing it to suit myself. I agree the heavens above can be measured and are His forever. It is important to note with the reformational understanding the foundations of the earth below be that if God could reject Israel because of that the Bible is the infallible, inerrant searched out will I reject all the descen - her sin, then He can certainly reject us word of God, and that nature is in a fal - dants of Israel because of all they have also! A rejected Israel sets a terrible lible, fallen, sin-cursed state. They are done,’ declares the LORD” (Jer . 31:37). precedent. not of equal authority. The natural reve - “The word of the LORD came to One day Israel will accept her lation, like scripture, can only be rightly Jeremiah: ‘Have you not noticed that Messiah, but that day is not yet. Until interpreted by Scripture alone. I ask, if these people are saying, “The LORD has then, the church has taken up the Great Gen 1-11 is not real history, if it can’t be rejected the two kingdoms he chose?” Commission. For now, in this time on trusted in earthly things, how can you So they despise my people and no longer earth, there are two “flocks”, two dis - trust it in heavenly things (John 3:12)? regard them as a nation. This is what tinct groups that are spoken to and dealt If you can’t, you cannot trust it to have the LORD says: “If I have not estab - with in the Bible; but one day there will the words of eternal life either. lished my covenant with day and night, be one flock (John 10:16). The church Doug Hall , and the fixed laws of heaven and earth, does not need to “take over” the Glen Innes, NSW then I will reject the descendants of promises that were made to Israel in Jacob and David my servant and will not order for them to be fulfilled. Science as theology choose one of his sons to rule over the The church is not Israel, and Israel is descendants of Abraham, Isaac and not abandoned or rejected. The David Palmer says “The unequivocal Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes Scriptures testify to that full well. testimony (of science) is that the uni - and have compassion on them”.’ (Jer . Lara Gresham , verse and the earth are very old, even 33:24-26). “Again I ask: Did they [Israel] Glen Elgin, NSW billions of years old,” and Rev. Dr. Peter stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Barclay, says, “An old earth ... is estab - Not at all! .... for God’s gifts and his call lished scientific fact” (AP, November), are irrevocable” (Rom . 11:11, 29). but these statements are untrue. Jesus God’s promises to Israel regarding is the truth and those who represent her status in His eyes are pervasive him must teach the truth. Surely neither throughout the Bible, both Old and New is unfamiliar with the work creation sci - Testaments. Though she sinned, and The opinions published in AP letters are not necessarily endorsed by the editorial ence does regarding these matters, if God had to punish her, over and over committee. not it would be professional negligence again He reiterated His promises that equivalent to that of Queensland’s Dr Patel’s medical negligence. It would also be professional negligence for any min - ister of the Church not to present the findings of creation science to their con - gregations. It is the congregation who pay these men their wages and they are Visiting Melbourne? entitled to receive the word of God, not the opinions of unbelievers speaking Worship with us at contrary to that word. South Yarra Presbyterian Church Also it is false to say, as Peter Barclay does , that “by measuring the amounts 621 Punt Road of lead and uranium in a uranium min - Every Sunday 10.30am & 5.30pm. eral, we can calculate its age.” Unless one Pastor: John Stasse Phone: (03) 9931 1546 knows the original amount of lead and (Less than 3 kms from CBD) unless you can be sure the rate of decay is constant you cannot measure any - thing. As for the “Big Bang” remember

