Exiled Preacher Interviewed

Regular readers will have come across my Blogging in the name of the Lord interviews [if not see the top three entries under 'Favourite series & posts']. Andrew Roycroft of Double Usefulness thought it was about time that I gave an interview. If the format seems somewhat familiar, that's because he's 'borrowed' most of his questions from my interviews! The cheek of it. Look out for some inspirational advice for those thinking of starting a blog. Anyway, you can see the result here.

Themelios Redivivus

Themelios, An International Journal for Pastors and Students of Theological and Religious Studies is back in action under the editorship of Don Carson. It is full of goodies including Carl Trueman's column Minority Report, various articles and reviews of Richard Bauckham's Jesus and the Eyewitnesses and Kevin Vanhoozer's The Drama of Doctrine. The journal, which is published by The Gospel Coalition, is now available for free in iPaper or PDF formats here. Thanks to the ever vigilant Martin Downes for the heads up.

Jonathan and Sarah Edwards: An uncommon union

Last Wednesday I attended our local Minister's Fraternal which meets at the Old Baptist Chapel, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire. This year marks the 250th anniversary of the death of Jonathan Edwards, the great North American theologian of revival. As this was the occasion when wives were invited to join us at the fraternal, it was appropriate that we gave attention to the marriage of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards. Paul Oliver gave an excellent paper on the subject. He began by setting out the backdrop to the Edwards' lives. Jonathan was born in 1703, eighty years after the Pilgrim Fathers landed in America. The English speaking population were subject to attack from native Americans. The great European powers England and France fought for control of the New World. Jonathan Edwards was the son of a Congregationalist minister. He was converted in 1721, being given a sense of new things on reading 1 Timothy 1:17, "From about that that time, I began to have new apprehensions and ideas of Christ, and the work of redemption, and the glorious way of salvation by him. An inward, sweet sense of these things, at times, came into my heart; and my soul was led away in pleasant views and contemplations of them. And my mind was greatly engaged to spend my time meditation on Christ, on the beauty and excellency of his Pearson, and the lovely way of salvation by free grace in him." He met his wife to be, Sarah Pierrpont when studying at Yale College. She was only thirteen at the time, but the twenty year old Edwards was deeply impressed,

"They say there is a young lady in New Haven who is beloved of that Great Being who made and rules the world, and that there are certain seasons in which this Great Being, some way or other invisible, comes to her and fills her mind with exceeding sweet delight, and that she hardly cares for any thing, except to mediate upon him - that she expects after a while to be received up where he is, to be raised up out of the world and caught up to heaven; being assured the he loves her too well to let her remain at a distance from him always. There she is to dwell with him, and to be ravished with his love and delight for ever."

They married in 1727 and soon Edwards was settled at the assistant pastor to his grandfather Solomon Stoddard in Northampton. Stoddard had served the congregation for 60 eventful years. Edwards was to become sole pastor on Stoddard's death. Northampton was to be the scene of the some of the greatest triumphs and tragedies in the lives of Jonathan and Sarah. Together they had ten children. It is well known that Edwards would spend thirteen hours a day in his study. But this does not mean that he neglected his wife and family. He and Sarah would go horse riding together for an hour each afternoon. Edwards was careful to spend a hour every evening with his children, taking an interest in their lives and engaging them in playful conversation. Edwards could entrust the running of his household affairs to his resourceful wife. She guided their home firmly, yet with a cheerful and winsome spirit. George Whitefield stayed at the Edwards' home during the Great Awakening. The domestic bliss he witnessed at the manse made him renew his prayers for a godly wife. Other visitors were impressed by the happy piety of the Edwards household. But Sarah sometimes suffered periods of melancholy, largely brought on by the stinging criticism of Jonathan and herself by some members of the church.

The church, however experienced two seasons of revival blessing during Edwards' pastorate. There was a localised, but powerful awakening in 1735. This was the basis of the preacher's early work on revival, A Faithful Narrative of a Surprising Work of God. In late 1741/early 1741, Edwards was away from home on a preaching tour, leaving Samuel Buell to occupy his pulpit. In his absence, Northampton felt the impact of the Great Awakening. In January 1742, Sarah was given an extraordinary experience of God. After this she no longer cared about the opinions of men. She was also given to rejoice that the Lord has chosen to use another than her beloved husband as an instrument in the revival. She testified,

"I felt more perfectly subdued and weaned from the world and more fully resigned to God that I had ever been conscious of before. I felt entire indifference to the opinions, and representations, and conduct of mankind concerning me; and a perfect willingness that God should employ some other instrument than Mr Edwards in advancing the work of grace in Northampton. I was entirely swallowed up in God, as my only portion, and his honour and glory was the object of my supreme desire and delight. At the same time, I felt a far greater love to the children of God then ever before."

