1 March 2012. Vol 74 No 13. Free On Request: office@nlife.com.au

Suicide Bombers Attack Worship Service In Jos, Nigeria– At Least One Christian Dead, 38 InjuredTWO suicide bombers from the Boko Haram Islamist sect drove a car laden with bombs into the worship service of aChurch of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) congregation in Jos, Nigeria, on 26 February, killing at least one Christian girl andinjuring dozens of other church members, sources said. A man claiming to be a spokesman for Boko Haram report­edly claimed responsibility for the blast.

The two suicide bombers broke through a security barrier at the gate of the church building at 7.20am, a churchleader said. ‘When the bombs went off, I saw the dead body of one girl and four other members of our church whowere injured,’ said Yakubu Dutse, director of finance at COCIN headquarters, which is located in the same building.Dutse said one of the bombers was shot dead and one was injured by soldiers posted as security guards before thebombs went off, killing the second assailant as well. ‘When they were stopped at the gate of the church, they refusedto stop, hence the soldiers posted to the church shot at the car,’ he said. Church member Felix Apollos rushed to thescene of the attack minutes after the bombs went off. He told Compass that he saw the bodies of five people killed inthe attack, but the identities of the dead are yet to be confirmed. At least 38 people were reportedly injured in theblast.

Apollos said some members of a security force manning the church gate tried to stop the assailants, but soldiersalso guarding the church ordered them to allow the bombers onto the premises. Boko Haram, whose name trans­lates loosely as ‘Western education is forbidden,’ seeks to impose a strict version of sharia (Islamic law) on Nigeria.

– Obed Minchakpu, Compass Direct (See personal note, p.8)

THE Queen began celebrations on 15 February to markher 60­year reign by publicly declaring her support forthe established Church, which she said was ‘commonlyunder­appreciated’ despite being ‘woven into the fabricof this country.’

Delivering a speech at Lambeth Palace, home of theArchbishop of Canterbury, the Queen commented thatfaith provided ‘critical guidance’ in life and played a keyrole in ‘creating and sustaining communities’ through­out the UK.

She said: ‘The concept of our established Church isoccasionally misunderstood and, I believe, commonlyunder­appreciated. Faith plays a key role in the identityof many millions of people, providing not only a systemof belief but also a sense of belonging.

‘The Church has created an environment for otherfaith communities and indeed people of no faith to livefreely.’A Calling From GodThe Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams,commented that faith was ‘at the heart’ of the Queen’sunderstanding of her role, which he believed was a call­ing from God.

‘The personal faith to which you have so regularly al­luded entails the conviction of a calling from God to dowhat you do and to be what you are,’ he said.

The Archbishopalso commentedthat the Queen‘clearly demon­strated that beingreligious is not ec­centric or abnormal.’ChallengesThe Queen’s com­ments will be welcomed by many Christians after aweek where secularists have challenged the place ofChristianity in the nation.

The High Court passed a ruling on 10 February that itwas ‘unlawful’ for local town councils to begin their for­mal meetings with prayer, breaking from hundreds ofyears of tradition.

On the same day, two Christian guesthouse owners,Peter and Hazelmary Bull, lost their appeal against lastyear’s ruling that they had discriminated unlawfullyagainst a non­married same­sex couple by only allow­ing married couples to rent double rooms in theirguesthouse.

Baroness Warsi, Chair of the Conservative Party, saidrecently that British society was under threat from ‘arising tide of militant secularisation reminiscent of to­talitarian regimes.’ –The Telegraph via Christian Concern

Queen Elizabeth Afirms Church’s Place In Society

Atheist ConventionAtheist ConventionPresents GospelPresents GospelOpportunitiesOpportunitiesTHE Global Atheist Convention will beheld in Melbourne from 13­15 April, oneweek after Easter. The convention is anopportunity for the Gospel of the LivingGod. When the media are reporting howthe prominent atheists dubbed ‘The Three Horsemen of the Apocalypse’ areseeking to disprove God, it will be a great opportunity for Christians to let ourcity know that God is alive.

A number of exciting Christian initiatives are planned for that period.Among them, The Regal Standard, a high quality eight page newspaper isbeing printed to inspire faith that God is Alive. The Regal Standard is an easy­to­read broadsheet newspaper, filled with inspiring and well­researched arti­cles and stories of faith and evidence of God at work in our world. It has beenproduced as a personal initiative by Denis Prince who says: ‘Out of a sense ofshame and concern that our country and city host the atheists a second time, Iwanted to do something about it. If it was somewhere else – New York or Lon­don or wherever – we would expect Christians there to put up a substantial re­sponse. That lot has instead fallen on us. So I have decided to use mybackground as pastor, publisher and editor to create a one­off newspaper, TheRegal Standard, to cover the major issues and proclaim the greatness of God.’

The papers cost $25 for 100 copies (cheaper for larger orders). Samplecopies of the paper have been sent to many churches. Papers can be orderedusing the order form on the website: www.regalstandard.com.au but ordersmust be in by 5 March, so act quickly.

Churches could distribute the paper widely in letterboxes, shopping cen­tres, tertiary institutions, etc and individuals could buy 100 or join with othersto distribute. – Rob Isaachsen, Transforming Melbourne

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VOL: 74 NUMBER 13ISSN: 1033-7903ISSUE DATE:1 March 2012FOUNDER:Eric J. Daley (1910-1992)EDITOR:Rev Bob ThomasASSOCIATE EDITOR:Dr Clifford WilsonEMAIL:editor@nlife.com.auPHONE:0417 592 646BUSINESS MANAGER:Mignon GoswellEMAIL:office@nlife.com.auPHONE:0434 313 646POSTAL ADDRESS:PO Box 457,Mitcham VIC 3132WEB-SITE:www.nlife.com.auSUBSCRIPTION:Free On RequestACCEPTANCE OFADVERTISINGDOES NOT IMPLYENDORSEMENT

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NEW LIFE – 1 March 2012 – PAGE TWO

Prayer Gathering To Celebrate 200 Years Of Methodism In AustraliaWESLEY Mission is holding a prayer gathering on Tuesday 6 March from6.30 to 7.30 pm in Wesley Church, 200 Pitt Street, Sydney, to celebrate 200years of Methodism in Australia. Come and join Rev Dr Keith V Garner, staff,members of the Wesley Mission congregation and supporters to give thanks.This will be 200 years to the day since the first Methodists met in Australia todiscuss the need for a preacher here.

