London Theological Seminary Alumni Gathering

When you are a kid and it's been a while since an aunty or something last saw you, they often remark, 'Look how much you've grown.' Well, at yesterday's LTS Alumni Gathering I experienced the grown-up equivalent. Only it wasn't, 'Look how much you've grown.' I haven't, at least upwards. It was, 'Didn't you used to have hair?' Thanks, mate. 

I attended the London Theological Seminary in 1988-90. Back then I was young, free and single. And I had hair. Honest. Lots of it. Blond, curly. Now I'm a balding old bloke with a wife and two teenage children, aged 16 and 18. To think that back in '88 I was one of the youngest ever students at the Seminary, at the tender age of 22. 

A lot has changed at LTS since then. In my time (at least to start with) all members of the faculty were Welsh, bar a token American. They still have several Welsh lecturers and an American (different one), but for some reason quite a few Englishmen now teach at the college. Strange that, for a London-based Seminary. Political correctness gone mad, that's what it is. 

Anyway, about the day. I travelled up and back by train and was able to get a bit of reading done. Recently a friend recommended Imagine Church: Releasing Whole-Life Disciples by Neil Hudson. It's a bit lightweight really and is rather pragmatic in its approach. But the big thing about the gathered church equipping the people of God to live as the scattered church is good. I'm about 28% through the Kindle edition and will post a review when I'm done. A bit (make that a lot) more theologically satisfying was Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life by Joel R. Beeke & Mark Jones. Again, I have the Kindle version and just as well, as the hardback is a whopping, man-bag-busting 1000 pager. Handy things, e-readers. I read the chapters on the Trinity. Beeke/Jones' treatment of John Owen's Communion with God was especially rich and deep. Great stuff. Still, 6 chapters in and I'm only 10% through the work. William Perkins on Predestination is next. 

I arrived at the Seminary in good time for lunch and it was great to renew fellowship with old friends. I meet up with some LTS old boys at conferences and stuff, but one fellow-student from the class of 1988-90 I hadn't seen for over twenty years. It was him (you know who you are) who said the thing about my hair. And he wants me to plug his book on my blog? The cheek of it.

After lunch (a very tasty lasagne, cooked by the Seminary's very own bona fide Italian cook), there was a 'Tour of LTS', which in fact consisted of having a right to roam round the old place. A lot has been done to to upgrade premises since my day. The facilities are now very modern and high-tech. Back in 88-90, in-lecture graphics consisted of Mr. Harrison's chalk-drawn illustrations of the angelic order, and that was about it. 

Then Bill James spoke on 'Pastoral issues today' or 'Ministering in a secular society' - from 1 Peter. It was a powerful, thought-provoking and challenging message, full of redemptive-historical insights and helpful application of the text to today's world. The church is a holy people, set apart from the world, but not in the same sense as OT Israel. The church is an alien people, not belonging in this world, but looking for the eternal city. The church is a scattered people, living in the world to reach the world for Christ. God's people face the pressure to compromise with the world and compartmentalise their lives. But the Bible calls for whole-life Christian living and preachers must apply the Word to every area of the believer's life, church, home, work, society etc. As the people of God do good in the world, non-believers will sit up and take notice, 1 Peter 2:11-12. I don't know if the good folks at LTS are planning to put this message on the website, but they should and if they do, I'd recommend you give it a listen. 

I don't think I've mentioned this before, but the Seminary now has an online journal, Preachers and Pastors, which is well worth a look. If you are aspiring to the preaching-pastoral ministry are are looking for training for a lifetime of service, I'd certainly advise you to check out the London Theological Seminary. 

I'm too mean to offer any prizes for this, but I wonder if more recent pals can pick me out in the LTS Class Photo below. Click to enlarge, if you dare. 

London Theological Seminary: The Movie

See here for a short film on the London Theological Seminary. The seminary will be holding a Open Day for budding preachers on 10th March. Visit the LTS website for details.

Blogging in the name of the Lord: Mostyn Roberts

Mostyn Roberts

GD: Hello Mostyn Roberts and welcome to Exiled Preacher. Please tell us a little about yourself.

MR: Born 1956 of Welsh parents (my father a Presbyterian minister) in Ealing, London. One younger sister. Moved back to Wales when aged three. School at Newtown, mid Wales. Read law at Pembroke College, Cambridge where I came to know the Lord. Practised law in Croydon, Kent and Northamptonshire. Came to Calvinist convictions largely through the influence of the work of Francis Schaeffer, reading the Institutes when I was 25 and friends who gave me Puritan paperbacks and Lloyd Jones books. Trained for the ministry 1988-93. Pastored churches in Stockton on Tees and Welwyn where I have been since late 1998. Married Hilary in 2002 and have two boys.

GD: Your blog is called “Harp from the Willows”. What made you start blogging?

MR: In a conversation about something with Hilary in December 2009 the subject came up and she said ’You ought to start a blog’. Not accustomed to obeying my wife so readily, surprisingly I did just that. Her faith in some of what I have to say is touching, but her assessment of my technical skills is more realistic: she bought me Blogging for Dummies that Christmas.

GD: Why, “Harp from the Willows”, what’s that about?

MR: ‘Welwyn’ is an olde English word for ‘willows’. I am Welsh, whose national instrument is the harp. I live in Welwyn. Hence…

Biblically, of course, to take your harp from the willows is a metaphor for a renewed faith in God, reversing the ‘hanging up our harps’ of Psalm 137:2.