Jonathan Edwards was overjoyed to return home to find his church in the grip of a powerful awakening. He carefully analysed his wife's experiences and concluded that her raptures were of God. However, tensions arose between Edwards and the Northampton Church. Tensions that led to his dismissal in 1750. The pastor asked for a rise in his stipend due to rising prices, but the church would only consent after investigating the Edwards' material affairs. Some were outraged that their extravagant minister had two wigs and two teapots! In addition, Edwards argued that only those with a credible profession of faith should take the Lord's Supper. This brought into question the "Halfway Covenant" policy of Solomon Stoddard which allowed the unbelieving children of church members take the Lord's Supper. This whole area was complicated by the fact that members of the town council had to be communicants of the Congregational Church. Vested interests mobilised against Edwards. He also handled a matter of church discipline in a rather unwise and high handed way. In the end it all got too much and Edwards was voted out.

The family removed to the frontier town of Stockbridge, where Jonathan served as a missionary to the Native Americans. He wrote some of his most important theological works in the wilderness of Stockbridge, including The Freedom of the Will and Original Sin. Sarah was kept busy in the home and was active in the community. The town was affected by the Indian wars. Sarah put in a claim for providing 800 meals for needy refugees. Jonathan Edwards was later called to become Principal of the newly formed Princeton College. But died of a smallpox jab shortly after after taking office. The dying Edwards sent a message to his wife via Lucy, his youngest daughter,

"Dear Lucy, it seems to me to be the will of God, that I must shortly leave you; therefore give my kindest regards to my dear wife, and tell her, that the uncommon union, which has so long subsisted between us, has been of such a nature, as trust is spiritual, and therefore will continue for ever. And I hope she will be supported under so great a trial and submit cheerfully to the will of God. And as to my children, you are now like to be fatherless, which I hope will be an inducement to you all, to seek a Father who will never fail you."

Shortly after this Edwards looked about and said, "Now where is Jesus of Nazareth, my true and never-failing Friend?" Then, on March 22 1758, he went to be with the God of his salvation. Sarah responded to this heavy and unexpected blow with great grace,

"What shall I say? A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. O that we may kiss the rod, and lay our hands upon our mouths! The Lord has done it. He has made me adore his goodness, that we had him so long. But my God lives; and he has my heart. O what a legacy my husband, and your father, has left us! We are all given to God; and there I am, and love to be."

Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends by Coldplay

Much has been made of Coldplay's attempt to branch out in new directions on their latest offering. Having long term U2 collaborator Brian Eno on board as certainly added sonic depth to Coldplay's sound. This is apparent from the rich soundscapes of the opening track, 'Life in Technicolor'. This song without words beings gently, switches tempo with some jaunty strings and builds up to a satisfying finale, with Chris Martin adding to the mix at the end with some "wo-o-o-oh's". This album is different from their previous offerings. If you don't believe me, just try playing Parachutes and Viva La Vida back to back. But this is definitely still Coldplay. They haven't gone all Kid A on us and wilfully subverted their own sound. But not even the wayward genius that is Radiohead could keep that up for more than two albums. Their latest offering, In Rainbows saw them return to order and melody over the dystopian glories of Kid A and Amnesiac.

Viva La Vida is full of surprises with hidden tracks and abrupt gear changes within songs. It is difficult to single out individual songs for special praise, but Viva La Vida and Violet Hill are just amazing. The latter is about a soldier saying goodbye to his sweetheart. He craves both reassurance, "if you love me, won't you let me know" and release, "if you love me won't you let me go". But to really appreciate this album you need to listen to it as a whole. The coda at the end of the final track brings us back to where we began. This adds to the record's underlying coherence.

The second track, Cemeteries of London introduces the two key themes of God and death that seem to pervade the album. In this track, God is a rather elusive being. In the dark streets of London people seek him in their own way. He is present everywhere,

God is in the houses and God is in my head… and all the cemeteries in London…

Yet Martin sings,

I see God come in my garden, but I don’t know what he said,
For my heart it wasn’t open… Not open…'

The idea that God is near, but somehow communication with him is blocked gives the album a sense of foreboding in the face of death. This is eloquently expressed in 42,

Those who are dead are not dead
They’re just living in my head
And since I fell for that spell
I am living there as well
Oh..

Time is so short and I’m sure
There must be something more

In the final track Martin sings, "I don't want to follow death and all his friends". Worldly power does not give us the answer. The deposed monarch of the title track has lost everything and knows St. Peter won't call his name. With all this reflection on God, death and heaven, the band seem to be on a spiritual quest. There must be something more in the face of death and the fading glory of this world. But what is it? The yearning for meaning and hope in life and death is satisfied in knowing Jesus Christ. He has conquered death by his death and resurrection. Believing in him, we don't have to follow death and all his friends. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. In the Lord Jesus God draws near and speaks to us words of hope and grace. Is your heart open to him?