SUDAN: Nuba Need Breakthrough In Food,SecurityTHE UN estimates that some half­million displaced,predominantly Christian African (non­Arab) Nuba willface famine conditions by March. Not content to dec­imate the Nuba by means of famine – something theArab­supremacist, Islamist regime in Khartoumachieved in the early 1990s – nor to allow their escapeinto South Sudan, Khartoum appears to be preparingto completely annihilate the Nuba. Sudan ArmedForces soldiers are killing Nuba at manned check­points. Furthermore SAF tanks and artillery areblocking the refugees' southward escape routethrough the Kauda Valley while helicopter gunshipsand Antonovs (used as bombers) arrive at recentlyrenovated airstrips.

The regime has warned that any attempt to crossthe southern border with aid for the Nuba would beregarded as a hostile act, ie an excuse for war againstSouth Sudan. Urged on by Christian and Jewish anti­genocide groups, the US administration has intensi­fied efforts to pursue a breakthrough in Sudan, evenoffering to write off Khartoum's debts, estimated at$2.4 billion. Yet Khartoum remains intransigent,maintaining the Nuba are 'rebels' – enemies of thestate – being assisted by foreign aid groups.

On Sunday 19 February the Government of Sudanagreed to involve international organisations in anoperation to assess humanitarian needs in South Kor­dofan. Khartoum also advised it was considering aproposal put forward by the Arab League. Sudan'sMinister of Social Welfare and Security, Amira Al­Fadail, reiterated the GoS position that all aid mustbe distributed through Sudanese facilities. Of coursethis has happened before in the early 1990s when theGoS, after engineering famine in the Nuba Moun­tains, herded the displaced and starving Nuba into'Peace [concentration] Camps'. Receiving food therewas conditional on converting to Islam. Forced thusto choose between Islam and starvation, hundreds ofthousands of Nuba chose starvation. To allow repe­tition of such a situation would be absolutely unac­ceptable. However, with famine closing in, Sudananalyst Eric Reeves is warning of 'a looming catastro­phe that will make Syria, in terms of total casualties,look like a gang war in the park'.

SYRIA: Christians Need Breakthrough ForPolitical SolutionThe NATO­US­Saudi­Gulf Arab alliance and al Qaedaboth want the same thing in Syria: regime change toinstall a Sunni Islamist regime more favourable totheir interests. According to former Central Intelli­gence Agency officer Philip Giraldi, unmarked NATOplanes are transporting weapons from Libya to theFree Syrian Army base at Iskenderum, on Turkey'sborder with Syria. Meanwhile, Western SpecialForces trainers are there on the ground training theSyrian rebel jihadists [echoes of Afghanistan?].

Furthermore, US military and intelligence dronesare operating over Syria, reportedly gathering evi­dence to 'make a case for an international response',but doubtless also monitoring Syrian troop move­ments for the FSA.

On 11 February al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiripublicly exhorted 'honourable' Muslims across the re­gion to join the jihad in Syria. Subsequently, a groupcalling itself the Al Baraa Ibn Malik MartyrdomBrigade announced its formation in the Syrian townof Homs and vowed to start employing suicidebombers against Syrian security forces.

British author and former UK foreign correspon­dent John Bradley recently cautioned that MuslimBrotherhood and Salafi forces, with funding fromSaudi Arabia and the Gulf, have totally hijacked thepopular revolts. Bradley maintains that the conflictin Syria is now principally a US­Saudi­Gulf Arab al­liance war aimed at countering ascendant Iran. Heclaims that what will come after Assad will be muchworse: ' ... the minority Alawites and Christians andJews and moderate Sunnis in Syria will fight to thedeath because they know much better than us thatthe opposition, the civilian opposition, is dominatedby the Muslim Brotherhood and the insurgents [are]now infiltrated by Salafi jihadis.' As Bradley notes, forall its faults Assad's has been a secular regime thathas protected minorities. Russia is brokering talks.The 2 million­plus Christians in Syria (including over300,000 Assyrian refugees from Iraq) are in desperateneed of a political breakthrough. For, as Bradleynotes, the alternative is 'a civil war in Syria that willbe so bloody and murderous that it will make whattook place in Libya look like a high school prom'.

SUDAN & SYRIA: Millions Of Christians Facing DeathMATTERS FOR PRAYER ...

NEW LIFE – 1 March 2012 – PAGE THREE

WHO CAN YOU FORWARD WHO CAN YOU FORWARD NEW LIFENEW LIFE TO?TO?

Jerusalem Church Defaced With Hateful GraffitiUNKNOWN assailants spray painted blasphemous graffiti on a church building that's home to several Christian congregationsin downtown Jerusalem, according to Julie Stahl, CBN News Mideast Correspondent. Stahl says the vandalism, which could bepart of an ongoing campaign against non­Jewish religious sites, led to a show of goodwill by neighbours and others. Stahl re­ports that vandals sprayed messages of hate – slurs against Jesus including, ‘We'll crucify you’ and ‘Death to Christianity’ – inHebrew on the walls of the Baptist House.

‘It's not just defacing, there's a message there,’ Dr Al Nucciarone, senior pastor of the Jerusalem Baptist Church, told CBNNews. ‘Obviously people don't like Christians being here and don't like Jesus or don't respect Jesus for sure,’ he said. Stahl re­ports that it's not the first time the Baptist House has been attacked. In 2007, vandals broke into the sanctuary and torchedchairs and hymnals. In 1982, arsonists burned the original wooden building to the ground. But, she says, the latest incidentbrought out the best in the neighbourhood.

‘We're sad there are extremists who would take things into their own hands like this, but we're also heartened by the out­pouring of sympathy from neighbours and people of goodwill, whom I believe are the majority,’ Charles Kopp, senior pastor ofthe Narkis Street Congregation, told CBN News. ‘People are very sympathetic when something like this happens,’ he said.

‘We'll get a lot of support. Even my friend Barry, [he's] Jewish, came with his rabbi from the conservative synagogue inArnona because they heard about it and they were quite disgusted about what happened and even wanted to call the mayor'sreligious affairs person,’ he said.

Stahl reports that police are investigating whether the vandalism is connected to earlier attacks this month on a Jerusalemmonastery and mosque. In her report, Stahl says Dr Mordechai Zaken, head of the Ministry of Public Security's Desk of MinorityAffairs, paid a solidarity visit. ‘I'm here to show my support, my solidarity, my friendship, not only me. I think I represent theoverwhelming majority of Israeli citizens,’ Zaken said. He also pointed out that this kind of incident wouldn't have garneredsuch press coverage 10 years ago.