GD: What are the strengths and weaknesses of blogging as a medium for theological reflection?

MR: 1. Strengths: (i) The freedom to say what you want (within reason) whenever you want to, to whoever may be listening / reading. (ii) A channel for ‘offcut’ thoughts that may otherwise not see the light of day. (iii) The sheer scope of the audience. Mine is probably minute compared with yours, Gary Brady’s or those I once heard called uberbloggers. I am very much an unterblogger and probably have as many visitors in a year as you would in a week. But it is still exciting (if puzzling) to think that I have a committed readership in Latvia. And why, one week last autumn, did I get 19 visits in a few days from Chile? Did the miners look in? The value (which I admit I have sometimes doubted) was brought home to me once last summer. I had done a short piece on the obedience of Christ. A Catholic called ‘Nick’ commented, basically disagreeing with my stance and attacking too the whole doctrine of penal substitution. He referred me to a 12 page article on his blog. I wrote twenty points in disagreement. He replied in twenty points. I replied. He hasn’t come back to me. But it made me think hard. That interaction alone (almost) made last year’s blogging worthwhile.

2. Weaknesses: (i) superficiality of thought (though this is not necessary) and (ii) cyberstorms flare up and subside without satisfactory resolution. But is that not true of most academic debate?

GD: Why did you become a pastor?

MR: As a solicitor I felt that law was not to be my life. My heart was in the study of the Bible and theology, in teaching the Bible, investing in people’s spiritual lives and building the church. For seven years I went though a process of weighing this up, in conversation with trusted counsellors. In the end the way seemed clear, and opened up. I have never seriously doubted that it was right even when I have felt utterly despondent.

GD: Where did you train for the pastoral ministry and what did you find most helpful about your training?

MR: At Spurgeon’s College, south London. I was in a Baptist Union church and this was the most evangelical of the Baptist colleges. The most useful things were the study in Greek of the New Testament; the Old Testament course with Martin Selman; and the experience, as one committed to Reformed theology, of being in a theological minority.

GD: What is the best piece of advice that anyone had given you on preaching?

MR: I am not sure if it was ever given to me as specific advice but a conviction that directs me is ‘Trust the Word’. Given that the work of the Holy Spirit is essential to its efficacy, nonetheless an implicit confidence in the power of the Word seems to me to be foundational to preaching. It delivers one from the itch to be ‘original’ and ‘entertaining’ and all manner of other human distractions, without denying the need for careful preparation and presentation.

GD: Do you ever feel like giving up on pastoral ministry, if so what makes you carry on?

MR: I have often felt pastoral ministry to be extremely painful, not least when I was voted out of a large Baptist Union church in the North East. But I have rarely thought for very long, if at all, that I wanted to be out of the ministry. I really could not envisage wanting to do anything else. What has carried me through difficult times more than anything else has been the conviction of God’s sovereignty. I derive enormous strength and joy from knowing the Lamb is on the throne; ‘… the clouds you so much dread are big with mercy…’.

GD: You teach systematic theology at the London Theological Seminary. What is the relationship between systematics and preaching?

MR: First, preaching is the logical conclusion to systematics (ST). B.B. Warfield says: 'The systematic theologian is pre-eminently a preacher of the gospel and the end of his work is obviously not merely the logical arrangement of the truths which come under his hand, but the moving of men, through their power, to love God with all their hearts and their neighbour as themselves...' For this, he needs to 'be having a full, rich, deep religious experience of the great doctrines with which he deals; he needs to be living close to God'. This sums up my conviction.

Second, ST is necessary for preaching. Don Carson describes biblical theology as a ‘bridging’ discipline, ST as a ‘culminating’ discipline. The gospel itself is a system. Look at Paul’s letter to the Romans. ST is rather denigrated today from various directions: (i) Much is said about ‘narrative’ theology and preaching. Narrative is important, and the gospel is rooted in historical facts. The object of saving faith, however, is not historical facts in themselves, but the divine meaning and saving import of those facts (not just ‘Christ died’ but ‘Christ died for our sins’). Otherwise we are telling a story without a moral, a ‘joke’ without a punchline (if I may be allowed an inappropriate metaphor). ST gives the ‘point’ of the narrative. (ii) There is suspicion of metanarrative. Yet any worldview, even the postmodern sceptical one, has some form of metanarrative. ST insists that the Bible is a unity, and reflects the mind and purposes of God for his creation. This may be unfashionable but it is reasonable, and essential to understanding and preaching Scripture. (iii) There is also a false antithesis between ‘doctrine’ and ‘story’ or ‘life’. ST consists of a lot of propositions and propositions are suspect today. Warfield however quotes HCG Moule to good effect: '[All saving truth a believer enjoys is doctrine]; it is made to live in the heart by the Holy Ghost given to him. But it is itself creed, not life. It is revealed information'. That Christ condescends to faith by way of propositions is a wonder of grace, but it is true. Let us seek more of the Holy Spirit to make truth live, not relinquish the importance of propositional truth.

GD: I’m thinking about training for the pastoral-preaching ministry. Why should I choose LTS?