An interview with Philip Eveson

Philip Eveson is Principal Emeritus
of the London Theological Seminary

GD: Hello Philip Henry Eveson, please tell us a little about yourself.

PHE: Hello Guy. It was good to meet up with you, Sarah and the children last Saturday at the LTS End of Year Service [report] and the special service for my retirement as Principal [report].

I was born and brought up in a Welsh village outside Wrexham. My father was a blacksmith and my Welsh-speaking mother had been in domestic service before marriage. They both had become committed Christians and brought me up to attend church 3 times each Sunday and they also prayed with me at home. I was encouraged to learn key verses and chapters from the Bible and to know the essence of the Faith from parts of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. When I was 12 I confessed my need of Jesus Christ and found assurance of salvation. This was a year before my mother died of cancer. What a comfort it was to know that she was safe in Jesus and to find help in my God and Saviour.

Among the subjects studied at school and university I enjoyed History and Music, Classical and New Testament Greek, Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, Philosophy, Biblical Studies and Theology. While at Cambridge the call to be a gospel minister grew stronger and I was ordained 40 years ago after attending the Pastoralia year at the Presbyterian Church of Wales Theological College, Aberystwyth.

My first churches were in Newport (Mon.) and St Mellons, Cardiff. I seceded from the denomination for its departure from the Faith and soon found myself in Margaret Thatcher’s constituency first as vice-principal then principal of the Kensit Memorial College. In 1977 I was made Resident Tutor of the new London Theological Seminary that uses the Kensit premises, becoming its principal in 1997. For 25 years I pastored the church that meets on site and have continued as an elder.

I am married to Jennifer and we have one daughter, Ruth who is married to Andrew. They live in Wrexham the capital of North Wales (!) where we hope to retire. We have three grand-children: Joshua Dafydd (5), Nia Ruth (3) and Hannah Grace (2).

GD: Robert Strivens has been named as your successor as Principal. The plan is that you will work alongside him for a year and then retire from LTS. What are your hopes for the future of the Seminary?

PHE: That it will remain true to its foundations, and that more UK churches, particularly Free Church/Nonconformist gospel churches and prospective students, will appreciate what an excellent course is on offer.

GD: What have you enjoyed most about your work at LTS?

PHE: It has been a privilege living among and interacting with men and their families from all parts of the world. I have enjoyed having my mind sharpened as iron sharpens iron as well as being present in the morning times of worship when I have sometimes been deeply moved by the preaching and prayers of the students. It has also been a joy to visit the churches where former students are now ministering whether in the UK or overseas.

GD: Why should men who aspire to the pastoral ministry consider studying at LTS?

PHE: Because the LTS course is dedicated to this one aim of preparing gospel preachers and pastors. The classroom consists only of men having this desire and the lecturers are all gospel preachers with experience in pastoral situations. All the lecturers are men of ability, experts in their subjects but with pastoral hearts and who have particular experience with the British Evangelical Nonconformist Church scene as well as wider mission interests both at home and overseas.

What better place to study Bible background with the British Museum down the road displaying almost more of the biblical environment than in the Middle East itself and with Clive Anderson as your guide what more could you desire! What better centre for the study of English Reformation history and theology, the Puritans and the 18th century Evangelical Awakening than the historic sites of London and the Nonconformist cemetery at Bunhill Fields where John Owen and other famous men are buried just opposite Wesley Memorial Chapel and Museum!

GD: OK, you don't have to convince me, I've already studied at LTS [1988-90]. Now, why doesn't the Seminary award degrees?

PHE: It is true that evangelical colleges have enormous latitude these days in the content of their courses leading to degrees in biblical studies and theology that are recognised by the State. This was not the case when the LTS started. However, with the best will in the world it is not always possible to fit into the curriculum all that is essential for gospel ministry.

Not being bound by a pre-arranged timetable and syllabus enables the LTS to engage with contemporary issues as they appear as well as enabling each student to possess a good grounding in all the theological disciplines. Degree courses normally involve students picking and choosing modules according to their likes and dislikes. Not so at LTS, the bitter and the sweet must be tasted, chewed and digested!

GD: But you would not be against Ministers studying for theology degrees per se? After all, you have three yourself. You were also involved in setting up the John Owen Centre, which awards the ThM from Westminster Theological Seminary. What is the vision behind the John Owen Centre?