‘It also shows Israeli society is more tuned [in], more careful about this kind of thing.so we are progressing, slowly but surely,’he said. You can see a video about this incident online at: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2012/February/Jerusalem­Church­Defaced­with­Hateful­Graffiti/ – Michael Ireland, ASSIST News Service.

SUSPECTED Islamic extremists detonated a bomboutside a church building in Sulejah, Nigeria, onSunday 19 February, two months after Boko HaramIslamists killed 44 Christians and blinded seven in achurch bombing in nearby Madalla.

Compass Direct News says Sunday's blast inSuleja, in front of Christ Embassy Church duringmorning worship, injured five people, one seriously,according to sources. Compass reports the bomb,planted in a parked car, was left by suspected mem­bers of Boko Haram, which seeks to impose sharia(Islamic law) throughout Nigeria, and authorities ar­rested some members of the sect the same day.

Compass learned that at least one of those in­jured belongs to the nearby Triumph MinistriesChurch. Peter Osema, a search­and­rescue workerwith Nigeria's National Emergency ManagementAgency, told Compass that the bomb was likelymeant to affect both churches.

Compass also reported that at St Theresa'sRoman Catholic Church in Madalla, 44 memberswere killed in the Christmas Day blast.

– Michael Ireland, ASSIST News Service

Please Pray Specifically That God Will:• send His Holy Spirit into these war zones in a pow­erful and palpable way, bringing awakening, repen­tance and spiritual revival to multitudes;• hear the cries of His imperilled people and bequick to answer with demonstrations of power, loveand justice; may escape and deliverance be enabled

and may there be provision of food, shelter, secu­rity and hope;• erect a bulwark against those who devise evilagainst God's Kingdom and cruelty against His pre­cious children. (See Psalm 140.)

– Elizabeth Kendal, for the Australian EvangelicalAlliance Religious Liberty Commission.

NIGERIA: Two Churches Targeted In Bomb Attack, Five Injured;In Christmas Day Blast In Nearby Madalla, Seven Left Blind

MATTERS FOR PRAYER (from p.3) ...

NEW LIFE – 1 March 2012 – PAGE FOUR

NEW LIFE ADVERTISING ...

NEW LIFE – 1 March 2012 – PAGE FIVE

Vacant Position: Lecturer In Biblical Studies (Old Testament)Presbyterian Theological Centre – Sydney

After thirty three years of faithful service, the Reverend Doctor John Davies has indicatedhis intention to retire at the end of 2012.

The Presbyterian Theological Centre, Sydney, invites applications from suitably qualified personsto be appointed to its full-time lecturing staff.

The person appointed will lecture and supervise research in the areas of Biblical Studies,with an emphasis on Old Testament,

and such other duties from time to time as the Principal may determine.Applicants should hold (or be in the final stages of) a research Master’s degree or higher in Old Testament.

Preference may be given to candidates who have experience in pastoral ministry,in teaching and training people for ministry, and who have a history of publications.The position is for the term of six years (renewable), commencing 1 January 2013.

Further details can be found on the PTC website: www.ptcsydney.orgApplications (by 13 April 2012) should be sent to:

The Principal, The Rev Dr Ian Smith, Presbyterian Theological Centre,77 Shaftesbury Road Burwood NSW 2134 Australia. Email: ismith@ptcsydney.org

HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE ...

Change Of Party LeadershipREV Dr Dallas Clarnette has resigned as Chairmanof ‘Australian Christians’ (Vic). A man of many tal­ents (including skilled and firm leadership), Dallas isalso a man who follows God’s leading and withother mission projects beckoning, he believes it istime for him to have a change in focus. Dallas hasassured the party of his ongoing support. Mr VivianHill will fill the position Dallas has vacated. Vivianwas born in Victoria and joined the CDP VictoriaCouncil 2 years ago after serving on the CDP StateCouncil in WA for 12 years. He is a retired Christiansecondary school teacher.Honour For Peter KuzmicON his 65th birthday, Dr Peter Kuzmic was pre­sented with a book written in his honour by the fac­ulty at the Evangelical Theological Seminary inCroatia. Kuzmic was the Founder of ETS, whichprovides education and training in Osijek, Croatia.ETS provides biblical resources to the post­commu­nist world in Eastern Europe and would welcomedonations of additional materials, such as booksand journals, to add to its library.

Australia’s First Female Aboriginal ArchdeaconCongratulatedRECONCILIATION Australia congratulates Biripawoman Karen Kime on her recent ordination as thefirst female Aboriginal archdeacon in the AnglicanChurch in Australia. Co­Chair Dr Tom Calma said theappointment shows that the Anglican Church iscommitted to building better relationships betweenthe Church and Aboriginal and Torres Strait IslanderAustralians.

‘Archdeacon Kime is a strong believer in reconcil­iation and has devoted her life to creating betteropportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Is­lander Australians,’ Dr Calma said. ‘She is passion­ate about the needs of Aboriginal people living onthe land —and it’s great to see the Anglican Churchembracing its Indigenous leaders.’

As Archdeacon for Indigenous Ministry and Man­ager for Indigenous Services, Culture and Educa­tion, Archdeacon Kime will work across threedioceses in the ACT and NSW to identify opportuni­ties for new Anglicare services to Indigenous com­munities.

CHRIST – For All Of Life In All The World!HOW does following Jesus Christ translate into living in the global village?What is God doing in the world? How do Christians relate to global themes ofChristian unity, justice, mission and church renewal? These are among the is­sues in focus at an international conference being held at PresbyterianTheological Centre Burwood, Sydney on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 April.

The conference will precede and lay a foundation for a Board Meeting of theWorld Reformed Fellowship (the world peak body for conservative Presbyterian and Reformed Churches)at Collaroy Conference Centre from 24­26 April. More information on the WRF is available at:http://www.wrfnet.org .Several global leaders from the WRF Board are coming early to share in the PTCconference and local church ministry.

Both days of the conference are open to all­comers. The Friday conference should be of particular inter­est to church leaders and Saturday to the broader Christian public. The schedule includes keynote ad­dresses and seminars on more specialised topics.Highlights of the conference will be:• Addresses on Friday/Saturday by Professor Andrew McGowan (Scotland) on missions­related themes.• Bible expositions on Friday/Saturday by Professor Pierre Berthoud (France) and Dr Rob Norris (USA).• Workshops on: Biblical Foundations And Theological Principles Of Mission: Dr Flip Buys (South Africa).