MR: I am delighted to hear of your intention Guy; we look forward to seeing you. [Very funny. Not sure they'd let me in again. GD]. LTS is not the place to come if you want a theology degree (which, let’s face it, is not difficult to come by these days), or want to study theology as an intellectual exercise or even just to make yourself more useful as a Christian worker, though that is a worthy goal. For the man convinced that the Lord is calling to him to some form of ministry of the word, however, LTS offers excellent, vocationally appropriate training. The academic level is high, higher I would say than I received at Spurgeon’s for which I was awarded a degree; but more specifically it is taught by men in, or with long experience of, pastoral ministry. It is theology tailored to practice, which is true theology.

GD: If you had to recommend only one work of systematic theology what would it be?

MR: I would still recommend Berkhof if you want only one. It is comprehensive and is above all else easy to use. He is succinct and you can find what you want quickly, whereas in more modern systematics, even when they have benefits over Berkhof in other ways (which many do), you can wade through pages to find your subject.

GD: Some great systematic theologians never wrote a complete systematic theology (e.g. B. B. Warfield, John Murray). Is there an aching space on your library shelves that you wish could be filled by “Systematic Theology by....”?

MR: I have often thought that Sinclair Ferguson would have benefited us greatly with a systematic theology. After all, he does great stuff for children.

GD: Maybe he'll do a Systematic Theology for kids? What do you make of Kevin Vanhoozer’s proposals on reconfiguring theology in terms of theodramatics?

MR: You have asked me this before and I have made little progress in the opinions I expressed in March! (1) I do not see the need for his ‘reconfiguration’, which seems to proceed on the unverified assumption that doctrine as we traditionally know it is ipso facto abstract and dry and not relevant to people. When I read our great creeds and confessions and the history out of which they came and what they have meant to generations of Christians, often in great afflictions, I cannot swallow that. (2) It all seems terribly complex and no improvement at all in terms of accessibility for people. Am I really helped by seeing God as a script-writer, a theologian as a dramaturge (which I have never heard of in any capacity before anyway) or the Holy Spirit as ‘Director’? Is it not bordering on the irreverent, except as a passing metaphor? (3) Try as one may, to see the redemptive work of God as ‘drama’ would I fear suffer the same fate as such theological words as ‘myth’. Theologians may try to persuade people it does not mean ‘fiction’ but people will think differently.

So – not convinced, not impressed. Some day I may read him!

GD: That might help. I understand that Vanhoozer is currently on a book aimed specifically at pastors along the lines of "Faith speaking understanding: doing church in the theater of the world". Now, if time travel were possible, which figure from post-biblical church history would you most like to meet and what would you say to him/her?

MR: Oliver Cromwell. I would ask him –‘Do you think it possible that you might have been mistaken?’ (I don’t think he was on the big issues, but I would still love to ask him!)

GD: Name your top three songs or pieces of music.

MR: Rachmaninov’s second piano concerto; Gounod’s ‘Judex’ from ‘Mors et Vita’; most things by Paul Simon.

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

MR: Though I greatly enjoyed and would heartily recommend the Christian Focus edition of The Marrow of Modern Divinity, I think it is pipped to this post by Hugh Martin’s The Atonement. Elegantly written, this work exalts the atoning work of Christ primarily by putting it firmly in the context of his priesthood, and so demonstrates like no other comparable work the inseparability and mutual dependence of his atoning work and his heavenly intercession. Essential reading for any minister and theologian, heart warming and elevating.

GD: What is the biggest problem facing Evangelicalism today and how should we respond?

MR: “Dear Sir, I am, yours faithfully…”

But if you want a longer answer:

In general? The biggest problem of the people of God is always within themselves, not from outside. Idolatry, immorality and injustice begin within. So I would have to say generally that lack of faith in some form will always be our greatest problem. How is that remedied? Faith comes by hearing. We need more Spirit-accompanied preaching and humbler listening to God’s word.

More specifically: I would like us to have a discussion about this statement of Calvin near the beginning of The Necessity of Reforming the Church: ‘If it be inquired, then, by what things chiefly the Christian religion has a standing existence amongst us, and maintains its truth, it will be found that the following two not only occupy the principal place, but comprehend under them all other parts, and consequently the whole substance of Christianity, viz., a knowledge, first of the mode in which God is truly worshipped; and secondly of the source from which salvation is to be obtained’. I think it would do us good to ponder the importance of our public worship in light of the tendency today to say ‘ as long as our doctrine is OK’ all else is (almost) a matter of indifference.

GD: Which other blogs do you enjoy reading and why?

MR: Yours (no flattery intended) for stimulation; Gary Brady for the range of information, even when (I am sure he will not mind my saying) it’s useless; Paul Helm when I am feeling energetic; Al Mohler for good Reformed journalism; Iain D Campbell for edification; I keep meaning to visit Colin Adams’ blog; Jeremy Walker and Martin Downes can be very helpful.

GD: Well, thanks for dropping by for this chat, Mostyn. See you at the Affinity Theological Studies Conference next week. Reading the papers, looks like it's going to be a good un.

An interview with Garry Williams, director of the John Owen Centre

GD: Hello Garry Williams and welcome to Exiled Preacher. Please tell us a little about yourself.