PHE: No, we are not against theological degrees. Lloyd-Jones made that clear in his inaugural address. With regard to the LTS course he said that we were not out to produce experts or specialists but to prepare men who will be preaching to ordinary people Sunday by Sunday. He went on to say this however: ‘Should a student appear who has a greater aptitude for study than the average, and who feels that he would like to go on to obtain further knowledge…and to become a specialist in some branch or other, he will be of course, at full liberty to do so.’ To use his medical illustration, the LTS course was set up to prepare general practitioners not specialists.

The John Owen Centre, on the other hand, was set up by the LTS Board as a separate institution to promote theological thinking that is biblically faithful, spiritual vital, intellectually robust and practically relevant. It seeks to promote evangelical scholarship of excellence for the good of the church in the 21st century. One of the chief aims of the Centre is to provide and encourage the specialists and teachers of theology, particularly for the evangelical nonconformist churches of the future.

The new principal of LTS, Robert Strivens, is a product of this vision. He is not only a graduate of LTS but was awarded the Westminster ThM through his studies at the John Owen Centre.

GD: I interviewed Robert Strivens earlier this year. It's good that an LTS trained man will be leading the Seminary. Right, who had the greatest influence on your theological development?

PHE: First my Dad for laying good foundations, then John Calvin (I was given his Institutes for my 21st birthday by the young people of the church I attended) and finally Gresham Machen (I found his works in the theological library at Aberystwyth and wished I had seen them earlier).

GD: From whom have you learned most of what it means to preach the Word of God?

PHE: Again three men have greatly influenced me in this area. First, Rev. D.O. Calvin Thomas the minister of Trinity Presbyterian Church, Wrexham, under whose ministry my father and mother were converted. I grew up under this man’s powerful preaching. Second, the godly and convicting preaching of Rev J. Glyn Owen who succeeded him (He was greatly used in the early days of the Evangelical Movement of Wales. He later went to Belfast then Westminster Chapel after Lloyd-Jones and finally Knox Presbyterian Church, Toronto. He and his wife still live in Canada. He was for many years President of the European Missionary Fellowship). Third, Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, whose ‘logic on fire’ preaching gripped me as a youngster when he came on his biennial visits to Wrexham.

GD: No doubt due to the influence of Lloyd-Jones, the Seminary has always emphasised the need for preachers to seek the empowering presence of the Spirit. How would you describe the work of the Holy Spirit in relation to preaching?

PHE: From the ministry of Jesus and the apostles we notice how important the Holy Spirit was both in relation to themselves as preachers and among those who heard. After his baptism Jesus was full of the Spirit and began preaching and teaching in the power of the Spirit. He quoted Is.61:1 and applied it to himself (see Lk.4:1,14-21). The Spirit anointed him to preach the gospel and masses of people were impressed by the gracious words that fell from his lips. They were amazed at his teaching for he spoke with authority. Others were filled with rage and hated him and his message (Lk.4:22-32).

What was true of Jesus was true also of the early gospel preachers. The apostles as a result of Pentecost received a supernatural anointing to be Christ’s witnesses. They were given heaven-sent boldness and preached with unusual power and authority (Acts 1:8;4:8,31,33). Again there were negative and positive responses from those who listened. But now the power of the Spirit so acted upon the preaching in those who heard that thousands were not only impressed but also converted.

The gospel preached is very important but we also need to pray for the Holy Spirit to come upon the preacher and the hearers. If Paul asked for prayer to speak the gospel boldly how much more do we need to pray for preachers today to know a similar anointing (Eph.6:19-20). Paul knew what he needed for he could testify how he preached the gospel with the demonstration of the Spirit’s power (1 Cor.2:4-4; 1 Thess.1:5). We are also encouraged by Jesus to pray for this heavenly gift (Lk.11:13).

GD: How would you define the biblical concept of revival, and what can we do to promote such a work?

PHE: The Holy Spirit came ‘in state’ at Pentecost (to use the Puritan Thomas Goodwin’s expression) so that we now live in the era of the Spirit. That unrepeatable event does have elements in it that are repeatable as we see from Acts 4:31. These include the four ‘greats’ that Luke gives us: ‘great power’ in preaching, ‘great grace’ in that God’s gracious activity was powerfully at work in the church, ‘great fear’ both within and outside the church at God’s awesome judgements and ‘great joy’ experienced at the blessings received through God’s servants (see Acts 4:33;5:11;8:8).

Iain Murray, in his book Pentecost – Today? The Biblical Basis for Understanding Revival, helpfully draws a distinction between the Spirit’s more ‘normal’ work since Pentecost and the ‘extraordinary’. He defines revival as a heightening of the normal. Revival is a ‘larger giving of the Spirit’ and it results in a greater degree of life in the churches and many unbelievers are converted and added to the churches.

