Prayer Calendar - May 2012

This conference will have a very practical emphasis. In our 2011 conference we considered the Doctrine and Function of Scripture in the 21st Century. During the conference it became clear that it would be good to give serious thought to the application of the Bible to some of the big ethical issues facing Christians today. It is vital that we affirm the inerrancy and authority of the Bible but this leads us to ask how we use the inspired Scriptures to address ethical challenges facing us the 21st century? How can we develop a consistent hermeneutic and identify key principles to guide us in addressing the moral and ethical issues and dilemmas of our contemporary world?    

Speakers and Subjects

Paper 1: Natural Law in Scripture
Exploring multi-faceted aspects of natural law in the Bible
Jonathan Burnside
Reader in Biblical Law, Bristol University
http://bit.ly/Inr8QR

Paper 2: The teaching of Jesus & the NT
Exploring themes of continuity and discontinuity between aspects of ethical teaching in the ancient world and NT
Joshua Hordern
Assoc. Director, Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics
http://bit.ly/IPIl3W

Paper 3: Psalms as Torah
Exploring the Bible’s ethical teaching in the Psalms
Gordon Wenham
Old Testament Tutor, Trinity College, Bristol
http://bit.ly/IaHRb6

Paper 4: It’s A Rich Man's World?
Exploring the biblical material on money, wealth and economic justice
Andrew Hartropp
Church minister, economist & Research Tutor at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies
http://bit.ly/IdoDCD

Paper 5: War and Peace
Exploring the ethics of war, 'undercover' operations, torture etc.
Paul Helm
Theologian, philosopher & Teaching Fellow at Regent College, Canada
http://bit.ly/JFKH7B

Paper 6: Bioethics
Exploring issues at the beginning and ending of life
Leonardo De Chirico
Church planter, theologian & ethicist in Rome, Italy
http://bit.ly/IHuCg1

A conference brochure and booking form may be downloaded from the link below.

Theological Study Conference 2013 Brochure and Booking Form

The Coalition Government is proposing, as part of its equality agenda, to redefine marriage by 2015 and to allow same-sex couples to have a civil “marriage” ceremony. They have begun a 3 month public consultation process which closes on 14 June 2012.

This consultation sets out the government's proposals to enable same-sex couples to enter into a civil marriage. Current legislation allows same-sex couples to enter into a civil partnership, but not civil marriage.

It is important, therefore, that Christians take action and do so soon. What can we do?

1. Pray

2. Sign the C4M Petition

3. Make a submission to the Government’s Consultation

4. Meet your MP

Affinity is urging as many church leaders and Christians as possible to contact their local MP as soon as they can. It is very important that MPs realise that many of their constituents are deeply disturbed by the Government proposals to redefine marriage.

We have provided an information sheet to assist churches and Christians.

Redefining Mrriage - Meet your MP Campaign

There will also be time for sharing of ministry news and prayer for one another.

The meeting is at Carey Baptist Church in Reading, from 11.00 - 3.00 (coffee from 10.30am). Please bring your own lunch. There is no charge for the day.

Representatives from Affinity churches and Associate Mission Agencies are invited to attend. Please contact the Affinity office (office@affinity.org.uk) to let us know of your intentions.

You can find out more about their life and work as a fellowship at their website: http://www.shrewsburyevangelicalchurch.org/se2/

In Touch Newsletter - Spring 2012

Prayer Calendar - April 2012

This archive has been made possible with the invaluable help and encouragement of Rob Bradshaw of 'Theology on the Web'. His web page, http://www.theologyontheweb.org.uk/ makes high quality theological material freely available throughout the world, thus providing Bible teachers and pastors with the resources they need to spread the Gospel in their countries.

Foundations Archive

The Bulletin - March 2012

The articles in this issue include:

Affinity's submission to the government consultation on The Public Order Act

Rod Badams on Resisting the Desecration of Marriage

Ian Fry on Evangelical Parents, teenage children

Dr John Ling with an Update on Life Issues

An update on Significant Individual Cases

Rod Badams on Churches and Civil Partnerships

Rob Bradshaw, who runs Theology on the Web, is passionate about Christian theology and church history and about making resources available for those who want them. Theology on the Web makes high quality theological material freely available throughout the world, thus providing Bible teachers and pastors with the resources they need to spread the Gospel in their countries.

You can find out more about Theology on the Web at www.theologyontheweb.org.uk

For further details please contact David Chapman at tagbcse@gmail.com or on 020 7278 1225 or 07941799751.