GW: I became a Christian aged 17 through studying RS A Level, which I took by ‘chance’ as my third subject, on a whim really. But we studied John’s Gospel verse by verse and the Reformation, so I came to a clear understanding of the Gospel through the course, and was then challenged at a more personal level in confirmation classes run by one of the teachers. So from the start of my Christian life my walk with the Lord has gone hand in hand with theological study. I was a teacher briefly myself, then did four years of theological research, taught at Oak Hill College for ten years, and have just started as Director of the John Owen Centre at London Theological Seminary. I’m married to Fiona and we have four children.

GD: What exactly is the John Owen Centre and how does it relate to the London Theological Seminary?

GW: The JOC is an activity of LTS which the Board set up ten years ago. Where LTS provides an initial two year course for pastors and preachers, the JOC is briefed to provide ongoing study opportunities for ministers in the midst of their ministry. So far it has done this through a Westminster Seminary ThM programme in historical and systematic theology, through its bi-annual conferences, and in study groups.

GD: What is your vision for the John Owen Centre as its newly appointed Director?

GW: Obviously to continue the excellent work that has been done so far. This will mean encouraging more ministers to take the ThM programme and maintaining the present Hebrew and reading groups and conference plans. But I also think that we need to extend the range of our activities to make them accessible for more ministers. Our strap-line is likely to be (it isn’t finalized yet!) ‘Theological refreshment for pastors’. This sums up the aim: to refresh pastors in their ministries by deep engagement with the teaching of Scripture, and thus to enrich their ministries among the Lord’s people for his glory. The ThM programme does this really well, but not every minister has the time, money, or qualifications to take it. So I aim to develop other more easily-accessed activities alongside it. Specifically, I plan to run a lot of study days. These will be one-off days of serious theological teaching on a subject, the kind of material that a seminary would offer in a third or fourth year, but without the protracted commitment. I plan to keep the groups small and to repeat the days a number of times and in different places. Also we are going to offer formal study breaks for ministers who have time set aside for study and I will be providing mentoring for their studies. Anyone interested in finding out about what we are offering can sign up for news by emailing johnowen@ltslondon.org.

GD: How may pastors benefit from studying for an ThM in historical theology?

GW: Really the ThM is a formalized opportunity to read the giants! The formalized aspect of it means that the reading is done carefully and in the light of the latest research, and it provides an obvious structure and discipline for the study which can help to make sure that it happens. Someone on the ThM is going to spend a long time reading some of the giants of Puritan and Reformed theology. How could that not benefit a pastor? And they will be doing it with some of the world’s experts on the subjects, namely the lecturers from Westminster Seminary. These are men who are academically rigorous but whose priority is the ministry of the Gospel.

GD: What does contemporary evangelicalism have to learn from Puritans like John Owen?

GW: A great deal indeed. I think that as a ‘movement’ (for want of a better word) we are very seriously disconnected from the riches of our past, and this means that we are often stumbling around trying to work out things that were worked out long ago under the Lord’s providence. The Puritans plumbed so many of the depths of God’s word that we have not. It is as if someone has already built a computer and we don’t know it, so we are fumbling around trying to figure out how to make the first microchip. Our acquaintance with the Puritans is also often very selective, focusing on their spirituality, which is obviously a really good thing to learn from, but then forgetting some of the more sophisticated theology that lay behind it.

GD: Who has had the biggest influence on your theological development?

GW: Different people in different ways. There were key moments when I have come to particular convictions under the influence of particular teachers or friends. I abandoned Arminianism as a sixth-former when Richard Fletcher-Cooke, one of my RS masters, handed me a list of passages that showed me that the Bible teaches predestination. I became a five point Calvinist as a student after ten minutes of having my Amyraldianism elegantly dismantled by David Field, later to be a colleague at Oak Hill. In terms of methods, Oliver O’Donovan my DPhil supervisor had a massive impact on me. He rarely showed much interest in me reading secondary literature and encouraged a philosophy of ‘few books, but good’. This left me firmly convinced that the classic are classics for a reason and that we almost always gain more from first-hand engagement with them than we do from those who write about them.

In terms of figures from history, I think the first answer must be Calvin. As a student I was fed largely (thought not exclusively) on a diet of liberal theology and was taught nearly no systematics. But in the middle of it I spent days in the library reading the Institutes and found there a luminous arrangement of the Bible’s teaching. And of course preaching at church had a formative effect on me, especially the ministry of St Ebbe’s in Oxford. There weren’t always people involved: I discovered Reformed Scholasticism by accident by finding a volume of Turretin’s Institutes in a bookshop in Woking (I bought it for the cover and the weight not knowing at the time what it was). My main influences now would be Edwards for the importance of the heart and the affections, Turretin and Owen for the role of reason under Scripture, and men like Thomas Blake and Witsius for the covenant as the key to the Bible.

GD: You have written on the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement. Why do you think that this teaching is so important?

GW: For so many reasons. Key of course is that the Bible teaches it and so we must too if we are to honour the Lord Jesus and rightly proclaim his saving work. Spiritually, clarity on the atonement grounds our assurance of the Lord’s forgiveness and favour – without it we are left with the burden of sin, which we know is intolerable. Theologically, it goes with the doctrine of God’s justice – if we redefine the atonement we are usually redefining the nature of God.

GD: Why do you think that the doctrine has become so unpopular in some supposedly evangelical circles?