We can ask God to burden our hearts that we might have that spirit of supplication. Revival has more often than not come about through the earnest prayers of God’s people. We have biblical support for this. The unique coming of the Spirit at Pentecost was in the context of a people united in communal prayer (Acts 1:14;2:1). That was special in that they were specifically commanded to wait for the promise. But later in Acts 4 we are told that after they had prayed they were all again filled with the Holy Spirit. Such praying is by Christians who have an on-going ever deepening relationship with the Lord, are actively living the life of faith, obediently serving the Lord day by day, and concerned for God’s kingdom and honour in a community that hates the gospel of God.

GD: You recently published a friendly, but critical analysis of Moore Theology in Affinity's theological journal, Foundations. What, in a nutshell is your problem with "Moore theology"?

PHE: May I say, first of all, that I admire the work and witness of the people at Moore Anglican College, Sydney and I have benefited enormously from the writings of such men as T.C. Hammond, Broughton Knox, Graeme Goldsworthy and Peter O’Brien. Peter Jenson, when he was principal, was also kind enough to let me loose on his third year theology class.

There are a number of concerns I have and they relate to their particular biblical theology approach and their strong reaction both to Anglo-Catholicism and to the Charismatic Movement that was very noticeable at one time. a) They have this view that because every Christian is in ministry, it is wrong to speak of the gospel minister as having a special call to a special ministry. Because we are all called to be Christians and to be holy there is no such thing as a divine call to be a minister of the word. b) They have also taught that the Spirit and the Word are so wedded that there is no need to pray for the Spirit. c) Because worship is what Christians are to be engaged in everywhere and at all times, they believe that coming together on Sundays is for building one another up in the Faith and not for some special act of worship. Asking for or expecting God’s special presence in such gatherings is not considered necessary and is often seen as a throwback to Old Testament times.

Unless steps are taken to counteract what has been forcefully propagated in articles and books written by people emanating from Moore, it could lead the next generation of evangelicals to possess a very low view of the ministry of the word, which at present they are most keen to support. It could also lead to a very cerebral Christianity. All that we have been saying about revival and of the presence of the Spirit in our preaching, items that men like John Knox, Jonathan Edwards and Charles Simeon both taught and experienced, will be lost leading to spiritual poverty and death.

GD: You wrote an early critique of the so- called "new perspective on Paul", The Great Exchange [available online here]. Many others, such as Cornelis Venema [The Gospel of Free Acceptance in Christ- see review here] and John Piper [The Future of Justification - available online here] have recently joined the fray. Why should we be so concerned about the new perspective?

PHE: The most eloquent exponent of the new perspective is the bishop of Durham, Tom Wright. Piper’s new book is a particularly helpful response to all that the bishop has written on the subject in the last ten years.

There is much that is commendable in Wright’s works but it is his particular view of what the gospel is and what justification means that is unacceptable. This is why in some respects he is more dangerous than those who clearly deny the Biblical gospel.

If Wright’s gospel is only about the proclamation of Christ’s lordship then how is this message a help to those who by nature are in rebellion against Christ’s rule?

If justification according to Wright is not one of the most important parts of the gospel but about who is a member of God’s covenant community then how is a person put right with God?

If Wright’s view of justification – as a doctrine relating to the church and having nothing to do either with the Protestant emphasis on the imputed righteousness of Christ or the Roman Catholic one which includes imparted righteousness – were to be accepted then the centuries old divide would be over and the Pope would be happy. The implication of Wright’s teaching would make a person’s standing in the church more important than his or her standing before God. The assurance that Christians enjoy in Christ would vanish as their concern would be about their own righteousness at the last judgement rather than trust in Christ’s blood and righteousness alone.

GD: You have written well received commentaries on Genesis and Leviticus (Evangelical Press) and a Lloyd-Jones travel guide (Day One). Are you hoping to write more in the future and if so what might we expect from you pen (or keyboard!)?

PHE: I hope you will see a small booklet out soon on the remarkable revival that took place at the beginning of the last century in a large village near where I was born. I have also been asked to write the Welwyn commentary on the book of Psalms. There are other topics I would like to tackle if I have the time.

GD: Writing a commentary on Psalms will keep you busy! What (aside from writing) do you plan to do in your "retirement"?

PHE: When I came to London I ceased practising the piano and pipe organ. I hope to restart these hobbies along with some gardening. If preaching opportunities come my way I shall count it a privilege to take the gospel to needy parts of North Wales.

GD: Care to name your top three songs or pieces of music?

PHE: Bach, Beethoven and Bruch are among my favourite composers. So my top pieces of music would be a Bach choral, a Beethoven symphony and Bruch’s violin concerto.

GD: What is the most helpful work of theology that you have read in the last twelve months? It is a must read because...

PHE: Bavinck’s four volume Reformed Dogmatics recently translated from the Dutch is readable, informative and one of the most superbly rich presentations of the Reformed Faith available today.