Affinity supports C4M and its campaign and encourages Christians and others to sign the petition.

C4M is an umbrella group of individuals and organisations in the UK and is backed by politicians, lawyers, academics and religious leaders. It reaches out to people of all faiths and none who believe that marriage is the most successful partnership in history and should not be redefined.

C4M draws upon a substantial body of evidence showing that marriage - as it has been understood for thousands of years - is beneficial to society, and that changing its definition would undermine that benefit.

C4M's petition demonstrates that there is broad public opposition to redefining marriage. C4M is committed to a reasoned and courteous debate on this issue.

For more information about C4M and to sign the petition go to www.c4m.org.uk

Mike Frith is the Director of OSCAR, which is based at Redcliffe College in Gloucester. OSCAR provides a gateway for those involved or interested in mission or Christian work around the world. You will find a wealth of useful information, advice and resources on their website - www.oscar.org.uk

Here are the first two issues of Mission Matters.

Mission Matters 2012:1 - Contextualisation, Context and Compromise

Mission Matters 2012.2 - Affinity Churches and World Mission

Ian Williamson is the Director of this ministry which is based in Middlesborough. The name of the ministry is taken from Psalm 68, verse 5, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.”

Ian works as a Community Chaplain and, together with his team, seeks to encourage and support lone parent families, and to promote the vital role of fathers in a community, where many children and young people are being drawn into criminal activities.

You can find out more about SixtyEightFive at www.sixtyeightfive.co.uk

Affinity Submission to the Government Consultation on the Public Order Act 1986

This issue of Foundations offers a range of articles and reviews which will be of interest to our readers. Dan Strange’s article is the substance of the paper that he gave at the Affinity Theological Studies Conference in February 2011. John Legg provides a provocative exegesis of the parable of The Good Samaritan. Thorsten Prill identifies key issues in world mission today and challenges churches, missions and missionaries to be caught up in a missionary movement with God. Ralph Cunnington provides a critique of the views of Francis Turretin on the authority of Scripture. Eryl Davies provides a detailed review of a number of recent books dealing with the doctrine of the Trinity. There are also a number of other book reviews.

Foundations Issue 61

In 1967, deeply troubled by the denomination’s increasing departure from fundamental Gospel truths, he seceded from Methodism. He and his family moved to St Albans to be part-time Associate Pastor of Spicer Street Independent Chapel and part-time General Secretary of the British Evangelical Council. The BEC had been in existence for about 20 years;but following Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones’ passionate appeal, at a famous meeting in Westminster Central Hall, to evangelicals to come together in a new unity with each other, the BEC assumed a much more important role. Its work grew rapidly and two years later Roland Lamb became full time in his role as Gen Sec, but continued as Moderator of the church at Spicer Street.. Following the appointment of a new pastor there he remained as a highly valued and much loved elder until his retirement from the BEC in 1982.

His BEC role was not an easy one and there were doubtless many discouragements and disappointments.  A great deal of time had to be given to organisational and administrative matters and he had no secretarial help.But his preaching around the country was greatly valued as was his great gift of personal friendship.  He was a people person and unlike a good many ministers he was a good and patient listener!These qualities, together with his own painful and costly experience of leaving Methodism, fitted him admirably to be a counsellor and encourager of those who were facing, or had already faced, a similar decision.

Someone who knew him well has described his preaching as always expository, always faithful to what the Bible says, always clear, always well applied, always warm and passionate, and always Christ glorifying.  In the Autumn of 1972, at very short notice, he had to give the final address at the BEC Annual Conference in Cardiff in place of Dr Lloyd-Jones, who had been taken ill. He preached on 2 Chronicles 20 verse12, part of Jehoshaphat’s prayer when he was facing a major attack from his enemies: We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you. That text, and his exposition of it, summed up his own deeply held convictions about the state of evangelicalism then (and doubtless now)about the unique sufficiency, grace and power of God to transform apparently hopeless situations, and thus also about the priority of prayer.     

Many have much cause to thank God for Roland Lamb’s ministry as a pastor, preacher, Christian leader and faithful praying friend. He is survived by his wife Jill.

Peter Seccombe

1 December 2012

The Bulletin - November 2011

The articles in this issue include:

An Affinity statement affirming the Uniqueness of Marriage

Rod Badams on the The Police and the Public Order Act

Peter Fearnley on Sex Education in schools

Gerald Tanner on Ministry to the Mentally Distressed

Dr John Ling with an Update on Life Issues

Rod Badams with an update on Significant Individual Cases