Training Workers For God’s Mission: Professor Matthew Ebenezer (India).Liberty And Justice In The Old Testament: Calvin’s View: Professor Pierre Berthoud (France).The Mission Of God In Difficult Access Countries: Dr Cecilio Lajara (Puerto Rico/USA).The Cry For Global Justice – Sex Trade: Dr Diane Langberg (USA).Showing And Telling The Gospel: Dr John Nicholls (England).Turning Principles Into Practice ­ Ministry To Orphans: Dr Flip Buys (South Africa).Vitalising The Local Church For Mission: Dr Rob Norris (USA).

The conference is designed to be a great time of vision­expanding fellowship, encouragement and learn­ing. Don’t miss it, but register now through www.ptcsydney.org/events/ . Enquiries can be sent to theconference organiser, David Burke, at dburke@ptcsydney.org

NEW LIFE – 1 March 2012 – PAGE SIX

TWENTY years ago, Russia withdrew from Mongo­lia after nearly 70 years’ occupation, and Mongoliawas again independent. The coloniser imposedmany things Russian upon the Mongolian society,including their brand of atheistic Communism andindustry. Murray and Elizabeth Benn and family areministering in Mongolia with Pioneers Mission Soci­ety. Murray’s dad Robert had the opportunity of vis­iting them in August­September 2011. This is hisreport ...IT was fascinating to see the remnants of collectiveliving and farming. Mongolia had been, and now isagain, a nomadic society. The rural Mongolians(nearly 60%) effectively ‘bank’ in livestock, so a re­ally severe winter causing loss of livestock can be amajor reversal for them. The rural system is: movewith all your livestock to where the fodder is lush;move your ger (or yurt); watch the temperature(temperatures range from +40C to ­40C, so youcant let them get too warm, like, not above ­5C orwhen they go out in the morning, they’ll die!)

The countryside is majestically riveting with itsvast rolling plains, undulating steppes, and highawe­inspiring mountains. It was fascinating visitingKharkhorin, HQ of Ogedei Khan, son of GhengisKhan. The 12th Century jumped into life as I remi­nisced on the Mongol take­over of one­third of theworld!

And the Church? It celebrated its 20th anniver­sary while I was there. Though after CommunismBuddhism was reintroduced, it is the Church that isshowing most rapid patterns of growth, and whilestill only about 2% of the population, it is growingat the rate of some 8% per annum, and about 150students attend the Theological College.

Murray and family have settled in well. Mongolia

is very much second home for them now. They havegood friends, are speaking fluent Mongolian in afew areas of conversation, and love the freedoms oflife there. Winter is special for them for you candrive a truck over the river, and the kids love skiingon the ice and playing the typical Mongolian gameson the river.

Murray and Elizabeth are running a businessthere to provide employment for Christian staff,which is really the core of the local church.

The main reason five of us Australians went toMongolia (to work with five Mongolians) was tobuild a double storeyed home for Murray and fam­ily. We started with the floor poured and the firstthree courses of besser­brick in place, and broughtit to almost lock up stage in less than four weeks.

But there was a very special spin­off from that.First, Murray had been living in the world ofwomen, and all the staff working on the inside ofFairfield Guest House were ladies. A couple of menwere working in the grounds and security. With thebuilding of the house, he began to learn a wholenew set of words like shovel, saw, hammer, nails,cement, bricks, trusses and the like. He loved en­gaging with the men.

The local infant church had been mainly made upof women too. But now, they were in the process ofengaging a pastor who had been known as a promi­nent consumer of Vodka prior to his conversion. Hetoo knew how to communicate with men, but nowwith the Gospel. So with the new pastor, with Mur­ray spending time with men and developing newlanguage and with the commencement of men’sministry, there has been a transformation withinthe church. The church is increasing with numbersand with men! (Continued p.8)

OUT THERE IN MONGOLIA ...

NEW LIFE – 1 March 2012 – PAGE SEVEN

Murray, Elizabeth and family.

Where Christianity Is Outpacing Buddhism

Secondly, and especially for us vis­itors, there was another very specialevent. We were invited to the homeof one of the senior ladies of thechurch for a meal just before our de­parture. There are not too many sen­ior ladies in the church. It was cold.Mrs DJ had prepared a soup whichwas heavily laden with tasty chunksof vegetables, and a mince wrap,probably deep fried and very tasty.The home was tiny, but warm astoast, as the chimney actually ranthrough the walls and warmed thewhole house.

When the meal was over, I asked English­speak­ing daughter Sara if we could hear her mother’sstory. And what a story it was!

She had trained under the Russians in Bulgaria.Then returned home to Arhangai Province (whereMurray and family live), and there began her radiocareer.

I questioned her as she pressed on with the story:‘Did you have any consciousness of God?’ ‘No. Wewere so indoctrinated into the communist thinking,worldview and way of life that there was no inclina­tion to think “god”.’

‘So tell us what changed all that,’ I said. A gentle­man had come from the city to work in the radiostation with her, and he brought with him god­talk.

There was very rapid transformation in Mrs DJ, ayearning for God. Soon she was part of a smallgroup which studied the Scriptures. She learned ofthe true God, was astounded, and then of ChristJesus, and in repentance and faith turned to Him.Through much suffering personally, the loss of achild and husband, the nurture of fellow Christians,and the passage of time in which she learned to‘stand still and know that I am God, she has becomewhat Paul called a ‘pillar of the church’.

That evening was a brilliant highlight of our visitas it showed how the church of our Lord JesusChrist grows in Mongolia: a failed communism buta victorious church.

– Robert Benn

NEW LIFE – 1 March 2012 – PAGE EIGHT

OUT THERE IN MONGOLIA ...

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Books can be ordered from the website:www.morethanfoodandclothes.com$25 per copy plus $9.95 postage and handlingto anywhere within Australia.

VISITING MELBOURNE?Join us at

St Kilda Presbyterian Church, cnr Alma Rd/Barkly StEvery Sunday 11am and 7pm;

St Margaretʼs, Balaclava, cnr Hotham St/Denman RdEvery Sunday, 9.30am.

Rev Bob Thomas. Phone: 0417 592 646Youʼre welcome at ʻThe Faith Factoryʼ – a Friendly,

Caring, Bible-Believing Christian Fellowship

Suicide Bomb Attack On Jos Hits HomeREV Keith Black, retired veteran SUM missionary,reports that the bomb attack in Jos on 26 Febru­ary reported on page one of this issue is theHeadquarters of the Church Of Christ In Nigeria.

Keith and Betty Black lived for several yearsalongside this church building as it was beingbuilt by Ray Baker who was sent to Nigeria fromCanterbury (Vic) Presbyterian Church.

COCIN grew out of the work of Sudan UnitedMission, which is now part of Pioneers. Keith wasoriginally ordained to the ministry by COCIN.