| australian presbyterian December 2011 33 prayer

through the land, touching those rational and experimental knowledge who govern with wisdom from is the source of all truth, and that the prayer above, a hunger for justice, right - human will is the arbiter of all eousness and integrity. things. 10 Pray that “those who are rich in this January 2012 present age would not put their hope December 2011 1 Pray that the organised campaigns in wealth, which is so undertain, but 21 Thank God for the gospel truth on by atheist groups aimed at margin - ... hope in God who richly provides us which our denomination is founded. alising Christian contributions to with everything for our enjoyment”, Pray we would continue to believe society may be thwarted. Pray that and would be generous to others. that Scripture is the Word of God Christian politicians may have the 11 Pray for those who struggle finan - and be unashamed of the gospel, and courage to be faithful. cially. of Jesus as the only hope of salva - 2 Pray that the marginalised and dis - 12 Praise God for the work of Mission tion. advantaged will not be forgotten, Partners and PIM. Pray for their 22 Pray for our theological colleges, and especially indigenous brethren and effectiveness in mission within our others who provide training for refugees. nation and overseas. parish ministry, youth work and mis - 3 Pray for stable Christ-honouring 13 Praise God for PWA, and the untold sionary service. Pray that they may marriages and families, in order to ministries that many women under - be wise and faithful to their calling to witness to the world. Pray for dis - take. equip the trainees in gospel ministry cernment for Christian families 14 That all believers involved in secular and lifestyle. regarding electronic media. work would “not let any unwhole - 23 That Christians would be ready and 4 Pray for fathers in their leadership some talk come from their mouths”, prepared to give a “reason for the of families; for godly homes, in but with their words let their light hope we have”, particularly in the which the nations’ children can be shine before men. face of world disasters and suffering. nurtured. Remember those who are Pray for all who serve Aboriginal 24 Pray for the work of your own State single also, that they may find godly 15 communities with the gospel in the Assembly and those who serve there avenues of fulfilment and service. ministry of reconciliation. – pray for wisdom, grace and the 5 Give thanks that many politicians strength to uphold godly truth. are concerned at the high number 16 Praise God that His Son made full 25 Praise God that the Word became of abortions. Pray for legislative atonement once for all for every sin flesh; pray that this message will action and alternative counselling of His people and pray that this mes - come home to many today. options for those faced with termi - sage will be powerfully proclaimed in Safety and spiritual benefit for all on 26 nating a pregnancy. churches around the nation. holiday. 6 Pray for further adult stem-cell 17 Give glory to God for the new and 27 Pray for summer camps and family research, the use of umbilical cells living hope we have through Christ’s missions around the nation. from newborns, and other advances resurrection, and beseech God that 28 Pray for ongoing peace in our land in genetics, that may make destruc - many who seldom attend worship which enables the proclamation of tive use of embryos irrelevant. may realize this today. the gospel (1 Tim. 2:1). 7 Pray for those who have been battling 18 Industrial chaplains ministering to 29 Pray for those facing changes of work proposed state and federal changes to people in their places of employ - and location in 2012. ment. 30 Praise God for stable government, Marriage and Adoption laws. 8 Pray that Parliamentary debate on 19 Pray for State Pres Youth organisa - peace, and the freedoms we enjoy. ethical issues will be influenced by tions and all faithful youth ministry Pray that we will not provoke God to the fear of God, the beginning of wis - in our churches. withdraw these privileges by our dom. 20 For God to reveal Christ’s grace and

“turning away to idols”. 9 Pray that God will turn the hearts of truth to many living under the dark -

31 Pray that the Spirit may move men from the conviction that human ness of Islam. Ê Subscription form

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34 australian presbyterian December 2011 books

“Each position has its problems, but pre - wheels. Bach himself was born in millennialism has most.” Yet there is no Eisenach in 1685, the last of eight chil - discussion of those problems. Even an dren. He married twice, to Maria Barbara books extra paragraph or two would have Bach, a distant cousin, by whom he had helped the reader. seven children; and to Anna Magdalena Despite inevitable drawbacks due to Wilcke, a professional singer, by whom the general nature of a work dealing with he was to have thirteen children. Athanasius the 66 books of the Bible, this is a most Psalm 115 provided Bach with the Simonetta Carr helpful and instructive work. Crooks motto Soli Deo Gloria which he attached Grand Rapids: does what Spurgeon said an old Welsh to the end of many of his scores. He Reformation Heritage Books, 2011 preacher advised: “From every text in worked at Weimar (1708-1717), Cöthen Reviewed by Peter Barnes the Bible there is a road to Jesus Christ, (1717-1722), and then at Leipzig from and the way to preach is just to say, ‘How 1723 until his death in 1750. He also fre - can I get from this text to Jesus Christ?’, quently performed in Zimmermann’s It is not an easy task to write about the and then go preaching all the way along Coffee House! It was his view that “the Early Church Fathers for children. My it.” goal of all music should be nothing but granddaughter is likely to acquire this Young Christians especially need to the glory of God and the recreation of book, but that may set her apart from get a grasp of how the Old Testament the mind ”. most other little girls. This, however, is and New Testament relate to one Two of his greatest works were St an attractively presented biography of another, and this work will help under - Matthew Passion and St John Passion . Athanasius who suffered five exiles in stand that better. Perhaps his best-known piece is the the fourth century from his diocese of haunting and enchanting Jesu, Joy of Alexandria for his consistent defence of Man’s Desiring. On 1 Chronicles 25 he J. S. Bach the full deity of Christ. underlined the names of Asaph, Heman, Calvin R. Stapert It is good for youngsters to be and Jeduthun, and commented that Oxford: Lion Hudson, 2009. exposed to the right sort of heroes early “This chapter is the true foundation of Reviewed by Peter Barnes on in their lives. This work will greatly all God-pleasing music. ” On July 22, help to that end. The only criticism I 1750, he received the Lord’s Supper at have concerns the map on page 29, home, and five days later he died. This is which manages to locate Nicaea wrongly. Johann Sebastian Bach’s life cannot be a lovely biography of a wonderful musi - Apart from that, this is a most worthy said to have been extraordinary, but he cian, composer, and Christian. work. was one of the finest composers who ever lived, and he was a strong Christian Peter Barnes is books editor of AP. of the Lutheran faith. He possessed two sets of Martin Luther’s complete works, and he was in the habit of marking his One Lord, One Plan, One People three-volume Bible with his comments. Rodger Crooks Bach’s family had music in their All books reviewed are available from the Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2011. genes. His great -grandfather was a baker Reviewed by Peter Barnes Reformers Bookshop – Phone: (02) 9569 who used to play the guitar to the rhyth - 9857 or visit www.reformers.com.au mic accompaniment of the flour mill