GD: I've just taken delivery of the complete set. Great stuff. Now, what in your opinion, what is the biggest problem facing evangelicalism today and how should we respond?

PHE: There is too much emphasis on worldly means to further God’s kingdom. As a result there is little interest in Christian doctrine, an appalling ignorance of the Bible and personal daily communion with God has all but ceased. This may seem very pietistic and old-fashioned. We should respond in the way the New Testament directs, which means back to basics and to the points that we have made earlier. We must earnestly contend for the Faith for we have an enemy who wishes to spoil, twist and destroy. We cannot take anything for granted and old battles have to be re-fought. We need to urge Christians to be alert and prayerful and to be light and salt in their communities. Above all, we must proclaim boldly the whole purpose of God in dependence on God’s Spirit, calling on young and old to repent of their sins and to turn in self-despairing trust to Jesus Christ the only Saviour from the divine wrath that we all deserve.

GD: Well Philip, thanks for dropping by for this conversation. May you and Jenny know the Lord's richest blessing as you continue to serve him.

If you are interested in finding out more about the work of the London Theological Seminary, see here for contact details.

Another week in my life: Day 7

Saturday is my day off. Today we went on a mystery trip to Minehead, Somerset. Had a good time wandering on the beach, clambering on rocks, eating ice cream etc. Read some more of Paul Davies' The Goldilocks Enigma when on coach & train. The chapter on multiverse theory made my head spin. Part of the return journey was by steam train. The pics below were taken on the trip. Yesterday night I received Philip Eveson's interview answers. Hope to edit and post the interview on Monday. You won't want to miss it. This is the last in the current series of blog diary entries.

Another week in my life: Day 6

Do some sermon prep for preaching at Chardsmead Baptist Church, Bridport, Dorset. Old sermons need to be taken out of the freezer and warmed up a bit before being preached again. I plan to speak on John 10 and 1 Peter 1. Finally finished John Frame's The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God, reading the last few appendices. The one on The New Reformed Epistemology especially interesting. Don't know if it's worth doing a review on the blog after all I've said about the book in the Diary. I'll have to see. Read some more of The Divine Spiration of Scripture by McGowan. From some reviews I got the impression that there was nothing good about this book, but the author has some worthwhile things to say in the first three chapters. From what he's said so far, I don't agree with his position in inerrancy. But I hope to do a review when I'm done, so I won't comment any further. Received a phone call from someone who enjoyed my article in Evangelical Times, which was encouraging (see Day 4's entry for details).

After lunch, visit elderly and virtually housebound church member. Soon after I arrive another friend from church pops in, so we have a good time of fellowship, putting the world to rights. I read Psalm 34 and we all prayed around.

I've been doing these posts as I go along rather than write up the diary at the end of the day. Recently, a pastor friend (who spends far too much time on committees!) asked me how I find the time to blog. I posted something on this a while back here. Abraham Piper (son of John "the happy hedonist" Piper) recently argued that all pastors should have a blog here. That's a frightening thought. When I attended the LTS end of years service I was surprised by the number of people who said that they read this stuff. I don't know if it's doing any good, but I enjoy writing and blogging helps me to think things though.

About now (3.50pm) I would usually be preparing for our "Penknap Kid's Club" for approx 5-11 year-olds. The meeting is from 6.00-7.15pm. On average around 14 children attend on a regular basis. I lead the singing (including doing the actions "Wide, wide is the ocean...."). Another member of the team organises various games. We give the children a drink and biscuit and then I do the story (we're doing the life of David at the moment). Following a quiz based on the story we have a craft session led by another member of the team. The children seem to enjoy coming and it is good to have to opportunity to share Bible stories with them. But tonight child evangelists Richard and Joy Blunt & family will be running the club for us, so all we'll have to do is turn up and help out as needed.

Kid's Club went well. A few of our regulars were away, but those who turned up enjoyed themselves. The Blunts are a great team. Very lively and gospel centred. They kept the children engaged from beginning to end. We'll have to use them again. Afterwards I drop Sarah, Jonathan & Rebecca at North Bradley Baptist Chapel for an older children's meeting (11+). It's a joint affair and Sarah is one of the leaders. Every now and again the 'Good New Club' comes over to us at Penknap, which is nice. Last time we had a 'High School Musical' evening. Ben Midgely the NBBC pastor and I had a karaoke sing off and I let him win.

With everybody out apart from Oliver the hamster (who is feeling a lot better, thanks for your concern), I have a quite hour to myself. I this write up and then listen to Viva La Vida, Coldplay's new album, which is really great. I hope to post a review on the blog soon, so watch this space. Well, that's enough jottings for today. Saturday is my day off and we're going on a mystery trip organised by the church sec at Ebenezer Baptist. Should be fun.

