Biblical Church Unity
John Hooper
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Available in Australia from the Reformation Book Centre Shop 8, Twin Plaza, 22 Twin Street ADELAIDE 5000 (08) 8232 8118
Those desiring to purchase a copy may obtain it as follows:
English price £3-50 including postage. US $7 surface E-mail KandMBooks@aol.com or sales@Tentmaker.org.uk
An Invoice will be included with the pamphlet.
Available in Australia from the Reformation Book Centre Shop 8, Twin Plaza, 22 Twin Street ADELAIDE 5000 (08) 8232 8118
BIBLICAL CHURCH UNITY
ISBN 0 9523041 2 0 John HooperBehold, how good a thing it is and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, That ran down the beard, even Aaron's beard; That went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, And as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: For there Jehovah commanded the blessing, Even life for evermore. Psalm 133
"The expression 'church unity' is viewed by many Evangelical and reformed people today with understandable suspicion... There is a danger, however, that in our eagerness to condemn what is false we also overlook the true... It seems to me that while we have been quick to condemn that false unity of the ecumenical movement, and rightly so, we have been strangely silent in promoting the true unity revealed in the Scritpures. This study is an attempt to break that silence and to present what i am increasingly convinced is the Biblical teaching on the unity of the church, particularly as that unity is expressed in her life and government."
John Hooper lives near Plymouth and works as a Biomedical Scientist in the Microbiology and Public Health Laborartory of Derriford Hospital. He is Founder and Editor of the 'Tamar Reformed Witness', a quarterly seeking to promote a knowledge of the Reformed faith in the Plymouth and Tamar area and he worships with the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster congregation at Tavistock.
"This little booklet by a biomedical scientist in the West Country seeks to deal scripturally with the fragmented state of the churches in the UK. The writer sets out the principle, the basis, the expression and the keeping of biblical church unity. All this has been stated before and is available in other literature, but it is here set out clearly and helpfully, true to New Testament teaching. It is only when we come to the later chapters in dealing with the problems between the churches that our difficulties arise. The Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 is appealed to, but the writer's handling of this is to the reviewer less than convincing, and we are driven to a presbyterian form of church government as the answer to both first and twentieth century problems in the churches. But is this the answer? Presbyterianism and Independency have their weaknesses, and in the light of the serious problems that abound in both areas of church government today, we are compelled to recognize that we need something more than 'correct' government to deal with the situations confronting us. 'O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years!' David Bugden - Banner of Truth