PARTICIPANTS at a Prayer Rallyfor Marriage strongly indicatedthat they do not want a changeto the status of marriage in Aus­tralia. They agreed with the pres­ent state of marriage and werecommitted to it, in much thesame way as a man and womansay ‘I do’ during a marriage cere­mony!

The Prayer Rally for Marriage,held in Scots Church, Sydney, onSunday 26 February was co­ord­inated by the Christian Demo­cratic Party, churches and variousdenominations. The meeting in­cluded a variety of speakers andwas led by Pastor Robyn Peebles of the Church ofthe Good Shepherd and the Rev Hon Fred Nile MLC,of the CDP.

Pastor Peebles emphasised that ‘the battle forthe institution of Marriage is a spiritual battle andnot just political!’ Acknowledging that some indi­vidual churches and denominations may be infavour of proposed changes for same­sex marriage,speakers and supporters alike emphasised that theybelieve the biblical definition of marriage is that ofman and woman and now is the time to defend thatbelief.

Rev Fred Nile issued a Statement On MarriageAnd Prayer, saying ‘Our Australian society faces thegreatest challenge to our Christian heritage, cultureand value with the imminent vote in our FederalParliament on the Green Party’s same­sex homo­sexual “marriage” Bill. ‘It is vital that every con­cerned Australian expresses their opposition to theGreen’s Party Bill and supports our traditional Aus­tralian Marriage as stated in the Federal MarriageAct: “Marriage means the union of a man and awoman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily en­tered into for life”.’

Messages of support were read from the MostRev Dr Peter Jensen, Anglican Archbishop of Syd­ney; Cardinal George Pell, Roman Catholic Church;Wayne Richards, General Manager of the Presby­terian Church in New South Wales and the Rev DrKeith Garner, Superintendent, Wesley Mission.

His Grace Bishop Anba Daniel, Bishop and Abbottof St Shenouda's Coptic Orthodox Monastery inPutty (near Singleton), who very rarely ventures out

of the monastery, asked if he could be present anddeliver a statement. His presentation includedmany Biblical passages to enforce the traditionalview of Marriage.

Warwick Marsh shared something of the Na­tional Day of Prayer and Fasting, held the previousSunday in Canberra. He then challeneged thosepresent to pray for this situation and the leadershipof the nation.

Brian Pickering, Australian Prayer Network, wasnoticed in the audience and was invited to pray formarriage and the government.

Rev Dr Ross Clifford, President of the NSW Coun­cil of Churches and a Vice President of the BaptistWorld Alliance, read the official statement issued bythe NSW Council of Churches. In his internationalposition he spoke of churches in other countrieswatching this ongoing situation with great interestas they realise it could affect their countries too.

Pastor Peebles presented two declarations andthe gathering endorsed her statements, declaringthe Government was in the hands of Jesus Christand He was in control of all decisions.

The Rev Fred Nile closed the meeting with thechallenge of a ‘Call to Action.’ He suggested thepeople may wish to:• Meet their local Federal MP;• Write to their local newspapers;• Phone talkback radio programs;• Support local prayer rallies and marches.

For further information, contact: Christian Dem­ocratic Party, phone: (02) 9746 5817; e­mail: headoffice@cdp.org.au

– Ramon Williams, Worldwide Photos

CHURCH AND NATION ...

NEW LIFE – 1 March 2012 – PAGE NINE

Prayer Rally For Marriage Says ‘I Do!’

Warwick Marsh addresses the rally.

MORE than 300 Victorians have responded to aFamilyVoice survey on Special Religious Instructionin government schools in Victoria, with the majoritysaying SRI has impacted their lives in a positiveway.

‘When I was in my early teens, I remember ourSRI teacher speaking to us about how important itwas to encourage one another, and how especiallyin early high school not to judge one another onsmall things but be kind to each person. It madethis era of life much easier to live through. Therewas nothing this positive coming from home,’ saidone respondent.

Long after school finished for me, SRI continuesto provide a foundation for me to build my life as aworthwhile citizen,’ said another.

A third said: ‘As a teacher [of SRI] I was taking alesson on Consequences. Unbeknown to me, thatvery day the class was having issues in this regard.Recently the teacher mentioned that my lesson re­inforced the values she was trying to teach and wasvery grateful.’

Nearly 80% of the 307 respondents said theystrongly believed that the current system of a com­pulsory secular curriculum supplemented by volun­tary religious instruction allows parents to exercisetheir responsibility for the religious and moral edu­

cation of their children, in line with the EducationAct.

The survey comments show a different side tothe story presented by a group of parents who havelodged a complaint against the Department of Edu­cation and Early Childhood Development, claimingdiscrimination in the way that Special Religious In­struction occurs in schools. These parents haveerected a big billboard in Bulleen to attack Scriptureclasses, claiming that children excluded from SRImay feel ‘isolated and anxious’.

‘SRI respects the wishes of parents by allowingthem to decide whether their child attends theseclasses or not,’ said FamilyVoice state officer PeterStevens. ‘The complainants have the choice towithdraw their children. They should not deny otherparents the choice to allow their children to learnwhat they believe to be both true and beneficial.’

Ninety per cent of survey respondents agreedthat parents, not the state, have the primary re­sponsibility for the religious and moral education oftheir children. Many respondents also shared posi­tive stories specifically about how the Christian Reli­gious Education program provided by ACCESSMinistries benefited them.

For more information, contact Peter Stevens on0143 467 831, email: office@fava.org.au

‘Scripture Lessons Helped Us’ – VictoriansCHURCH AND NATION ...

Have YOU visited our website?Just GOOGLE New Life

NEW LIFE – 1 March 2012 – PAGE TEN

The CLIFFORD WILSON booksThe CLIFFORD WILSON booksl is ted be low are now avai lable atl is ted be low are now avai lable atKOORONG BOOK SHOPSKOORONG BOOK SHOPSAust ra l ia wide :Aust ra l ia wide :

Crash Go The Skulls ... And The HoaxesGenesis – That Amazing Book Of BeginningsJesus In Old Testament Shadows

And New Testament LightJesus The Master CounsellorJesus The Master TeacherMeeting Jesus Of NazarethNew Light On The GospelsThe Paluxy River Dinosaur ControversyThe Stones Still ShoutThe Way God Works In Nature

Anyone wanting a copy of the revisedbestseller Crash Go The Chariots ('76)may write, with $5, to:Pacific Christian Ministries,PO Box 311, Lilydale, VIC 3140.Please also supply your name and mailing address.

