Football fans talk of “60 years of hurt” harking back to when England won the World Cup. UK Evangelicals also reflect back to 1966, specifically to October 18th when Martyn Llloyd Jones addressed the National Evangelical Assembly. His address on Evangelical Unity ironically led to greater division, on a personal level between Lloyd Jones and… Continue reading 1966 and all that
Category: Church History
Building God’s house – invitation to a conversation
Just a heads up. I’ve been reading Andy Johnston’s brilliant biography of Terry Virgo. I’ve got two articles coming up. First a review and then an article based on a conversation with Andy The conversation began to open up a discussion around questions that at the same time might be of interest both to those… Continue reading Building God’s house – invitation to a conversation
What is Christian Nationalism?
This is the unedited version of an article I recently had published by Evangelicals Now. You can read the published version here. Do you remember 6 years ago, we were becoming aware of a new coronavirus, nnovel because this particular strain of virus had not been seen before. It seems to have originated in a… Continue reading What is Christian Nationalism?
The Reformers and the Christian State
The Reformers including Luther, Calvin and Zwingli were acting in a context in which it was the established norm that the state was Christian. If the early church fathers were acting pre-Christendom and we live in a post Christendom world, Calvin and the early reformed lived within Christendom. Whilst the radical reformers would in effect… Continue reading The Reformers and the Christian State
An untested experiment? Tracing the Historical foundations of Christian Nationalism
One of the arguments for Christian Nationalism is that it is simply historic Christianity as accepted and continued by the Reformation. It is certainly true that for most of history,, Christianity has been afforded a special place in western culture referring to Europe and North America both through Catholic and Protestant influence. We also see… Continue reading An untested experiment? Tracing the Historical foundations of Christian Nationalism
Every man’s Conscience by Ryan Burton King (Book Review)
This is a fantastic short book written by my friend Ryan Burton King , pastor of Grace Baptist Church Wood Green. Apart from being an important read for anyone who has an interest in Baptist history, the subject matter covered is highly relevant to issues we are facing today. King’s thesis is that the early… Continue reading Every man’s Conscience by Ryan Burton King (Book Review)
Christian Nationalism -origins of the term
Where and when was the term Christian Nationalism first coined? Well, some of the ideas, underpinning theology and ideology seem to have been around for a long time with or without the term. Indeed, it is worth observing that there are both people who are happy to overtly identify as Christian Nationalists, there are others… Continue reading Christian Nationalism -origins of the term
Still reforming?
Most people will have their eyes on Halloween as the big celebration today. However, 31st October is also the anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation in 1517. Now some of you may be asking whether or not that’s something to celebrate. Wasn’t the Reformation a negative and divisive thing. So it is helpful… Continue reading Still reforming?
True Revival?
This month ‘s Evangelicals Now carries an article by Bill James with more comment on the so called Quiet Revival. He asks if the reports reflect “True Revival”. I don’t want to really debate that question because I’m unconvinced it is helpful. There seems to be an obsession at the moment from both sides of… Continue reading True Revival?
A regular reminder: If you want me to be confident about your interpretation of the past, start by leaving me confident about your interpretation of the present
This is a quote in On Classical Trinitarianism edited by Matthew Barrett and Todd Billings. “Consider, for instance, the predictably heretical perspective of many evangelicals concerning the Trinity. Evangelical understandings are improving, but a recent poll reported online in Christianity Today found 78 percent of evangelical respondents agreeing with Arius, though they had no idea… Continue reading A regular reminder: If you want me to be confident about your interpretation of the past, start by leaving me confident about your interpretation of the present