Rodger Crooks says that “Only reading the New Testament is like a joke with only a punch line, and only reading the Old Testament is like a joke with no punch line.” There are more than 450 pages in his book to read, but they read well and easily. Because of the immensity of the task, some things are invariably omitted, or lacking in enough detail. Sometimes the emphasis is rather lop-sided. For exam - ple, the treatment of the short epistle of Jude goes to seven pages, which is the same length given to the treatment of the much more difficult book of Revelation. With regard to Revelation 20, Crooks describes, as one would expect, premil - lennialism, amillennialism, and postmil - lennialism. However, he then adds:

| australian presbyterian December 2011 35 back page Torn asunder We’ve lost the meaning of marriage to selfishness

Charles Colson

t should be an open and shut case. non-existent perfectly “compatible” Study after study shows the person — meaning he or she is well- beneficial effects of marriage and adjusted, beautiful, and can help us find the self-inflicted harm that sexual and emotional fulfillment. Or we Ipeople experience when they ignore this drop the person we married when evidence. Marriage is good for us in so someone “better” comes along. many ways. Here is a tiny sampling: People who o how can we get out of this? have been continuously married have SWell, their book, The Meaning of 75 % more wealth at retirement than The redefinition of Marriage , lays out the solution in great those who have divorced or were never marriage actually puts and encouraging detail. It is written for married. Children in married, two- a crushing burden of singles, those in successful and stable parent families experience two to three marriages, and for those in the midst of times more positive life outcomes than expectation on spouses marital crisis. The book is too rich to those who do not. Married people even that more traditional encapsulate in this brief commentary, enjoy better and more frequent sex! understandings but suffice it to say that the secret of Yet the statistics also show US never did. marriage is grounded in the self-giving culture heading in the opposite example of Jesus laying down His life direction. In 1970, 89 % of all births for the Church. were to married parents. Today, If more of us in the church unfortunately, it is only 60 %. In 1960, to one in which the marital partners understood this and lived it out in our 72 % of adults in America were married. primarily ask, “What’s in it for me?” “In marriages, perhaps we could stop the Care to guess the number in 2008? Fifty short,” Keller writes, “the decline and rebuild a culture of marriage per cent. How did we get here, when it Enlightenment privatised marriage, in our country. makes no logical sense? taking it out of the public sphere, and This is a book Christians need to My friend Tim Keller at Redeemer redefined its purpose as individual read. It’s a great resource to equip you to Presbyterian Church in New York and gratification, not any ‘broader good’ speak with your secular friends; to show his wife, Kathy, have written a brilliant such as reflecting God’s nature, them why the Christian understanding new book that explains why marriage is producing character, or raising of marriage is not only a tremendous in such dire straits, and how to rescue it. children.” blessing, it’s the only one that works. ap Their book is entitled, The Meaning of As a consequence, this new Marriage: Facing the Complexities of understanding, which is supposed to be Christian commentator Commitment with the Wisdom of God . so liberating, he says, “actually puts a Charles Colson is founder The Kellers diagnose this cultural crushing burden of expectation on of Prison Fellowship. You disconnect. It’s the natural fruit of the marriage and on spouses that more can obtain Tim Keller’s book, West’s slow redefinition of marriage: traditional understandings never did.” The Meaning of Marriage , from an institution where duty and Because marriage is now all about me , at Reformers Bookshop: mutual sacrifice are expected for the no one is ever good enough, so we hang www.reformers.com.au good of children and the larger society back, afraid to commit, waiting for the

36 australian presbyterian December 2011