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The Sola Panel is dead; long live the Sola Panel! by Tony Payne (4 comments). Regular Sola Panel readers will no doubt have detected a little slowness and quietness over the past six weeks or so. … more
Kids’ culture watch spot: Facing fear by Gordon Cheng (3 comments). By popular demand (two people asked), here is my next script for a culture watch spot I did with the kids … more
Daniel 2-7, Harry Potter and Narnia by Gordon Cheng (1 comment). It's a Sunday as I write this, and I'm speaking on Daniel 2 and 7 later this morning at a friend's … more
A constituent on same-sex marriage by Sandy Grant (34 comments). Last year, the Australian Parliament agreed that its Members of Parliament (MPs) should seek the … more
A tribute to John Stott by Sandy Grant (2 comments). Friends, I'm not ashamed to say I shed a tear when I opened up my computer on Thursday morning to read … more
Talkin’ ’bout my generation (part 3): On giants’ shoulders by Scott Newling (26 comments). This is the third post in this series; you can read part one, and more
Bible reading with kids by Sandy Grant (0 comments). I was asked for recommendations for resources that would encourage parents to read the Bible with their kids, especially … more
Talkin’ ’bout my generation (part 2): Stepping aside (not out) so others can step up (not in) by Scott Newling (3 comments). This is the second post in this series; you can read the first post, Unassuming … more
One more sip of the coffee by Tony Payne (8 comments). Sandy Grant is a man of integrity. Back in the early days of Sola Panel, I wrote a post … more
Talkin’ ’bout my generation (part 1): Unassuming generations by Scott Newling (30 comments). There is a model of ‘intergenerational theological decline’ that has been doing the rounds of late, and perhaps you … more
Tony Payne
Paul is one of the Staff Editors at Matthias Media. He is married to Cathy and has three fantastic kids. He loves student ministry, reading, writing music and playing the saxophone, and is looking forward to meeting Jesus face to face.
Sola Panellists
- Tony Payne (convenor)
- Jennie Baddeley
- Mark Baddeley
- Andrew Barry
- Peter Bolt
- Gordon Cheng
- a local church and a certain Christian publishing house. (Sometimes the latter vocations can happen without the first.) Many people call him a nerd, which he prefers to geek. He\'s keen on biblical studies, languages, great technology, science fiction, coffee, photography, frisbee, family, jazz, and hats. You could call his tastes eclectic. ");'>Sam Freney
- Sandy Grant
- Scott Newling
- Gavin Perkins
- Ben Pfahlert
- Peter Sholl
- Claire Smith
- Nicole Starling
- Jean Williams
- Lionel Windsor
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we like (Why these?)
- Matthias Media
- The Briefing
- 9Marks
- Albert Mohler
- Anglican Church League
- challies
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- ENTRUST
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- Girl Talk
- Gordon Cheng's Blog
- The Gospel Coalition
- Jean Williams's blog
- Justin Taylor
- Lionel Windsor
- Monergism
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- Nicole Starling's blog
- Phillip Jensen
- Pyromaniacs
- The Proclamation Trust
- Reformers' Bookshop
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- The Ugley Vicar
Great post, Gav, thanks for bringing out the evangelistic edge to Baxter’s ministry.
Man that guy had people powers. Can every pastor match him in that?
Do other people out there do something similar to Baxter’s model?
Yet in Acts 20 Paul tells the Ephesian elders: ‘Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God which he bought with his own blood’
So also 1 Peter 5 seems to use the shepherd/flock image without evangelism being obviously in mind.
I have a few questions. Is Luke 15:3-7 meant to teach us about the Christian pastor’s role? How does the context, especially Luke 15:1-2, affect our understanding of the 99, for example? Aren’t the 99 really symbolic of the grumbling Pharisees, who are not at all analogous to a Christian congregation?
I would be interested to know how Gavin and others might answer these questions.
I always thought that Jesus’ earthly ministry was primarily to the lost sheep of Israel. There certainly was some confusion among the disciples after Pentecost as to the Gentiles being included in God’s plan. The problem is, is a post Christian (if I can call it that) society like Australia, who are the lost sheep, and who are the Gentiles?
I do not think it wise to say that a pastors role is primarily evangelism or care for the body of Christ, because both roles are stressed as important in the NT.
Just my 5 cents!
Thanks very much for the comments and questions.
I don’t mean to deny the importance of ‘pastoral’ ministry in the classically conceived sense of caring for believers.
However, I believe we are in a far greater danger of losing the evangelistic aspect of that task.
While Jesus’ own context does need to shape the way we read his statements, the point still stands that when Jesus referred to himself here using pastor language he was talking about preaching repentance and faith to unbelievers.
Also, as I mentioned in the post, if we really believe in hell then that puts the genuine needs of Christians for care and counsel in the perspective of the eternal needs of those who don’t believe.
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