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ʻ…We…know that a person is not justified by theworks of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So

we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that wemay be justified by faith in Christ and not by the

works of the law, because by the works of the lawno one will be justified.ʼ (Galatians 2.16)

IN recent times, the security authorities of Iran havebeen taking action against the growth of Christian­ity and house church movement in Iran and have ar­rested many believers in different cities of Iran. Butnow they have exceeded their own terrible recordof harassment of believers by arresting a 78­year­old Christian woman at her home in Esfahan whichis 272 miles from Tehran, the Iranian capital.

According to the Iranian Christian news agency,Mohabat News <www.mohabatnews.com>, GitiHakimpour, a Christian minister, was arrested in herapartment by security authorities on 22 Februaryand transferred to an unknown location.

The security authorities not only raided MsHakimpour's home but on the same day attackedthe home of another Christian, Pastor Hekmat Sal­imi, and also took him into custody.

‘Ms Hakimpour, who is 78 years old, is a memberand minister of St Luke's Anglican Church in Esfa­han. She was living on her own in an apartment andwitnesses saw both police and private cars parkingdown below her flat from around 6am,’ said aspokesperson for Mohabat News.

Knowledgeable sources told Mohabat News thatthe intelligence officers initially interrogated her inher flat and then arrested her, and then went on tothoroughly search her apartment and confiscatedsome of her personal belongings. Eyewitnesses saidthe officers were there for three hours until 9am,and then they took Ms Hakimpour with them.

‘No information is available concerning herwhereabouts and health condition at this time,’ thespokesperson told ASSIST News Service. ‘She hasno relatives inside Iran; however the news of her ar­rest has caused a wave of anxiety among her rela­

tives living outsideIran. The IranianChristian commu­nity calls on Iranianauthorities to re­lease her and takemeasures to exon­erate her of anycharges.

The security au­thorities of the Iranian Intelligence Office also at­tacked the home of Pastor Hekmat Salimi inFooladshahr, a district of Esfahan at 7am, also on 22February. They also arrested and transferred him toan unknown location without providing any kind ofexplanation. There are still no updates availableconcerning his situation,’ added the spokesperson.

‘No doubt, these anti­Christian actions are beingtaken in order to intimidate and terrorise Christians,especially Christian converts. These are being doneafter when, some while ago, Mohammad Taqi Mes­bah Yazdi, who is known as the theoretician of theIslamic regime, said in a meeting with the Presidentand Vice President of the Office of Islamic Propa­ganda in the Islamic Seminary of Qom that, somework has been done and monies have been spent tocounter the growth of Christianity in someprovinces but the outcome is not satisfactory be­cause no one is supervising these efforts.’

According to the reports published by MohabatNews, during these first two months of 2012, thesecurity authorities of the Intelligence Ministryhave arrested Christian citizens individually or ingroups in the cities of Ahwaz, Shiraz, Tehran and Es­fahan. – Dan Wooding, Founder, ASSIST Ministries

PERSECUTION WATCH ...

NEW LIFE – 1 March 2012 – PAGE ELEVEN

Terror Continues In Iran – 78 Year Old Christian WomanArrested In Esfahan By Security Authorities

CHRISTIAN FAMILYCHRISTIAN FAMILYBIBLE STUDIESBIBLE STUDIES

Go to: www.biblestories.stellaris.com.aufor Family/Children articles by Gwenda Steward(formerly New Life Women's Page contributor)

and Bible Studies by Dr Harrold Steward(family medicine).

MP3 STUDIES – CPA, Medico's, Engineer,Educationalist.

'His Name Is Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’

Kindly notify friends/church of web site.

Ramon A Williams– Worldwide Photos –

WANT TO SEE MORE?‘New Life’ can only publish a small selection

of photos, but you can see more of thoseattributed to Worldwide Photos by going to:http://community.webshots.com/user/ramon

_williamse-mail: rlgmedia@ozemail.com.au

Ethiopians Come To Christ In Droves After Watching FilmWHAT happens when women are told for the first time that Christ lovesthem? Explosion! The Jesus Film project has seen the film Magdalena: Re­leased from Shame take off in Ethiopia. Women, who have often been ig­nored, are welcoming the Gospel with open arms. The Jesus Film projectplanned to train 100 women to show the film in three years. But the de­mand is so great that in just six months, they've trained 564.

GOOD NEWS FROM ABROAD ...

NEW LIFE – 1 March 2012 – PAGE TWELVE

God At Work In TheAbove-GroundChurch In ChinaWHILE we hear frequent reportsabout the underground housechurch movement in China, espe­cially many of the hardships theyface due to their resistance to gov­ernment control, it may surprisesome to realise there is life in theregistered, ‘above ground’ church,officially known as the Three­SelfPatriotic Movement.

China Partner serves the regis­tered church in China ‘aboveboard and legally’ by supplyingChristian literature, pastoral train­ing, and forging partnerships tobuild the Church.

Erik Burklin, President of ChinaPartner, recently returned fromChina, where he worked with sev­eral pastors currently seeing God'shand at work in significant ways.Rev Zhao and his wife graduatedfrom Sichuan Theological Semi­nary in 1995 and came to Yibin cityto serve the local church.

When they arrived, there wasone church building and onemeeting point (two ecclesias);today there are 18 churches. Yibinhad 200 believers when theystarted to minister in that city;today there are over 4,000.

In 2011 he and his wife baptisedover 100 new converts; the churchhas seen tremendous growth dur­ing their ministry.

– Mark Ellis,ASSIST News Service

Werner and Erik Burklin (left & right) attend meeting in China.

THE Global Atheist Convention will meet in Mel­bourne 13­15 April. Rev David Palmer reports that acoalition of Christian Media personnel has beenformed to co­ordinate a Christian response to it.

Going under the name Celebration Of Reason it isgoing to be huge and Christians won’t be able to,and shouldn’t, avoid it. So ministers and pastorsmight consider how this affects material for bul­letins and preaching. Michael Jensen (of MooreTheological College) and John McClean (of Presby­terian Theological Centre, Burwood) are working upresource materials for at least two sermons, possi­bly four, hopefully by early April.

A number of events being organised in Mel­bourne for the week following the GAC will have fo­rums, debates involving speakers from the GAC andChristian apologists.

Scott Monk of The Australian, writes: ‘The Rea­son­For­Faith Coalition is now up­and­running. Sev­eral Christian organisations have banded togetherto create an intelligent, united and reasoned voicefor the media during the upcoming Global AtheistConvention in April. Some of the world’s leadingNew Atheists will be speaking, and the coalition’sgoal is to engage in conversation with them.