GW: What we see often with a denial of penal substitution is a wholesale rewriting of a series of the more (humanly speaking) uncomfortable doctrines. Penal substitution is a glorious description of the love and mercy of God, but it also entails a belief in the retributive wrath of God, and that is always hard for people to accept. This is where the link to the doctrine of God is so important: the pressure often arises to redefine the atonement because a different god is wanted. This is obviously not the case for every critic of the doctrine, but many critics themselves rightly make the connection to the doctrine of God.

GD: Do you hope to publish a book length treatment of penal substitutionary atonement?

GW: Indeed, I hope not posthumously. I hope that it will be a biblical, historical, systematic work framed within a classic Reformed covenant theology.

GD: This year marks the 500th anniversary of John Calvin's birth. If you had to specify the three key insights of Calvin's theology what would they be?

GW: Our utter dependence on God.
God’s sovereign fatherly goodness to his people.
The significance of our union with the Lord Jesus Christ.

GD: In the light of your experiences teaching at Oak Hill College, what do Evangelical Anglicans and Evangelical Nonconformists have to learn from each other?

GW: What an interesting question!

I think that evangelical Anglicans have been very strong in two areas: evangelism and training of different kinds. Of course many non-conformists have been too – your questions invites me to generalize. On evangelism: I mean by this that the Anglicans have sought to provide accessible contexts in which non-Christians can hear the Gospel, and they have preached it to them boldly. This explains a lot of the remarkable growth of Reformed Anglicanism over the last thirty years. Anglican evangelistic outreach welcomes people in an environment that is up-to-date and friendly. Unless the Lord intervenes in an extraordinary way, we need to get to the point of having sustained contact with people to tell them the Gospel, and we are in danger of just looking as if we come from another world. It is the Gospel which must offend. A concern for how we present ourselves does not mean that we have ceased to look to God to work and to trust in him: divine sovereignty can never excuse an indifference to the means that we use. Nor do I mean that issues of style are free from theological considerations, which they are not. But much of the style that we cling to is not theologically grounded. I am focusing here of course on reaching the younger generations, but if we do not do so then our churches will soon close. Many Anglican churches have been very effective in reaching out to the sports club, the local university, the workplace, the young mums. On training: the Anglicans have been deliberate and proactive about passing on the Gospel to a new generation of ministers, about identifying them, training them informally and formally, and deploying them. I do think that in some cases this has resulted in men being encouraged into ministry who should not have been, but on the other hand the shortage of non-conformist pastors is not found among Anglican churches – some evangelical Anglican students now struggle to find churches because there are so many of them for comparatively few churches.

The Anglicans on the other hand have clearly sometimes, perhaps often, displaced their emphasis on evangelism so that it fulfils a function that was not intended for it by becoming the primary factor in governing what the church does on the Lord’s Day. Or, in some cases, not even on the Lord’s Day at all because if Wednesday church will be easier for people to attend so they can play sport on a Sunday, then it can just be moved to fit around the sport. Clearly evangelism must be a factor in ordering church services, but not the primary factor. This is pragmatism carried too far, and it can happen because there is a vacuum for the pragmatism to fill created by a low understanding of the church and sacraments, and by a view of preaching that reduces it to being a talk or just ‘someone explaining the Bible’, rather than an encounter with the living God on his resurrection day. I say a ‘low’ view of the church. It is often said that evangelical Anglicans don’t have an ecclesiology, but this is surely wrong. It is just that it is a very low ecclesiology, by which I don’t mean the kind of low ecclesiology that one should have (one opposed to an Anglo-Catholic highness), but simply a low view of what the church is in its gatherings.

This is where I think the Anglicans can learn from the strengths of the Nonconformists. Nonconformity seems to me to be more clear on the dignity and weight of the church, and on the fact that preaching is very different from lecturing and just explaining a passage. There is often much more of a sense of occasion about a Nonconformist service, as if something very serious is about to happen. There is a right kind of reverence: not cold stuffiness, but warm seriousness. And there is more affection, in the formal theological sense of the term. There is more of the heart, with preaching aimed at evoking the affections as well as stimulating the mind. This strength goes with I think a generally deeper acquaintance with the heritage of Reformed theology and practice among Nonconformists that fosters such a view of the church and of the affections. Nonconformity is much more self-consciously Reformed in its heritage than Anglicanism. Indeed, some evangelical Anglicanism is self-consciously not Reformed in some quite strong ways. To some evangelical Anglicans elements of the Reformed tradition, elements that are taught in Scripture, come as a real surprise, and are sometimes greeted with intense scepticism, even determined opposition (for example the Lord’s Day, the role of the law in the Christian life, effectual atonement, Calvin’s view of the Lord’s Supper, covenant theology). Put simply, the strength of Nonconformity is simply that it is often more Reformed (by which I mean more of course biblical). This grounds its higher ecclesiology (again, in the right sense of ‘higher’).

Somewhere between these two there must be a healthy combination. I would love to see a combination of Anglican evangelism and training with non-conformist seriousness about the church and the heart, and an embrace of full-orbed historic Reformed theology.

As I said, these are all generalizations contradicted by endless exceptions, and having pontificated I must now go and remove the very large log from my own eye!

GD: If time travel were possible, which figure from post-biblical church history would you most like to meet, and what would you say to them?

GW: Probably Jonathan Edwards because I find him fascinating as a man and I think I would gain a lot from meeting him and observing him that goes beyond what we find in his books. I think I’d have very little to say: I’d keep my mouth shut and listen and soak it all up!

