No. 86 – 23 October 2015
College Life

At RTC devotions last week we had the privilege of having Mr Brian
Gault share his testimony. Author of, Look, No Hands, Brian was
born with no arms following his mother taking two thalidomide
tablets when she was pregnant. Brian gave an inspiring testimony
of his conversion as a teenager and his subsequent life serving the
Lord with no hands. His passion for the Lord as well as his amazing
way of using his feet, was deeply moving. After devotions he
signed, with his foot, copies of his book for the students.

In November we anticipate two wonderful dinners. On 6 November the annual College dinner
will be held, celebrating another year of College life. On 20 November a dinner will be hosted
to celebrate the College’s 60th Anniversary and also mark the retirement of Dr Bill Berends.
Staff, Board members, friends of the College and guests of Bill and his wife Henny, will join in
an evening of thanksgiving to the Lord.

Students are into the final weeks of the semester with assignments and exams bearing down
on them. Please pray that this work would help them learn, study and take to heart many
wonderful truths.
RTC study in 2016
We are planning an exciting array of units for next year. In line with our new model, there will be
more options for distance students, with new intensives and some courses offered by video link.
We also have a greater use of adjunct lecturers, including Dr Peter Adam and Dr Mike Goheen.
Full details on options for 2016 study will be available soon.
New Korean Venture
After extensive discussions we are ready to begin an exciting new partnership with a group of
Koreans, mostly in Sydney but also in other parts of Australia. There are large numbers of Korean
churches in this country, but to date there have been no Reformed theological training options for
them in the Korean language. So we have been working with Rev Dave Kim, Director of “Under the
Broomtree Ministries” to provide some training resources for these churches.
We will be starting with a pilot project in which several of our units will be translated into Korean
by a team of about 30 translators, and made available to Koreans as unaccredited short courses.
If the pilot project goes well it may lead to further developments in the future.
Page 1 of 5 To launch the initiative, Dr Martin
Williams and Dr Phillip Scheepers will
be in Sydney for a training seminar with
the Korean Translation Committee on
Nov 12-13. Martin will be speaking on
“Reformed Experiential Theology” and
will also be speaking at a Korean
pastor’s breakfast club on Saturday 14
November. Phillip will be speaking on
“The Importance of a Healthy Theology
for the Life of the Church.”
Drs Murray Capill and Phillip Scheepers, and RTC Board member John Bylsma, with members of the Korean Translation Committee in Sydney. Please pray that the Lord would bless
this new endeavour and make our
training resources a real help to many
Korean Christians in Australia.
Book Recommendation
(by Dr Murray Capill)
One of the leading preachers of the new Calvinist movement is Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer
Presbyterian Church in New York City. Keller has become hugely influential through his sermons,
books, articles, conference speaking, and the various ministries that emanate from his church.
Personally, I have found his ministry and resources tremendously helpful, capturing, as he does, a
unique blend of Reformed theology, cultural analysis, and gospel passion.
I was therefore keen to read is new book, Preaching: Communicating Faith in
an Age of Skepticism. I will review it fully in the RTC’s journal, Vox Reformata,
but for now I simply want to commend it as a valuable (maybe indispensable)
read for all preachers and those interesting in communicating the gospel
effectively today.
There are several great strengths to the book, much of the content of which
has already appeared elsewhere in his many lectures and articles. The central
strength of Keller’s approach is his strong commitment to expository preaching
that aims both to “serve the Word by preaching the text clearly and preaching
the gospel every time” and to “reach the people by preaching to the culture
and to the heart.” The book unfolds many angles on these core tasks. It
addresses in a most insightful way what it means to preach to the heart and the vital importance
of the work of the Spirit in preaching. It unfolds Keller’s distinctive way of preaching the gospel
every time as he preaches Christ as our substitute. At considerable length it unpacks Keller’s
understanding of our cultural context as he delineates five key cultural narratives that shape the
West.
I think it is essential that preachers do not try to become little Kellers. Personally, I lack the intellect
and inclination to study culture in the way he does. And most congregations I preach to are very
different to his. I also think his understanding of preaching Christ may be a little too narrow. But
while we ought not imitate him, there is a vast amount we can learn from him. In fact, just the
appendix is worth reading as he describes his approach to preparing sermons and the fundamental
structure that underlies them. Keller thinks through every aspect of what he does, and his insights
are often pure gold.
Page 2 of 5 While the book is quite readable it delves deeply into the themes he addresses and is replete with
endnotes, referencing his many sources. It is a great read and a book I will return to many times.
Missions Spot: Reaching Hindu People with the Gospel
(by Dr Phillip Scheepers)
When the results of the 2011 Australian Census were published it contained quite a surprise for
those interested in the religious makeup of Australian society. Many observers expected that the
census would identify Islam, or perhaps Buddhism, as the fastest growing faith in Australia. That
distinction went, instead, to Hinduism. This growth of Hinduism (also visible in a wave of temple
construction across Australia) is the result of significant levels of inward migration from India and,
to a lesser extent, the conversion of some Westerners to the religion. I am not very familiar with
the situation in New Zealand, but a quick internet search reveals that Hinduism is also a wellestablished and growing part of the religious landscape on the other side of the Tasman.
As Christians with a calling to share the Gospel of Christ we should respond to the presence of a
large number of people following the path of Hinduism in our society, with efforts to reach out to