* The picture accompanying each diary entry is usually relevant to the day's activities. But I haven't been to outer space today, I just like the image used above. Just in case you were wondering...

Another week in my life: Day 5

Alarm goes off at 6.30. Shower then time of personal prayer and meditation before breakfast. Family worship before children go off to school. Read Psalm 140 and prayed. Start work in the study. After prayer read begin to prepare for Sunday's ministry. I'll be preaching at Chardsmead Baptist Church, Bridport, Dorset. I've known the church for years and I'm looking forward to renewing fellowship. When preaching away I tend to use some golden oldies from the "Exiled Preacher Global Ministries Archive".

I used to hand write my sermons with a fountain pen, but my handwriting would become illegible as I rushed to get my ideas on paper. This caused a bit of a problem when looking over my notes prior to preaching. I often found myself wondering, 'What was I trying to say?' It isn't so bad now as I type my sermons on the PC. My first attempts at sermonising in Word were none too successful. I couldn't type very fast and found myself getting overly interested in how the text looked on the screen - fonts, bold, italics etc. I don't know how I did it, but once I managed to get the text into one long vertical line down the page. I hadn't discovered the joys of edit/undo = "ctrl + z", and had to redo the lot. So, I gave up on word processing my sermons and returned to my trusty fountain pen and A4 ruled paper. Until that is I ran out of ruled A4 and was too indolent to walk up the shop and buy some. I thought this might be a good time to have another go at doing sermons in Word. I'm a little more proficient at word processing these days, so the transition wasn't too bad. It's easier to do re-writes and now I can read my without the "illegibility issue" causing problems.

Having prayerfully decided which sermons to use, I e-mail my Bible readings and hymns to the church sec at Chardsmead and then read a little more of The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God by John Frame. I'm on to the appendices now. The one on Maxims for Theologians and Apologists gives a helpful summary of the contents of the book and is full of nuggets of good advice like:

13. Do think of theology as "the application of the Word of God by persons to all areas of life"

27. Do seek holiness as a means to theological maturity. Realise that some theological disputes cannot be resolved until one or all parties achieves greater spiritual maturity.

40. Do not regard your theological system as superior in any way (materially or formally) to Scripture itself. make your emotional attachments and attitudes consistent with this resolution.

54. Do not demand that theology be impersonal or academic.

63. Do not make long lists of maxims because it is difficult for intellectually challenged readers to take them all in. [I made that one up].

I like to have more than one book on the go. I finished Spurgeon's Lectures to my students the other day and I've nearly finished Frame. So, I take The Divine Spiration of Scripture by A. T. B. McGowan (Apollos, 2007) from my "to read" shelf. There has been a lot of controversy over this book, largely because McGowan takes issue with biblical inerrancy. In his introduction, McGrath writes, "one might reasonably expect something of a firestorm directed against any challenge to its [inerrancy] continued usage" (p. 14). He was right. The book has provoked a slew of hostile reviews. I suspect that I'll disagree with what he says. But I want to give him a fair hearing, and I'm only two chapters in. I'll resist the urge to comment until I've read the whole thing.

I was supposed to be attending a lunchtime meeting of local ministers to arrange school assemblies in the area. I arrived at the venue, but no one else was there and I couldn't get hold of anyone to find out what's going on. Strange. I'm the only one not in the ecumenical grouping, Churches Together and begin to think that's it's all a grand conspiracy to freeze me out. But there's probably a better explanation. Have lunch at home and then visit a church member who has been unwell for some weeks. Good time of fellowship and nice cup of tea! Thursday is shopping day in our family, not my favourite pastime, but its got to be done. If "Exiled Preacher Global Ministries" really takes off I'll be able to get someone to do that kind of thing for me so I can concentrate on important things like blogging and mowing the lawn. But I doubt that will ever happen and I would look silly with a permatan, shiny suit and hair transplant. I'll just have to settle for being what Geoff Thomas defined as a "TULIP" = Totally Unappreciated Low Income Pastor.

I'm reading Tolkein's The Hobbit to the children as a bed time story. We've just finished chapter 10. Watch Question Time, a BBC political discussion programme. Evening devotions. Bed

Another week in my life: Day 4

We have our Prayer Meeting/Bible Study on a Wednesday evening. Tonight we'll be looking at 3 John, which completes a trilogy of studies on John's three letters. The format is discussional, but I still do some prep, studying the letter with the aid of commentaries by John Stott (Tyndale IVP) and David Jackman (Bible Speaks Today IVP). Stott is really outstanding, giving concise and accurate and thought-provoking comment. But before I get down to business, my wife and I have to give Rebecca's hamster, Oliver its daily dose of antibiotics. The poor thing seemed like it was at death's door last Wednesday so we took it to the vet. He has a "wet tail" infection that is potentially fatal. But he has been responding well to treatment. Trying to get him to take his medicine is a bit tricky. We have to feed it to him through a plastic syringe and he wriggles and squirms like crazy while we are trying to dose him up. Ah well, "a righteous man careth for his beast."

