Set Apart In Christ

This year marks 100 years since the death of the founder of The Salvation Army, William Booth. Here is an opportunity to hear him speak. Initially recorded in 1910, an elderly William Booth evidently hasn't lost the focus of his passion for the downtrodden, nor his ability to encourage Salvationists to focus their attention there either.  Thanks to Peter Hobbs for posting this on YouTube.  Enjoy!

May 24, 1738 remains a significant date in Wesleyan history. It is the day of John Wesley's “heart-warming” experience. Scholars debate the exact nature of this event, and what it meant for Wesley himself, but there is no doubt it was a turning point in his life. Even though he was already an ordained Anglican Priest, still it was at this time, as a 34 year old wrestling with his faith, that his life turned in a new direction. Here’s how he recalled it in his journal entry for that day. The "Aldersgate Flame" commemorating John Wesley's conversion experience (My photo) In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street , where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Chist, Christ alone for salvation: And an assurance was given me, that he had ta...

I’ve focussed my last two posts regarding the debate on " Q and A " ( here  and here ) on Professor Richard Dawkins more than Cardinal George Pell. For this final post I would like to suggest where I would have answered differently to Pell on a couple of points. Can an atheist go to heaven? At one point, Cardinal Pell was asked this question. Pell firstly tried to avoid the question, and then once pressed answered “Certainly”. I would like to suggest, firstly, that I would not have avoided this question myself as it provided a great opportunity for Pell to share a positive message about Christianity. Secondly, I would suggest that I agree with his answer, but I would want to qualify it. Admittedly, Pell wasn’t given the opportunity to do so, but neither did he press for one either. The way I would answer this question I’ve summarised as “optimistic exclusivism” – that is, I believe it is only possible to be saved by Jesus Christ (hence the ‘exclusivism’), but the way...

During a meeting this morning my wife and I exchanged a brief conversation between ourselves. It went a little something like this… Adam: “I really need to go to the toilet.” Megan: “You should have gone beforehand” Adam: (With a smug smile because I knew that’s exactly what my wife would say) “You’re so predictable.” Megan: (With lightening quick wit) “So are you.” I’ll return to this momentarily. Richard Dawkins writes the following in The God Delusion The sin of Adam and Eve is thought to have passed down the male line – transmitted in the semen according to Augustine. What kind of ethical philosophy is it that condemns every child, even before it is born, to inherit the sin of a remote ancestor? Augustine, by the way, who rightly regarded himself as something of a personal authority on sin, was responsible for coining the phrase ‘original sin’. Before him it was known as ‘ancestral sin’. Augustine’s pronouncements and debates epitomize, for me, the unhealthy preoccupati...

Earlier this year Dr Ken Collins of Asbury Theological Seminary was in Sydney for the Booth  College Summer Seminar. He suggested there (and I was dubious of the claim at the time) that he’d never heard of a debate between an atheist and a Christian being “won” by the atheist. In the light of that, perhaps Monday night’s episode of “ Q and A ” was groundbreaking. But then, no one really “won”. To suggest that anyone actually “wins” in these things is an erroneous assumption. I had the privilege of sitting in the studio audience for the “debate” between Cardinal George Pell and Professor Richard Dawkins aired on ABC Australia’s program “Q and A”. I want to share some thoughts on the night as someone who was present in the room.

I've posted this for the last two years (originally written in 2010), and repost it today as the 27th March is the 12th Anniversary of this event. _______________________________________________________________________________ It's been 10 years since the disastrous events of my honeymoon and in that time I've told this story plenty of times, but have never actually sat down to write it out. I thought that since it's now 10 years since my diagnosis I would take the time to write out what happened to my wife and me on what was supposed to be a celebration of our new marriage... So here goes...  Megan and I were married on the 18th March, 2000 having been together since 1994. Megan was 15 when we started going out at The Salvation Army's Music Camp and I was 17. We've been together ever since. The weather on that mid-March Saturday was a scorching 35 degrees. The men in the bridal party had been out playing golf the day before and we all got sunburnt. So I wa...

Over the last few years I've had the privilege to watch my wife's giftings as a worship leader blossom. She is a wonderful woman of God and leads people right up to the throne of God since it's a place she knows very well. She loves to worship and she loves to lead others in worship. Another gift I have seen her begin to use is the ability to resource other worship leaders. After a little bit of encouragement she has begun a new blog entitled "worshipingwell' to broaden her horizons and share these wonderful gifts to a wider audience. I would encourage you to bookmark this site and return to it regularly as I'm sure there'll be a lot to come that will benefit you. http://worshipingwell.wordpress.com