The similar phrase 'Worldly Christianity' is one used by Bonhoeffer. It's J Gresham Machen that I want to line up most closely with. See his Christianity and culture here. Having done commentaries on Proverbs (Heavenly Wisdom) and Song of Songs (Heavenly Love), a matching title for Ecclesiastes would be Heavenly Worldliness. For my stance on worldliness, see 3 posts here.

Carey Conference 2011 Sharing

The sharing session featured the following:
1. Martin Leech of EMF. He spoke about the Bible School in Welwyn just about to begin again with 10 students on a six month course. He had two students with him - Filipe from Portugal and Josef from Slovakia. Martin also spoke briefly about the work that Steve Bignall has just commenced in Australia among indigenous people. (See here)
2. Dinu Moga from Oradea, Romania spoke about the publishing work (Editura Faclia) and the church of which he is an elder.
3. Matthias Lohmann from Germany where so few Reformed Christians are to be found. He spoke of his church in Munich and of efforts to unite as Reformed Christians.
4. Jonathan Gilmore grew up in Italy and works with UFM. He engagingly spoke of the small and well divided evangelical church in Italy and of Italian ministries.
5. Emmanuel Durand is also with UFM working in rural Britanny and it was good to hear him speak of the need.
6. Trevor Routley spoke about the 40% Italian land of Argentina where things are a little better than in Italy in some ways yet again with few Reformed Christians. He and his wife Lucy have recently retired after 40 years of work. He spoke of various places where, despite opposition, there are opportunties for evangelism and for better educating believers.
7. The inimitable Erroll Hulse spoke of the pastors conferences in southern Africa (now at 12 and rising) that take place annually. There was also the inevitable reference to the new Operation World.
8. It was good to hear again from Sergey Babanko and the work in Kostanay in Kazakhstan. They hope to have Graham Heaps and Stuart Olyott taking a conference soon.
9. We also heard from Slava Viazovski on the EP work in Minsk, Belarus, where even though you cannot sneeze without permission they are nevertheless somehow publsihing good books. They want to publish Berkhof's Systematic Theology in Russian for the first time.
10. Finally, Bob Davey shared with us about the book he has written with EP on the history of the work of the gospel in China. It will be called God's mighty acts in China. Watch this space.

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