Our pandemically poor ecclesiology

In light of the advice to cancel services due to coronavirus, this is an excellent article by Jared Wilson. Our ecclesiology, or lack of it, is quickly coming to the fore in this crisis. 

Christian compassion

In the same vein, here is a way we might be able to show the love of Christ to our local community during this pandemic.

The prosperity gospel in a time of plague

Russell Moore: ‘These false teachers capitalize on the most vulnerable around the world—the poor, the lonely, the elderly, the sick—using their desperation as leverage to sell them something. As we can see in this crisis, this leverage can end up getting people sick, overwhelming the medical systems for others, and even killing people. More than that, the prosperity gospel leaves people not just exposed to physical disease, while promising them invulnerability, it also leaves people helpless to the even greater crises of sin and death and judgment.’

Guides for kids to take notes during sermons

This is worth getting onto. Sunday School provision is now going to be almost non-existent. Youth groups are going to be impossible to maintain. Given that many will be listening on live feeds to services at home, here is a sheet you can give to your children to help them listen through the service.

Coronavirus resources for you and your church

On a similar note, here are a bunch of different Bible Study resources – for adults and kids – that you can circulate around you church to help with the circumstances in which we now find ourselves.

Plague and the rise of Christianity

‘In Western nations, with advanced public health systems, the way in which Christians serve will look different to the way that it did in the Roman Empire, but the call to selfless service has not changed. However, many of our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world may soon find themselves caring for others in the way that Dionysius describes.’

Piper & the prohibition on female seminary professors pt III: problems for each position

‘I think there is a consensus among complimentarians, and a level of clarity in scripture, that church eldership should be male-only and that authority in the marital home is vested in husbands. Beyond this, however, scripture does not speak so clearly and each complimentarian position has questions to answer. There is no consensus on the bounds what women may or may not teach, whether in the church or anywhere else. There is no consensus on what constitutes formal teaching or appropriate settings for teaching, though there is a broad consensus that the teaching of children is permissible.’