them with the Gospel that will speak to their deepest spiritual needs.
At its most basic Hinduism refers to the complex of beliefs that arose in and that still guides the
lives of almost one billion people, the vast majority of whom live within the borders of the modern
Indian nation state. The phrase Hinduism was actually coined by outsiders to try to make sense of
these beliefs. Invading Muslims used an Arabic or Persian form of this word to describe the religious
life of the Indus River Valley (after the 1947 Partition of India wholly within Pakistan). For this
reason many Hindus dislike the term Hinduism and prefer to refer to their beliefs as ‘Sanatana
Dharma’ (Eternal Order).
It is notoriously difficult to define the beliefs of Hinduism. This is because Hinduism lacks any form
of central hierarchy or commonly accepted doctrinal positions. It is, therefore, possible to find
within the same religion not only people who only eat vegetables or fruit that can be harvested
without killing the plant, but others who regularly sacrifice goats to honour the gods. Some people,
therefore, simply abandon the effort at categorization and repeat the famous statement that
‘Hinduism is what a Hindu believes’. I believe that it is possible to say a bit more than this. Despite
the bewildering diversity exhibited by Hinduism it is still possible to identify certain common beliefs
held by most Hindus. These include:
•
The existence of a supreme being who manifests him/herself in a wide variety of forms.
These forms (often known as ‘avatars’) are the ubiquitous and colourful gods of Hinduism.
Some of these are followed by millions upon millions (e.g. Shiva, Vishnu, Ram, Krishna, Kali,
Ganesh etc.), while others may only be worshipped in a single village.
•
The idea that existence is an illusion (maya) and that human beings must work towards
liberation from karma (moksha) and freedom from conscious existence (nirvana).
•
The thing that keeps devotees from nirvana is cosmic debt (karma) accrued through bad
words, deeds or thoughts during countless past lives. All human beings are on the so-called
‘wheel of samsara’ (the cycle of rebirths) and the present life should be used to reduce bad
karma in order to achieve a better rebirth.
•
There are a multitude of ways in which Hindus believe that it is possible to improve your
karma. This may include temple worship, various forms of asceticism, meditation or
commitment to the teachings of an enlightened teacher (guru).
Page 3 of 5 A quick review of some of the words used above (samsara, karma, nirvana, guru, avatar etc.)
should make it clear that the core concepts of Hinduism are very much part of the Western cultural
landscape as well. This mainly happened through the growth of the New Age movement which can
with justification be described as Hinduism adapted to Western tastes. The principles that follow
can, therefore, equally be applied to adherents of this movement.
These are some of the themes and principles I believe should be emphasised when sharing the
Gospel of Christ with people from a Hindu background:
1) The Personal Nature of God and His role as sole Creator. Many more philosophically
inclined Hindus extend the concept of impersonality to God and claim that even the personality of
the gods is an illusion that obscures the impersonal nature of the divine that all human beings
should strive to share in. Those who do affirm personal gods will ascribe to them different roles as
far as the creation of the world is concerned. All of the above should make it obvious that we are
dealing with a view of the divine that is far removed from Biblical teaching about the person and
nature of God. Some conversations with Hindus will, therefore, have to be on what theologians call
‘theology proper’. This is the part of theology that deals with the attributes and works of God.
Specific attention will have to be paid to the personal nature of the one Creator God (Genesis 1:1)
and the way in which this personal nature is expressed in His love for His people through the Gospel
(cf. 1 John 4:8-10)
2) The Uniqueness of Christ as Mediator between God and Man. Most Hindus can be
described as ‘henotheists’. This refers to the belief that there are many gods but the active worship
of only a small number of them. Within this system individual believers can always opt to add
another deity to their personal pantheon of favoured gods. This means that ‘accepting Jesus’ can
mean something very different for a Hindu, namely, the adding of Christ to the gods who are being
worshipped. Within this context it is vitally important that the unique nature and exclusive claims
of Christ are communicated (cf. John 14:6, 1 Timothy 2:5). This is a hard teaching for Hindu people
to accept so we have to talk about the uniqueness of Christ with ‘gentleness and respect’ (1 Peter
3:15), but we cannot compromise this aspect of the Gospel.
3) The Reality of Judgement after One Life. Hindu beliefs about reincarnation sometimes
translate into the notion that there will always be another life in case ‘karma reduction’ does not
quite work out in this life. The Bible makes it clear that this life, and our response to God’s love
during this life, is much more important than this: “…man is destined to die once, and after that to
face judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)
4) Christ as the Carrier of Burdens. In the West the idea of reincarnation is sometimes
presented as ‘good news’: ‘Didn’t quite fulfil your dreams in this life, do so in the next one!’ But for
many Hindus karma and reincarnation represent an intolerable burden and they despair of ever
being freed from the debt that they are carrying. Our crucified and risen saviour speaks powerfully
to the despair of those who shoulder burdens they cannot carry: “Come to me, all you who are
weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am
gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my
burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
I had the privilege of meeting many people who came to Christ from Hinduism during a recent trip
to India. It was wonderful to see the Lord using his people in India as instruments in calling people
from idolatry to worship the living God. May his church here in Australia and New Zealand also be
faithful to his call to share the message of the cross with the thousands of Hindus who are
increasingly becoming our neighbours.
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