Teaching for today

Ranald Macaulay introduces this mini-series by looking at the biblical foundations of the family. He also asks how Christians should seek to share their view of the family with others.

Hermeneutics is concerned with how we read and understand the Bible. In the last lecture of the series, Professor Mackay challenges us to be objective in our interpretation of scripture.

How similar is the text we read in our Bibles to that of the original documents? Which of the many available 'texts' should Bibles be translated from, and how should they be translated? John Mackay carefully answers these important questions.

Professor Mackay talks about how and why the 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament are in our Bible today. Including why certain books, such as those in the Apocrypha, should not be regarded as the Word of God.

William Carey as the "Father of Modern Missions" started the movement, under God, which was to make Christianity a truly global faith. His wide concept of mission embraced preaching, social, educational and translation work.

William Wilberforce is chiefly remembered as the reformer who campaigned for the abolition of the slave trade. He was at the heart of British politics for over forty years during the inflammatory times of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.

Lord Shaftesbury had a profound contribution to social reform. He spearheaded countless campaigns to care for the mentally ill, to reduce working hours in factories and to stop children being sent down mines.

As a minister of Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge, for 54 years Charles Simeon influenced a whole generation of Christian leaders. It has been said that his influence on the nation and the Church of England is incalculable.

The Wesleys were both tireless preachers of the gospel, mightily used in the Eighteenth Century revival. Charles is best known for his remarkable work as a Christian hymn writer. In his estimated 250,000 miles on horseback John was to establish a national network of methodist societies to follow-up new converts to Christianity.

As a conclusion to the series, John Mackay assesses the application of biblical law to politics today. At the end of the lecture Prof. Mackay answers of questions about the series as a whole.

How does the coming of Christ and the completion of His work effect the relevance and function of the Law in the New Testament? This lecture, among other things, looks at how Jesus himself and the Apostle Paul regarded the Law.

As an introduction to this much neglected subject, John Mackay looks at what the Law in the Old Testament entails and how it should be as valued now. "The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold." (Psalm 119:72).

"The one through whom all things were made, by whom and for whom all things exist." Lesslie Newbigin addresses the important subject of Christ's uniqueness and Lordship over all.

Harry Blamires continues the series, now looking at the effect in modern culture of abandoning God's rule.

Harry Blamires has been involved for decades in what he calls the "double campaign" of Christian apologetics: (1) expounding & defending the Christian faith and (2) demythologising contemporary secularism. In this opening lecture of a series of three, he explains that Christianity and Secularism are fundamentally opposed.

In his concluding lecture, Harry Blamires seeks to offer his encouragement to Christians as they respond and oppose secularist thinking. He especially focuses on the increasingly liberal approach to academia. At the end of this lecture he answers questions and comments on the series as a whole.

If love is the fulfulment of the law, then do Christians still need the law? If we should obey God's law, which laws in the Old Testament are still binding on Christians?

The great Scottish Covenanter and brilliant university teacher, Samuel Rutherford, was born into an age when the king answered to no-one - 'The king is law' (Rex Lex). But Rutherford believed the opposite. He wrote a book called 'Lex Rex', translated as 'The law is king'. The notion that the monarch was subject to a greater authority - God - was so radical that, had he not first died of illness, Rutherford's courageous stand would have seen him martyred for treason.