Down-under round-up: 10 June 2015

I’m reversing the order this week, since ‘for better or worse’ the issue of last week won’t go away, but tends to take the spotlight off our positive gospel work.

Making disciples of Jesus

I am not 100% sure Jesus’ ‘white-for-harvest’ comment in John 4:35 to his disciples applies directly to every ministry in all times and places following Christ’s ascension. Nevertheless, I found encouragement in Don Whitney’s exhortation to keep going in gospel ministry, especially when you see few conversions around you.

As a companion, in ‘Win the world with hope’, Scott Oliphint asks a good question: “Am I a person marked by hope?” I was struck afresh by the singling out of hope in 1 Peter 3:15 as the thing that people might ask about.

‘Do good works justify?’: A worthy Catholic-Protestant interchange featuring Michael Jensen, who shows quite clearly there are still important issues dividing us.

For a couple of years, I’ve encouraged people down under to give no social media air to the Mark Driscoll saga, except praying privately for his welfare and that of the church he used to lead. However, since his now-cancelled trip to Australia became big secular news, it is worth reading this article by David Ould: ‘The tragedy of no discernment: What we all need to learn from the Hillsong-Driscoll fiasco’.

Please note it’s primarily about Hillsong, not Driscoll (for whom David shares a similar hope to that expressed by Brian Houston). The key issue is discernment.

Arguably, there was not enough discernment among my friends who first invited the pod-casting sensation to Australia more than half a decade ago. (I was one—not alone—who expressed hesitations.) There is certainly not enough discernment in now inviting him to a major international conference platform, given the concerns that became notorious over the last year or so. This lack of discernment is the same problem previously identified with other Hillsong platform guests, most seriously, in my opinion, TD Jakes.

Our prayer is always that love and knowledge should abound together so people can discern what is best—not what is barely tolerable—for the sake of purity, blamelessness and fruitfulness that comes only through the righteousness of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:9-11).

Issue of the Week

As in many places, the marriage debate continues, and people are still asking me the best things to read on it. In addition to previous recommendations I’d add:

• David Robertson from Scotland, who held his own debating disciples of Richard Dawkins, answers this question: ‘What would Jesus do about same-sex marriage?’ Among many excellent reflections, he makes the basic point that though Jesus “comes to save and not to condemn and yet he still calls sin, sin”.
• Although it will still be mocked, Andrew Errington gives a top-shelf account that should make a thinking secular person stop and think: ‘Upholding the ‘honourable estate’: Why it makes sense to oppose same-sex marriage’.
• Here’s something positive: David Murray’s ’8 ways to honor marriage’. Noting his warning not to delay marriage too much, one wise parishioner noted that not everyone has the choice about timing or even the possibility. So I tweeted Dr Murray to ask if he could also write ’8 ways to honor singleness’!

Image of the Week

Though the Scriptures say it (Psalm 119:67, 71), it’s often hard to believe this, usually until looking back quite some time after the event!