seeing in a mirror dimly

This is one outstanding interview – a must listen to for young and old!

Steve Chong is the Lead Pastor of Kirkplace Presbyterian Church in Kogarah.  It’s awesome.  Totally new building, excellent design, powerful facilities and very thoughtful and principled use of space.  Steve Gardner and I were totally blown away.

Steve Chong is also the Director of RICE – a youth evangelism initiative which saw over 300 young men and women respond to Christ last year at the Entertainment Centre rally.

In this hilarious interview, both Steves and myself have a truly wonderful time thinking about God, His people and His work in the world.  Firstly, we get to know a bit about the history of Kirkplace – the wonderful blessing it is, yet the fear and trembling which Steve Chong feels as the one responsible for this gift.  Next, we get to delve into Steve’s life a bit – his background, and when things really kicked on for him in the faith.

The core of this interview has to do with ministry.  Steve has some paradigm-changing ideas on how to enable and equip members of church to do the Lord’s work – and it revolves around spiritual gifts and vocation.  Chong’s Triperspectival idea of gifts, need, and desires is something which seems similar to John Frame’s Triperspectivalism, so naturally, I’m drawn to it!  On similar things, see Tim Keller’s use of Frame’s Tri-perspectivalism.

Lastly, we spend some time talking about the men who have most influenced Steve.  Al Stewart, Mark Driscoll and Matt Chandler are spoken of fondly, and it is refreshing to hear about these men as fallible men like us.  Yet all three have been able to open up, share and impact Steve.  In fact, this is what Steve appreciates most about their relationships, and it’s a great thing to be encouraged by.

Have a listen.  Do learn.  And thank the Lord for the wonderful work He is doing.  Oh, and of course there’s plenty of shnouncements!

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Luther:

“Therefore I advise no one to enter any religious order or the priesthood, indeed, I advise everyone against it – unless he is forearmed with this knowledge and understands that the works of monks and priests, however holy and arduous they may be, do not differ one whit in the sight of God from the works of the rustic laborer in the field or the woman going about her household tasks, but that all works are measured before God by faith alone.”  Martin Luther from The Babylonian Captivity of the Church (1520)

Ok, the podcast season is well and truly underway! Steve and I are hard at it, and this current podcast is a cracker!

Recorded on his birthday (see below** for David’s happy birthday song recorded on location by his kids!), Steve and I had the pleasure of interviewed Rev. David Ould, of St. Augustine’s Neutral Bay (known also as the church where Kate Haggar attends).  In this episode, we get a real window into the state of some churches in England as David recounts his journey of faith as a child.  We find out a bit about what are the trials and joys of working on Sydney’s wealthy North Shore.

But the heart of this interview is the fascinating discussion surrounding the Liberalism currently infecting the Anglican Communion.  David shares with us his involvement in Stand Firm in the Faith, a website dedicated to communicating the news of different problems within the Anglican Communion – particularly concerning the rise of Liberalism.  We also discuss some theological battles being fought in Africa and other parts of the world (this, by the way is a MUST HEAR for any Sydney Anglicans).  And lastly, David shares with us some ways to begin to get involved, or support our brothers and sisters abroad.

Listen in, enjoy and pray!

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** David’s Happy Birthday Song:
Download: Happy Birthday

Well there! Here’s another cracking episode of the Pilgrim’s Podcast to begin the year twentyten with!

In this episode we head out to the studios of Anglican Media Sydney and interview Jeremy Halcrow.  He’s a great bloke who is a veteran Christian journalist, a former media relations consultant and the current editor of Southern Cross Newspaper.

In this fascinating chat we really try to grapple with how technology and journalism intersect with Christianity.  With discuss the great opportunities and the risks involved in doing these things.  We also discuss the funding cutback in the Sydney Diocese, how to get involved in internet-related Gospel opportunities, great websites to check out, and Craigs top 5 blogs!

Great episode, great bloke, and of course, good banter.

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Well folks, it’s the time you’ve all been waiting for (or perhaps for some, the time you’ve most dreaded!) …. We’re back in business for 2010.

We’ve already recorded a bunch of episodes ready to go, and this year’s gonna be rocking.

In this action-packed start to 2010, Steve and I recount the highs and lows of 2009′s poddy, send a whole bunch of schnouncements out, and detail just a few of the upcoming exciting new features for the poddy in 2010.  This intro episode gets the ball rolling in true, Pilgrim’s Podcast rambling fashion.  Enjoy!

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My journey in thinking about the Extra Calvinisticum has now taken me to the realm of what’s known as the communicatio idiomatum (english: the Communication of the Attributes).  That the attributes (such as omniscience, omnipresence, immensity etc) cannot be transferred between the human and divine natures of Jesus, but are correctly predicated of his person and also are referred to using the reduplicative expression (as man, or as God) .  Thomas G. Weinandy in Does God Suffer? has recounted a great little example that he shares with his students – what do you think?

“Jesus goes to Martha’s, Mary’s, and Lazarus’ home for dinner.  Martha serves as a starter (to use the English term) raw carrots with garlic dip (a yet to be discovered American culinary invention).  Jesus ate the carrots.  Who was it who ate the carrots?  Who was the acting subject?  It was the Son of God who ate the carrots.  Was he eating the carrots as God or as man?  Obviously, he was eating the carrots as man.  God as God cannot eat carrots for he does not have teeth, a mouth, a stomach etc.  Lazarus also ate the carrots, but unfortunately he ate a rotten carrot and died of food poisoning.  Four days later Jesus returned and raised Lazarus from the dead.  Who was it who raised Lazarus from the dead?  It was the Son of God who raised Lazarus from the dead.  But did he raise Lazarus from the dead as God or as man?  At this juncture there is silence among the students.  Inevitably the more pious students first break the silence by saying that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead ‘as God.’  I remain silent.  Then some brave soul, usually a girl, will hesitantly whisper, almost inaudibly, ‘as man.’  That is precisely the correct answer.

Within the Incarnation the Son of God never does anything as God.  If he did, he would be acting as God in a man.  This the Incarnation will never permit.  All that Jesus did as the Son of God was done as a man - whether it was eating carrots, or raising someone from the dead.  He may have raised Lazarus from the dead by his divine power or, better, by the power of the Holy Spirit, but it was, nonetheless, as man that he did so.  Similarly, the Son of God did not suffer as God in a man, for to do so would mean that he was not a man.  The Son of God suffered as a man.” (pg 205).

Ironically, as I’ll go on to show in another post (sometime… I’ve been pretty slack lately!), protecting God’s impassibility is done in order to uphold Christ’s humanity – particularly his solidarity in our weakness!

Oh, here’s an excerpt from the excellent book which this quote was taken from.