‘Our aims are to:BRING unbelievers to faith in Christ.RESPOND to media requests immediately, intelli­gently and helpfully.PRESENT the media with pre­written articles byChristian leaders, commentators and academics.EDUCATE the Christian community about theclaims of the New Atheists and how to respond tothem calmly.MOTIVATE parishioners to engage in the debatevia letters­to­the­editor, talkback, social media,blogs and backyard conversations.IDENTIFY media ‘talent’ in Melbourne, Sydney andother capitals to engage in conversations with themedia.PROMOTE Christian events that are running con­currently with the convention and ultimately JesusChrist.HARNESS the talent and resources of severalChristian organisations and professionals.COUNTER the siege mentality among Christianstowards both atheism and the media.NOT to fall into the trap of saying ‘It’s too hard’ or‘the media won’t listen’.

Greg Clarke has been approached to be the na­

tional spokesman and Dean Troth appointed as theproject manager.Six Projects Planned:REACT to the media. Dean is the main contactpoint for the media. He then connects the media tothe talent.PRESENT pre­written articles for publication. Thisis in three parts: 1) Christian press 2) secular mediaand 3) online.CREATION of a media kit with a long list of talent indiverse areas such as ethics, philosophy, history,science etc, who are willing to be interviewed dur­ing the GAC.SOCIAL MEDIA awareness campaigns of publishedarticles and responses to Richard Dawkins’s appear­ance on Q&AAPOLOGETIC special editions in the Christian pressto educate and mobilise the Christian base.FORUMS and church news to alert Christians of re­sources available during the GAC.

Christians are asked to be alert to what is hap­pening, be prayerful for the coalition, encourageleaders, theologians, academics, captains of in­dusty and/or talented Christians to articulate ourfaith to the media in an intelligent way, especially inMelbourne.’ Email suggestions to Scott at: monks@theaustralian.com.au

Faith Set To Meet Unbelief – Christians Face Up To GACTOWARDS UNDERSTANDING ...

NEW LIFE – 1 March 2012 – PAGE THIRTEEN

The CLIFFORD WILSON booksThe CLIFFORD WILSON booksl is ted be low are now avai lable atl is ted be low are now avai lable atKOORONG BOOK SHOPSKOORONG BOOK SHOPSAust ra l ia wide :Aust ra l ia wide :

Crash Go The Skulls ... And The HoaxesGenesis – That Amazing Book Of BeginningsJesus In Old Testament Shadows

And New Testament LightJesus The Master CounsellorJesus The Master TeacherMeeting Jesus Of NazarethNew Light On The GospelsThe Paluxy River Dinosaur ControversyThe Stones Still ShoutThe Way God Works In Nature

Anyone wanting a copy of the revisedbestseller Crash Go The Chariots ('76)may write, with $5, to:Pacific Christian Ministries,PO Box 311, Lilydale, VIC 3140.Please also supply your name and mailing address.

THE Two Ways To Live Gospel presentation is avail­able now as an iOS app in the iTunes app store.

It will run on iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad (oniOS4.0 or higher). The entire app can be viewed in anumber of different translations (via an in­app set­ting), currently including English, French, Spanish,Japanese, and Chinese (simplified script). There isalso an English audio version by Kel Richards.About Two Ways To LiveIf you're not familiar with the Two Ways To LiveGospel presentation, you might like to read the freeonline version. Go to:<http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/2wtl/>

Two Ways To Live is rapidly becoming one of themost widely­used summaries of the Gospel in theworld. In the past five years over a million copieshave been distributed in print. Its great strength isthat it explains the biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ inthe context of the over­arching story of the Bible,giving the non­Christian hearer or reader all the

presuppositions and assumptions they need tograsp the real significance of Jesus' death and resur­rection. While it is a brief and logical presentation, itprovides all the foundations a non­Christian needsto know in order to become a Christian.

This app will run on iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad(on iOS4.0 or higher). A different screen layout forthe iPad takes advantage of its larger screen. Likeany other iOS app, you can 'gift' it—that is, you cangive it away as an electronic evangelistic tract tosomeone else (either via email or by printing out agift card). It’s especially easy to do this by clicking alink within the app itself. And at the point of work­ing out the consequences of the 'decision' at theend of the presentation, there's also a link to a freedownload of The Essential Jesus from within the appto iBooks or another e­reader (still pending Appleapproval as at 1 March '12).

Matthias Media are hoping to release an Androidversion at some stage soon.

CHURCHES across Australia are gearing up to cele­brate the National Day of Thanksgiving on Saturday26 May. Last year some 1600 communities acrossAustralia celebrated the day and more are expectedto join in this year as an understanding of the op­portunity the day offers for mission and evangelismbecomes better understood.

The number of ways the day can be celebrated islimited only by the creativity of those organisingcelebration activities. In the past churches haveused the day to outreach to their communitythrough engaging in acts of kindness to those inneed in their community, and by organising morn­ing teas or lunches in the week leading up to theday to thank those they wish to honour. Others arearranging day outings for disadvantaged childrenwhilst youth groups are planning to do free carwashing and lawn mowing for shut ins and the dis­advantaged.

Many schools are also making plans to celebratethe day by encouraging and arranging for their stu­dents to undertake acts of kindness and sending ofThanksgiving Day cards and ribbons to someonethey want to say thank you to. Balloons which areavailable for purchase for the first time this year willprovide schools and youth groups with even greater

resources to cele­brate the day.

Even familiesare finding ways touse the NationalDay of Thanksgiv­ing by bringing the family together for a specialThanksgiving Meal. Others are organising streetparties to which they will invite their neighbours asa way of building community and spreading theword of how thankful we need to be for all that Godhas given us as a nation and as individuals.

Thanksgiving Day cards and ribbons are the tra­ditional way that individuals use to say thank you tothose who have made a contribution into their livesin the past 12 months. This year, new business cardsized mini cards have been added to the range ofNDOT products produced which are designed to becarried in wallets and handbags and simply handedout to say a ‘thank you’ on the spot without havingto write on them.

For ideas and information on available resourcesto help you celebrate this national day go towww.thanksgiving.org.au

Church and School Info Packs plus much more,are also available from the website.

GOOD NEWS ...

NEW LIFE – 1 March 2012 – PAGE FOURTEEN

Churches, Schools, Families, Individuals Gear UpFor National Day Of Thanksgiving

Two Ways To Live Now An App

VIEWPOINT ...

