I've been quiet over the weekend because I've been up in Birmingham visiting my dearest friend Michelle, staying up till the early hours talking and remembering old haunts. I love Birmingham. It's a city that is so ripe with potential. Anyone who is up that way should be sure to visit my old church, West Birmingham Family Church - led by the impressive Jonathan Bell. While I was there he adopted a Lloyd-Jonesian style of preaching verse by verse through Ephesians!
However I had to come back to loads of emails to answer and to see what's happening on the bloggy thingy. I hope that Mark has recovered from his mad Puritan party. Luke's given me the tip-off that edition 2 of the outstanding "Closer to God" study notes are out - yay! Gavin wrote of an awesome time his church had in the Presence of God backed up by some impressive quote from Charles Simpson. And finally there's a suggestion that apparantly some think that Mahaney and MacArthur are fighting along with a plea for us all to be nice. I never even imagined that. To me the impression from the TG4 blog was that Mahaney is nothing but MacArthur's greatest fan. Still Phil Johnson responded with some great backup for the fact that its a mistake to speak of "tone" in isolation from "content".
But best of all, Jul reminded me of a Spurgeon quote - as to what the quest of our (or at least my) New Covenant life should be:
"Do you have the Spirit? If you do have Him within you, do you only have a small measure of His life? Do you wish for more? Then, go to where you went at first. There is only one river of the water of life; draw from its floods. You will be lively, bright, strong, and happy enough when the Holy Spirit is mighty within your soul."
Go to where we went at first! There is a danger for any I guess who study theology to forget "first love". Do I have the Spirit? I believe so. Do I wish for more? Yes - yes - YES!
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8 comments:
That's a weird link. Mahaney and MacArthur fighting or "versus"??! I've never read that anywhere. Like you said so rightly, the more intriguing thing is that such a vehement anti-charismatic like MacArthur - the writer of "Charismatic Chaos" could allow someone like Mahaney into his pulpit. Is this exciting unity or what? Not them fighting. MacArthur wouldn't allow someone he fought with into his pulpit surely.
West Birmingham Family Church! I have a good friend who is there, Becky Hurd. She is on the Student Team there, helping to lead the work among students. I did FP with her and I guess in many ways she is my counterpart there in that church... haha
If Jonathan is anything like his Dad when it comes to preaching (I have been told that he is) then this is his regualar preaching style! But I guess you would know more about that having been part of that church.
Visiting Birmingham tomorrow to go to "Ministry of Power", the prayer meeting of David Carr's church in Solihull. So so so looking forward to it!!
Wow what an AWESOME name for a prayer meeting!! You go - receive - and bring back something to impart to the rest of us hungry souls!!
Becky ... the name sounds familiar ... but I am rubbish with names!
I'm getting a little fed up of this puritanical "lets all be best mates" plea. I think we actually all learn best in the fires of controversy and debate. It only becomes not acceptable when personal insults start being thrown and I haven't read that on any blogs - unless they occcured in the massive comments sections of the Pyro. Sorry but I haven't got time to read all that!
We're not all friends. We're something better - brothers and sisters in Christ! And those pleaders who want peace and harmony think nothing of stating their own views when it suits them.
Grr ... okay rant over ...
I think a measure of that is true. We are never all going to be a seamless blend of "niceness" and "harmony". Variety is after all the spice of life! And I don't think that just because someone is publicly named and critiqued means that they have been slandered. I read on Challies dot Com that John MacArthur (the hero of TG4) noted that a public ministry actually asks for criticism and evaluation - and of course he himself welcomes it.
So yep as has been said, as long as it doesn't get personal, I for one am not going to stop noting wrong or bad teaching or practice when I see it.
Your friend looks a very beautiful lady ... are you just platonic friends?!?! ;D
I really don't get that whole "Mahaney versus MacArthur" thing ... I haven't seen it around the blogosphere and quite frankly with the whole "prayer soaked blogging" it sounds a bit "holier than thou" to me.
Yucky.
Jamie.
I think he means well ... he kind of sees himself as the Granddaddy of the Christian blogging thing I reckon.
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