That done I work on an outline for the Bible Study, structured around the three people John mentions in his letter, Gaius, Diotrephes and Demetrius. Jot down a series of questions that will hopefully help us engage with the text and its message for us. This takes me more or less until 12.30. This morning an Ebenezer deacon has been doing door-to-door work with evangelist Tim Serjeant. I phoned to see how they got on and was encouraged that they had some promising conversations with people in the West Lavington area. Door-to-door evangelism is a long-term venture and we've been at it for over a year now. One or two people we've contacted have just started to attended services. After phone call, I do some paperwork before lunch.

It's my daughter's school sport's day today so I head off to watch her compete in various events. Running, skipping, discus, javelin, ball dribbling, long jump etc. She did pretty well, coming first or second several times. She may well have won in her group. Get home at 3.30pm. More paper work and some preparation for this evening. Pick up my son from an after-school cricket match. Rush evening meal - fish and chips, and then attend a briefing at Beccy's school regarding a residential school trip in July. Get back and do a bit more prep for Bible study and then head off at just gone 7pm.

Some helpful discussion in the Bible study with an emphasis on supporting mission and avoiding "Diotrephes syndrome" by cultivating the mind of Christ (Philippians 2). Good time of prayer. Home at 9.45pm. July's Evangelical Times has arrived including my article on The Spirit and the Word in preaching. If you don't get ET and would like to see it (as a Word doc.), drop me an e-mail.

Another week in my life: Day 3

We have two children, Jonathan & Rebecca. Jonathan is coming toward the end of his second year of Secondary School. Rebecca is in her last year of Primary School. Today she went to Secondary School for an "Induction Day" where she met her form tutor and attended some lessons. Before the kids set off at 8.00am, we had a time of family worship. I read Psalms 132 & 133 and prayed.

I start my working day with a time of prayer. The longer I go on in ministry the more I realise how entirely dependent we are upon the Lord. "Facing a task unfinished that drives us to our knees." Read another chapter of John Frame's The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God. He adopts a perspectival approach to theology, looking at things from a normative, situational and existential perspective. The norm for theology is Scripture. We do theology in a given situation, using the tools of language and logic. Today's chapter was on The Existential Perspective - The Qualifications of the Theologian. Very thought provoking. Theologians must be personally engaged in their work. Detachment is both impossible and undesirable because all we know we know as individual persons. Theology is personal because it is an attempt to apply the truth of God's self-revelation to people. The knowledge of God is not merely cerebral, it is heart-knowledge. Frame makes the important point that the theologian's character will have an impact on his work. Love, honesty and humility will ensure that the theologian will deal fairly with those with whom he disagrees. Then comes an extended discussion of the place of reason, experience, emotion, the will, skills and intuition in the work of the theologian. Good stuff.

Then I wrote up a report of the London Theological Seminary End of Year Service. I've already done a couple of blog posts on this here and here. But I was asked to produce a 400 word account for the Protestant Truth Magazine. I work part-time for the Protestant Truth Society, which mostly involves taking meetings, preaching and writing.

After lunch visit a church member who has been unwell. She is suffering from bad arthritis and is getting over a bout of bronchitis. She is in a lot of pain. But I find her refusing to complain and rejoicing in God's goodness to her. I has the privilege of baptising this lady a few years ago. This afternoon she spoke of how the Lord have her remarkable freedom from pain on the day of her baptism. I read Psalm 90 and prayed before leaving. I felt humbled and challenged by the grace of God at work in the life of this elderly sister in Christ.

Back home in time for the children to get home from school. Beccy enjoyed her day at "Big School". Read another chapter of Frame. He applies his three perspectives to Method in Apologetics. Phone rings. A consignment of chairs is about to be delivered to the chapel. Can I be there by 4pm? I grab a book and go. As I leave my son asks why do I have a book in my hand. I explain that with a book waiting time is not wasted time. The lorry arrives at 4.30! But in that half hour I was able to get through some of The Goldilocks Enigma by Paul Davies (Penguin, 2007). It's a fascinating book which asks, "Why is the universe just right for life?" The section I read while waiting for the lorry suggested that the chances of the universe being right for life is the statistical equivalent of tossing a coin and getting heads 400 times in a row. Does Davies therefore postulate the existence of a Creator God? I'll have to wait for the chapter on "Intelligent and not so Intelligent Design". Judging from his earlier work, God and the New Physics, Davies does believe in some kind of deity, but his god is not the Lord God of the Bible.