NEW LIFE – 1 March 2012 – PAGE FIFTEEN

THE Australian Christian Lobby says that the new advertising campaign launched on 29 February byStop The Loss Coalition <www.stopthelosscoalition.org.au> is a wake­up call to politicians that whilstgovernments continue to ignore gambling machine reform, families will be affected by pokie addiction.

Managing Director Jim Wallace said that ACL would, as a member of the Australian Churches Gam­bling Taskforce which is part of Stop The Loss Coalition, would continue to raise awareness about prob­lem gambling politically. ‘The ACL supports the campaign to raise awareness about the flow­on impactof poker machine addiction to problem gamblers and their families and friends,’ he said. ‘While the gov­ernment does not act effectively on gambling addiction, we’ll continue to see families impacted – moreoften those who are most vulnerable.

‘The 2010 Productivity Commission’s report highlighted that governments across Australia makeabout $5 billion a year from gambling taxes and that Australians spend about $19 billion a year on gam­bling, with the cost to problem gamblers of between $4.7 billion and $8.4 billion a year. This campaigncomes at a time when we need to see government ensure its proposed trial is a real one, not a shame,and that there is a fallback position to introduce a $1 bet limit if it fails,’ said Mr Wallace.

2012 MINISTRY CONFERENCE DATES:Tuesday 20 March – Thursday 22 March.MAIN SPEAKER: Rt Rev David Jones, Moderator General,Presbyterian Church of Australia.TITLE: Surviving In Ministry (book early!)

MASTER OF ARTS IN THEOLOGY2012 PROGRAM:Semester One: Understanding And Preaching IsaiahWeekly classes with Rev Dr Greg Goswell.Semester Two: Biblical Interpretation,a one week intensive class with Dr Gerald Bray.

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THE AGE OF REASON: FROM THE WARS OF RELIGION TO THE FRENCHREVOLUTION 1570- 1789, Meic Pearse, Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006THIS is Volume Five in the Baker History Of The Church series,which aims to survey what is happening in the Church world­wide, though there is still an inevitable focus on Britain, Amer­ica and Europe. Pearse shows that developments during theperiod had an immense influence on the present GlobalChurch. The period opens with a fragmented Christendom(Roman Catholic versus Protestant) in 1570 and closes withthe storming of the Bastille in 1789 and the launching of theevangelical missionary movement, both of which helped tousher in the modern world. According to Pearse, it was reli­gious rivalries and religious pluralism within Europe that madenecessary the rise of the secular state. In other words, Chris­tians are in part responsible for the present state of the world!

We are told the sad and sorry history of the Huguenot causein France and of the bitter Catholic­Lutheran competitionwithin the Holy Roman Empire and Eastern Europe. Happily,there are flashes of humour from the author that help sustainthe reader’s interest, for example, we are told that ‘Katherineof Aragon (first wife of Henry VIII) proved to be the last gen­uinely popular Spaniard in England until the advent of JulioIglesias’.

Pearse seeks to give honour where honour is due, and sodoes not fail to point out the importance of Jesuit missions inAsia, with their missionary effort extending as far as China andJapan. He tells us of the amazing ability of Armenian Christi­anity to spread and survive in various parts of Asia. There is anextensive coverage of the controversy surrounding Arminiusin the Dutch Reformed Church of the 17th Century. The inter­nal divisions within Roman Catholicism during the same pe­riod are explained, such that that the Church is shown to be

anything but united and mono­lithic. In fact, post­Council ofTrent Catholicism was as dividedand subject to internal disputesas was Protestantism.

The Thirty Years War (1618­48) was a blood bath in Europe,because churches tried to im­pose their particular creed onthe entire population of a district,and this foolish policy led to the rise of the stronger nationalstates and a general disenchantment with Christianity. Withthe help of Pearse, we discover the origins of the Amish, whomigrated to Pennsylvania.

The trouble caused by Socinianism and Unitarianism is dis­cussed, for these movements represented the invasion of ra­tionalism into the church. The response of Pietism was theswinging of the pendulum to the opposite extreme of emo­tionalism, though it proved to be an important root of modernEvangelicalism, as also were Puritanism, the Wesleys and therevivals of the Great Awakening (through the labours ofGeorge Whitefield and others).

This, then, is a fascinating and even­handed account of howwe got to where we are today. Pearse assists us in appreciat­ing our spiritual heritage and in facing up to some of the skele­tons in the Christian closet, lest through ignorance we simplyrepeat the mistakes of the past. The text of his well­writtenbook is supplemented and adorned with six maps and numer­ous black­and­white illustrations and photos.

– Greg Goswell

F.F. BRUCE – A LIFE, THE DEFINITIVE BIOGRAPHY OF ANEW TESTAMENT SCHOLAR, Tim Grass, Paternoster,Milton Keynes, 2011.IT’S a pity our author doesn’t have his subject’s happy knackof giving a catchy title (such as This Is That, The SpreadingFlame, etc) to his writing. Nevertheless, this book is exactlywhat it claims to be (see above).

Opinions on F.F. Bruce vary widely, largely according totheir holders’ theological stance. My own view of him iscoloured by a pilgrimage out of liberalism to full­orbed faith, apilgrimage whose progress was greatly helped along, particu­larly in its early stages, by this man whose obvious scholarlyprowess destroyed the (unfounded) dismissal by liberals ofconservative scholars as ‘obscurantist’, turning the tables onthem and building up my growing confidence in the academicintegrity of believing scholarship.

Indeed, one of the recurring themes of this biography isBruce’s determination to unearth all the facts, let the factsspeak for themselves and follow the facts in the confidencethat from the facts truth would out and reward dilligent schol­arship. Some readers might be surprised, perhaps troubled, toread that ‘throughout his life, he was to see himself as belong­ing to the Reformed tradition, which in his opinion was “per­haps more logical and does more justice to the biblicalrevelation than any other way”.’

Notwithstanding, we learn that ‘Professor Howard Mar­shall, a Methodist who became Professor of New Testamentat Aberdeen, was one of many who were greatly helped bythe way that Bruce showed how it was possible to be an evan­

gelical without being guilty of intellectual dishonesty, anddemonstrated that the way to meet attacks on the Bible wasnot to ignore them but to respond with superior scholarship.’

The reader of F.F. Bruce’s books will be rewarded with adeeper, richer, more confident faith; the reader of this biogra­phy will be rewarded by learning of the people, events and cir­cumstances which built up this humble, warm­hearted,down­to­Earth­and­heart­in­Heaven scholar in his own mostholy faith. – Bob Thomas

BOOKS WORTH READING ...

NEW LIFE – 1 March 2012 – PAGE SIXTEEN

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