Author: Grant Thorpe. The word ‘commitment’ is frequently heard in Christian circles. It is used to describe the choice a person makes to become a Christian. and the extent of their faithfulness thereafter. Certain modes of thinking have grown up around this usage which the author has dubbed ‘commitment theology’. This article argues that this ‘commitment’ approach has not been helpful in rousing the church to life, and that it may have more roots in the world’s manner of thinking than in the Scriptures. It shows that God comes to his people with a message of judgment – a judgment […]

Aim Our aim is to understand and receive the key truths of the Christian faith. Baptism is into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and into the fellowship of the church, so Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the God’s holy Church will be the outline of what we will consider. Everyone can participate-so questions about the Bible and about life can be raised and brought into the light of God’s truth. Our aim is also to be assured that the word of Christ is God’s true word and that it is for us. Our […]

Representing Christ’s Lordship to his Church and the World. In addition to the papers written by Noel Due at the time when eldership was being first considered in Coromandel Baptist Church, I have sought to describe the nature of pastoral service—what it is about, what it does and how. This is with a view to understanding who we should recognise as elders for our own congregation. Download PDF

Where do children belong in the family of God? That is to say, what is their actual status before God? The task of parents is to represent that to their children and the task of the church is to welcome them according to their actual status before God. Jesus modelled that when children desired to be with him, or, when mothers desired the blessing of Christ on their children. Jesus welcomed them and said ‘of such is the kingdom of heaven’. If children already belong to the family of God, and they are taught as much in word and deed […]

Everyone likes to think that they relate well to others. So much of our life is a matter of relationships, that to be a failure here would be to feel a failure everywhere. But our ability to relate to others has a lot to do with our being a child. Is childhood ever a thing of the past? And further, is our childhood something over which we have had no control? Isn’t it true that some people just happen to have a happy childhood and others a miserable one—and that others fall somewhere in between? Isn’t it best to focus […]