Faith in a Time of Crisis

Video Description Throughout the history of the church, God's people have regularly been forced to choose between following the beliefs and practices of the world, and fidelity to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the word of God. In our own time, issues around human sexuality have become the touchstone for the latest round of these controversies. Nowhere have these issues been felt more keenly than in the global Anglican denomination, where many evangelicals have faced the crisis of seeing fellow Anglicans rejecting "the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). They have been forced to wrestle with crucial questions: What does the Bible really say about human sexuality? How do we relate to those who claim to follow Jesus yet reject the plain teaching of Scripture? What does faithfulness to Christ and his gospel look like during such times? In this invaluable book, Vaughan Roberts and Peter Jensen combine their decades of theological thinking and practical, pastoral wisdom to provide timeless answers to these questions. Without demonizing their opponents or resorting to simplistic solutions, together the authors paint a majestic picture of Christ and his gospel, a gospel that saves, changes our hearts, and creates true unity, true love and true faith among the people of God. Bold, winsome and biblical, Faith in a Time of Crisis is a much-needed call for faithfulness to the gospel of Christ and the word of God in a rapidly changing world. Recommendations "This book may have begun with a couple of well-known Anglicans addressing the world of Anglicanism, but its voice penetrates to the minds and hearts of Bible-believing Christians everywhere. In a manner both bold and winsome, Vaughan Roberts and Peter Jensen show how the attempts to legitimize homosexual marriage are profoundly and tragically tied up with a denial of the gospel and a rejection of God and his Word. Rightly, they urge much more than a holding operation on one issue: they call for the massive repentance that returns to God and his truth and his grace. This book merits the widest circulation." DA Carson, Research Professor of New Testament Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois "As the Anglican Church in New Zealand makes decisions regarding issues of human sexuality and faces the very real possibility of schism, I am tremendously thankful for this book. With a topic that is deeply personal for many individuals and potentially divisive for churches and denominations, truth and grace have never been more necessary. What Vaughan Roberts and Peter Jensen have produced combines careful and faithful biblical teaching, cultural awareness and understanding, and a gracious pastoral heart. I trust it will be helpful for many seeking to honor the Lord Jesus in these difficult days." Jay Behan, Vicar, St Stephen‚ Shirley (Christchurch, New Zealand) "This is a timely book. In a period when most mainline denominations are facing challenges to biblical authority, unity and discipline, especially over issues of human sexuality, this book will stand you in good stead. It tackles the issues of gospel, sex, love, unity and faith head on, with sound biblical and theological thinking, and a pastoral heart and love for the church. It provides a clear roadmap for us in these troubled times. Dr Richard Condie, Bishop of Tasmania Chair of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans Australia "This outstanding book will be a great help not only to individuals as we seek to follow the Lord Jesus faithfully, but also to the whole church as we seek to respond to one of the great issues of our day. I hope that many will read it, and I certainly intend to distribute it far and wide.William Taylor, Rector St Helen‚ Bishopsgate, London "What I found really valuable about this book is the main author's personal experience and testimony. If the Bible's teaching on human sexuality makes sense to Vaughan Roberts, it should make sense to all of us. He tells us, quoting Thomas Chalmers, of the expulsive power of a new affection. This is exactly right: as Christ grows in us and we in him, our old affections of a fallen world are gradually replaced by recognizing the divine priority in everything. There can be, indeed must be, a richness of relationships, but marriage between man and woman is the fulfillment of a particular kind of relationship for which our sexuality is designed. While Vaughan, as the rector of a parish, concentrates on the local and congregational, Peter Jensen reminds us tellingly of the Church as connection, as a fellowship of the local, regional and universal. Fidelity to the good news of Jesus Christ is crucial in every expression of the Church. I do hope that this little book will inspire many to sacrificial faithfulness in every area of discipleship." Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, Anglican Bishop of Rochester (1994-2009) President, Oxford Centre for Training, Research, Advocacy and Dialogue (OXTRAD)