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

GW: They change, but I love Shostakovich’s 24 preludes and fugues for the piano and Bach’s sonatas and partitas for the solo violin, and I am enjoying getting to know Bob Dylan.

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

GW: Samuel Petto’s seventeenth-century work on the Mosaic covenant (The Difference Between the Old and New Covenant) has been a real thrill. Petto argues a very nuanced case for the Sinai covenant being in some carefully defined ways a republication of the covenant of works, the covenant that God made with Adam. This issue has a big impact on how we fit the story of the Bible together, on the relation between Adam, Israel, and Christ, and it involves close exegesis of passages such as Galatians 3. Petto has some very important things to say on it. I plan to make good use of him in a JOC Study Day on the subject!

GD: What is the biggest problem facing evangelicalism today and how should we respond?

GW: I wouldn’t want to generalize: different problems are more acute for different parts of what is a quite fragmented and often diverse movement, even if we confine our view to the conservative end of the spectrum within just one country. I do think that our culture is going to become much more hostile to the Lord Jesus Christ quickly, as we see when the Bible becomes guilty of a hate crime. So I think that we will need to be much more on the front-foot in terms of apologetics and evangelism, taking the battle to an increasingly aggressive pagan world much as the early Christians did. We have more in common with the early church than we do with the Reformers in terms of our wider context in Britain today, and we need to learn from the way that they preached the Gospel so boldly among their neighbours and devastatingly exposed the vacuity of incoherent and unfounded pagan worldviews.

GD: Well, thanks for dropping by for this conversation Garry. May the Lord richly bless you in your new sphere of service at the JOC.

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.

LTS Thanksgiving Service for Philip and Jennifer Eveson

Philip Eveson has now stepped down from the role of Principal of the London Theological Seminary. A special Thanksgiving Service was held to recognise the work of Philip and Jennifer Eveson. Our chairman Irving Steggles emphasised that this was a service of worship. The aim was that God should be glorified in everything that was said and done.

Graham Harrison of Newport spoke on behalf of the faculty with warmth and his customary dry wit. He pointed out that Philip had worked at the Seminary since its inception in 1977, when LTS began to meet in the premises of the Kensit Memorial College. Before that, Mr. Eveson was Principal at Kensit Memorial College, a post he applied for at Mr. Harrison's suggestion. It was Philip Eveson who first spoke to Lloyd-Jones of the possibility of a new seminary being sited at Kensit Memorial College. Graham Harrison cheekily remarked that if Philip had been been a crusty old bachelor, he would of lurched from crisis to crisis. But in God's goodness, he was able to exercise such a long and fruitful ministry at the college due to the constant support of his wife, Jennifer.

David Earl spoke on behalf of the students. He said that with their openness and accessibility, Philip and Jenny had given LTS, a place of learning, a family atmosphere. For years it was the Evesons' custom to have lunch with the students. I often used to sit near them at lunchtime. I well remember the theological discussions and friendly banter at the meal table. A specially produced book, containing remarks by students past and present was presented to Mr. Eveson.

Philip Eveson seemed deeply touched by all this, and in response spoke gratefully of God's kindness to him during his years at the seminary. He expressed satisfaction that in the Lord's providence, an LTS trained man would be suceeding him as Principal. He also paid fitting tribute to his wife for all her help and support.

Geoff Thomas preached on Psalm 92:13-15. The tree pictured in the Psalm is an image of the child of God, who has been...

I. Planted in the house of the Lord

Philip, like Geoff was the child of a christian family. They were prayed for boys who were taught the truths of the gospel from a young age.

II. Flourishes in the courts of our God

Philip was nurtured in the piety of Welsh Calvinistic Methodism. He was one of "The Doctor's boys", a generation of men who were steeped in biblical emphases of Calvinistic Methodism. Geoff listed the key characteristics, 1. Christ centeredness. 2. A sense of the seriousness of sin. 3. The importance of holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 4. The inseparability of faith and repentance. Those who believe in Christ also turn from sin. 5. The whole Christ applied to the whole man. Christ the prophet instructs us, Christ the priest saves us by his sacrificial death, Christ the King rules over us. 6. Tensions and struggles with sin in the Christian life. 7. Every Christian should seek full assurance of faith. 8. Those whom God preserves also persevere in godliness.

III. Bears fruit in old age

Geoff spoke of Philip's fruitful ministry at LTS, which would continue through the students he had trained and through his books and writings. The Great Exchange (Day One Publications) had alerted many to the dangers of the new perspective. He had also written with discernment on trends in Evangelical Anglicanism that tend to downplay the work of the Spirit in preaching. Mr. Eveson's commentaries on Genesis and Leviticus (Evangelical Press) will be of lasting value to the church. Philip will serve as Principal Emeritus for one year alongside new Principal Robert Srtivens, before retiring to his beloved Wrexham in North Wales. Geoff promised there would be many opportunities for Philip to preach God's Word in the Principality.

IV. What the tree declares

Geoff brought his message to a close by reflecting on Psalm 92:15

1. The Lord is upright. 2. The Lord is my rock. 3. There is no unrighteousness in the Lord.

The Service closed with the singing of O Spirit of the living God. This was a fittingly God-centred conclusion to our thanksgiving service, that expressed Philip Eveson's loging for an outpouring of the Spirit upon those who preach the gospel.

