A couple of years ago, conservative evangelicals seemed to go crazy for two prominent secular authors/speakers operating at a popular level, Jordan Peterson and Tom Holland. Peterson’s star seems to have waned somewhat but Tom Holland remains popular and has been invited onto podcasts and to speak at evangelistic events, usually with a format that… Continue reading Tom Holland, Jordan Peterson and Gospel confidence
Category: Church History
Did we miss a revival during COVID?
In a recent article, I picked up on the disappointment expressed by a number of people that they had longed and hoped for a revival to happen as a result of the COVID pandemic. The hoped that the existential threat of plague would move people to trust in God leading to spiritual growth among believers,… Continue reading Did we miss a revival during COVID?
What exactly do we remember?
Remember, remember the 5th November. Gunpowder, Treason and Plot When I was little, Bonfire night was a big deal. At school, in the days and weeks leading up to it, there would be quite the build up with lessons about Guy Fawkes and his attempt to blow up parliament. We’d watch the bonfires going up… Continue reading What exactly do we remember?
Is Complementarianism novel?
This question crops up from time to time on my social media feed. It’s there at the moment I presume because the Southern Baptist Convention is meeting and in the light of developments at Saddleback Church where it’s former pastor, Rick Warren has now reversed his position and apologised to women, the topic is a… Continue reading Is Complementarianism novel?
Asbury and why we don’t have to label everything immediately
I studied law at university, followed by manufacturing management and a gear shift career change into manufacturing engineering. AS both cause and consequence of those decisions, I tend to be keen to label, define, organise. It’s how my mind is wired and so I was one of those people during COVID who got through it… Continue reading Asbury and why we don’t have to label everything immediately
Rumours of Revival
There have been some incredible reports coming from Asbury University in Kentucky of God moving in a powerful way starting at a chapel service. These reports describe people to come, stay, come back to an extended gathering where there has been praise, prayer, Scripture reading, preaching and testimony continuing over a number of days. Testimonies… Continue reading Rumours of Revival
The sins of the fathers – case studies in how (and how not) to do church history
I’ve seen two examples recently of people attempting to make connections between the thoughts and actions of predecessors and culture today. Both are concerned with the influence of the reformation and its aftermath on western, especially American, Christian culture. Here’s the first example: And here’s the second: I want to suggest that one example, unsurprisingly… Continue reading The sins of the fathers – case studies in how (and how not) to do church history
Princeton, slaveowners and statues again
Once again, there’s a debate rumbling about what to do with a statue of someone from the past. Once again, the issue is that the person concerned had been a slave owner. This time, we’re talking about John Witherspoon, the former president of Princeton. Students at Princeton have been campaigning for Witherspoon’s statue to be… Continue reading Princeton, slaveowners and statues again
For all the Saints
What is today? For most people, it’s the day after Halloween. That’s true whether or not you’ve enthusiastically celebrated the event, attempted to create an alternative or desperately sought to avoid it. However, that’s quite ironic because Halloween is a contraction of “All Hallows’ Eve” or “All Saints’ Eve. We say “Happy Halloween” but not… Continue reading For all the Saints
What was the basis of the Reformation criticism of veneration of Saints?
Explaining the basis for the reformation criticism of the veneration seems at first to be a straight-forward task of finding out what the arguments were that the reformers used. However, a number of contemporary historians have criticised the reliability of such an approach arguing that the reformers arguments alone fail to explain why change occurred… Continue reading What was the basis of the Reformation criticism of veneration of Saints?
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