Given that some people stay up at night wondering about how the intricacies of the Two Kingdoms approach to culture play out I thought I’d point to an article that will help you rest peacefully. And for everyone else who couldn’t give a hoot (or have no idea what Two Kingdoms theology is), just forget I ever wrote this post.
Tim Keller has written a very balanced (and on this issue I think ‘balanced’ is good) article on the current tension in the reformed and evangelical world regarding the mission of the church and the relationship of Christ to culture. Obviously the issues and ‘camps’ being discussed are far more complex and need much further reflection but this article gives a good bird’s eye view of the tension and suggests something of a way forward.
This is something exciting that I’ll be involved in next week… VOX Intensive: One of our key identities at VOX City Church is that of ‘learner’. We aim to be a community that is constantly coming before God and his word and attempting to learn how we might better serve him in our city. In [...]
“This City Visual Art Exhibition” puts on display the works of a number of artists from a wide range of disciplines. The title doesn’t so much refer to a particular subject or topic but rather headlines a collective of artists who have been gathered for this short, eclectic show – artists, who may not normally [...]
More on joy. Some quotes, old and new on the grand theme of joy (emphasis mine): “Joy, in the full Christian sense of the word, is a supreme contentment, a supreme peace, a supreme concentration on the source of joy, and a supreme happiness at the way things are for one.” – JI Packer “The [...]
1. We don’t understand the depth of our sin. 2. We don’t understand the breadth of God’s love. 3. We don’t understand the cost of Christ’s death in our place. 4. We only understand intellectually, not at a heart level. 5. We don’t nurture our affections for Christ through spiritual disciplines. 6. We don’t understand [...]
I spend most weekday mornings in the inner city of Cape Town. It’s probably my single most favourite place in South Africa, maybe the world. Where else can you experience the buzz and excitement of a vibrant city and at the same time be at the foot of a majestic mountain? I spend a lot [...]
In the build up to Christmas I thought I’d have a go at two sermons on the doctrine of the incarnation. In the first sermon I explored a little bit of just exactly what the incarnation is and why its so important, in the second sermon I looked at how the incarnation completely changes the [...]
And can it be that I should gain An interest in the Savior’s blood? Died He for me, who caused His pain— For me, who Him to death pursued? Amazing love! How can it be, That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me? Amazing love! How can it be, That Thou, my God, shouldst die [...]
This last Sunday morning I taught Colossians 1:1-8 at St Stephen’s Church in Claremont, Cape Town. I used Paul’s well-known triad of ‘faith, love & hope’ to explore a very real existential question that exists for many of us in the Christian faith, and that is: Does the Gospel really work? You can download the [...]
I drove through Ravensmead on the way to work a few mornings ago. It’s not my usual route but I had an early morning airport run and so the chance to drive through parts of the city that I normally don’t. You often hear people talk about places where there’s a church on every corner. [...]
The really great people at Redeemer City to City have just launched their new website which gives interested people a comprehensive view of what City to City does around the world. There are loads of great resources from Tim Keller, City to City staff members and other church planters. The site also has great videos [...]
Just a quick shout-out for my friend and colleague Lenny Long (follow him on twitter) who is taking a small bunch of people off and planting The Vine Church in the Burgundy Estate area of Cape Town. They have two main informal gatherings at the moment on Sunday morning 10am and then on Wednesday evenings [...]
On Friday Robin and I head off to Johannesburg and Durban for two weeks. The first purpose of our trip is to get a bit of rest time in. Church planting is busy work and its been full steam ahead since the beginning of the year. The second purpose is to continue raising the profile [...]
Here’s something you probably didn’t know: According to the Global World Cities Ranking, Cape Town is the 16th (level with 5 other cities) most prominent city in the world where English is the Lingua Franca (English is not necessarily the most widely spoken language in each of these cases but it is the language on which each [...]
Christian, husband to my beautiful Robin, missional dreamer, pastor, church planter, Arsenal, Sharks and Springbok supporter, surfer (in the real sea), patriotic South African, Capetonian.