LTS End of Year Service Report

The London Theological Seminary End of Year Service was a grand occasion. Kensit Memorial Chapel was packed to capacity. The great congregation comprised of members of the faculty, students past and present, members of churches with students at the Seminary, friends from Kensit Evangelical Church and supporters from other local fellowships. The service was ably chaired by the affable chairman of the board, Irving Steggles. We began by singing The God of Abraham praise. The congregation certainly had a lot to thank God for. Nine students graduated this year, some from the UK others from as far afield as Madagascar and the Philippines. Each spoke warmly of the the Lord's help in their studies. Clearly, time spent at the Seminary will have a lasting impact of the lives and ministries of these men. That has been the case for this LTS alumni anyway.

Outgoing Principal, Philip Eveson gave his final end of year report. He emphasised that LTS is a theological seminary not a Bible college. The aim of the Seminary is to train men for the Ministry by grounding them in the various theological disciplines; exegetical, biblical, systematic and pastoral. He welcomed the appointment of his successor, Robert Strivens and expressed the hope that under his leadership LTS would continue to grow and develop.

The preacher was Michael Haykin. In his opening remarks, he testified to the help that he had received from the ministry of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, founder of the London Theological Seminary. Like me, Haykin had never heard "the Doctor" in person, but the writings and example of Lloyd-Jones had a huge influence on his life. In beginning his message Haykin quoted the words of Martin Luther,

"I simply taught, preached, wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. And then, while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my Philip and my Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that never a prince or emperor did such damage to it. I did nothing. The Word did it all."

The preacher argued that the main theme of the Acts of the Apostles is the onward advance of the Word of God. He drew attention to some of Luke's summary statements that bear this out, Acts 6:7. 12:24, 19:20, 28:30-31. Haykin then focused on the example of Apollos in Acts 18:24ff. Apollos was: I. Instructed in the Way of the Lord. II. Taught accurately concerning Jesus. III. Fervent in Spirit. In many ways he was a model gospel preacher. Through the preaching of such men, the Christian message rapidly spread throughout the Roman Empire. Rather than being swayed by the latest trends like the Charismatic movement, or Toronto Blessing, or the Emerging Church, Haykin urged the leaving students to preach the Word. Fads and fashions come and go, but "the word of the Lord endures forever." (1 Peter 1:25).

Appropriately enough, the service closed with the rousing hymn 'We rest on Thee', our Shield and our Defender!, sung as it should be to the tune Finlandia.

After the service we enjoyed a buffet tea on the college lawn. It was good to meet up with some LTS old boys who I had not seen for almost 20 years (I was there from 1988-1990). But the day was not over. Next up came a Thanksgiving Service for the work of Principal, Philip Eveson and his wife Jeniffer. Watch this blog for a report of proceedings.

London Theological Seminary End of Year Service

Later today we'll be off to to London to spend the night at Sarah's parents in Harrow so we can attend the LTS End of Year Service at 2.00pm on Saturday. The speaker will be Michael Haykin. I've really enjoyed some of his books, notably The God Who Draws Near, which is an excellent introduction to biblical spirituality. Michael also graced the "hot seat" for Blogging in the Name of the Lord: Series 2 (see here). So I'm looking forward to hearing him preach God's Word.

One of the highlights of the End of Year Service is listening to the testimonies of the leaving students. That part of the meeting will no doubt take me back to my end of year event in October 1990. Don Carson was the main preacher, speaking on John 1:1-18. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at LTS and found the course hugely profitable in many ways. But at the time, my future was a little uncertain. I was engaged to be married, yet I had no prospect of a call to a church. On top of that, my health was failing due to undiagnosed Addison's Disease. By the time the Doctors found out what was wrong with me later that summer, I was deteriorating rapidly and had to spend some weeks recovering in the Royal Free Hospital. But it wasn't all bad. The Banner of Truth had just published the second volume of Iain Murray's biography of D.Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Fight of Faith. I was able to read huge chunks of the mammoth 831 page book while languishing on the hospital ward. I may have been unwell, but I was not so poorly as to put me off reading Murray on the Doctor. I was sick, not dead.

We haven't attended the End of Year Service for some time. But we are making the effort this year because Philip Eveson will be retiring as Principal. A special Thanksgiving Service will be held to mark his retirement at 4.30pm. Geoff Thomas will be the speaker. I hope that a good number of LTS old boys will be in attendance. Mr. Eveson has worked at the Seminary since its inception in 1977. Originally he was Resident Tutor, which was the post he held in my day. He was appointed Principal after Hywel Jones left the college in the early 90's. Philip will act as Principal Emeritus for a further academic year, working alongside his successor Robert Strivens. Mr. Eveson was not only my lecturer but also my pastor, as when living in London I joined the membership of Kensit Evangelical Church. He has a rather mischievous sense of humour. He used to tease Sarah and I something rotten when we were courting. Philip preached at my first induction service in Stalbridge, Dorset. He married Sarah and I at Kensit in July 1991. In addition, he conducted the thanksgiving service for our son Jonathan. When I did a theology degree a few years back, he kindly acted as my tutor. Philip Eveson has the mind of a biblical scholar and the heart of Gospel preacher. Thanks, Philip for all your help and encouragement over the years and for being a model pastor-theologian. May the Lord bless you in the next phase of your Christian service.

I'll post a report of the End of Year Service sometime next week. Mr. Eveson has agreed to a blog interview, which I'm hoping to publish soon (well, when he gets round to responding anyway!).

Best Teacher Meme

Michael Jensen has tagged me to contribute to his Best Teacher Meme. Here are five of the best:

1. Mr. Hamlet. He taught Classical Studies at Bassaleg Comprehensive School. I hated school and refused to engage with most subjects. When I asked my Geography teacher to give his consent for me to take the 'O Level' exam he quipped, "You must be joking." But Mr. Hamlet's passion for the classics gripped me. His board ruler became Odysseus' spear and Achilles' sword. This was the only subject for which I really bothered to swat, giving me my best exam result, a grade C 'O Level'.

2. Hywel Jones. He was Principal at the London Theological Seminary when I was there from 1988-1990. His theological expositions of Isaiah and John were breathtaking. They were models of exegetical clarity and theological depth, delivered with a heartfelt passion for the Gospel.

3. Andrew Davies taught Church History for the first year of my LTS course. Sometimes his lectures would catch fire. We would stop taking notes and sit in awe of the presence of God as Andrew spoke on "The Moravian Revival" or "Word and Spirit in Puritanism". I remember him concluding his lecture on the latter with the words, "Sue him for it. Sue God for the witness of the Spirit!" Once Andrew rebuked some students for not taking their studies seriously enough. In his deep Welsh tones he told them, "We are not funny men trying to be serious, but serious men who know how to laugh." That told them.

4. Robert Oliver took over the Church History course after Andrew left. He is quite different to Andrew Davies, a studious Englishman rather than a fiery Welshman. But I really appreciated his lectures. They were impecabbly researched, well presented and full of contemporary relevance. His feedback on essay assignments was always helpful and his advice on sermon construction and preaching was worth listening to. Robert helped to enhance my love of Church history. He chairs our local Wiltshire minister's fraternal. (See here for my review of his The History of English Calvinistic Baptists).

5. Philip Eveson is now the Principal at LTS, but in my day he was Resident Tutor. His lectures on the Old Testament were especially helpful. He has rare exegetical skills and always seems to be up-to-date with the latest trends in biblical scholarship. For me the highlights were his lectures on Job, Ecclesiastes and Amos. He really should write a commentary on Ecclesiastes. Eveson's insight that "vanity" means "fleeting" rather than "meaningless" (NIV) really opens up the message of the book. Quoheleth is much more than a "pre-evangelistic tract". The book gives us the wisdom we need to enjoy life under the sun to the glory of God. It was in his lectures on Galatians that I was first alerted to the new perspective on Paul. Eveson grasped the importance of the NPP way before most other Reformed theologians. He wrote an early critique of the new perspective, The Great Exchange which is now available online. Philip acted as my tutor when I did a theology degree a few years ago. His advice and reading suggestions were invaluble.

Now I'm going to tag five friends: Gary Brady, Alan Davey, Martin Downes, Jonathan Hunt, Andrew Roycroft.

An interview with Robert Strivens

Robert Strivens is Principal-Designate of the London Theological Seminary

GD: Hello, Robert Strivens and welcome to Exiled Preacher. Please tell us a little about yourself.

RS: Thank you, Guy. It is a privilege to be interviewed on your blog.

I am 47, married to Sarah, with three sons: David, Thomas and Daniel – aged 22, 20 and 17. We live in Banbury, which is a lovely market town in Oxfordshire. I was pastor of Banbury Evangelical Free Church for eight years, but finished that last summer in order to take up my current position as Principal-Designate of the London Theological Seminary.

Before going into the pastorate, I trained (at LTS) for 2 years, and previous to that I was a solicitor for 12 years in a large firm in the City of London. Although moving from the legal profession to pastoral ministry was a big change in our lives, the skills and experience I gained there have proved very useful in my current work.

GD: Give us a (very) potted account of the origins and history of LTS.

RS: LTS was founded in 1977, under the leadership and vision of Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones. It was set up to provide a training-ground for men planning to enter pastoral ministry. There was a belief that the training available for men in non-Anglican situations needed strengthening. The vision was for a seminary that would serve the evangelical community in this country, by focussing on the need for sound, biblical gospel preaching and the study of the great truths of the Reformation.

GD: As incoming Principal, what is your vision for the role of Seminary in the 21st century?

RS: To build on what has been done here to date. We need to be engaged, as a seminary, with evangelical churches up and down the land. We need to offer training that wins the confidence of those churches. I am currently meeting with pastors and churches around the country to listen to what they have to say about LTS, and we are developing the course in a number of areas to address some of the issues that have been raised.

We are also engaged in the early stages of a building project to enlarge the library and the lecture facilities. I would love to see those new facilities full of UK and international students, all preparing for a lifetime of faithful, biblical ministry.

GD: Many theological colleges in the UK are geared up to educate and train a wide range of students. Why does the Seminary simply focus on the pastoral-preaching ministry?

RS: Because we believe that the urgent need today is for church leaders who are strong in the Word of God – able to grasp and proclaim its message for today’s world. Other areas of ministry are important too, of course, but we believe that at LTS we will do best by focussing on one main aim and carrying it out to the best of our ability.

GD: Is there such a thing as a distinct call to the Ministry of the Word? If so, what is it?

RS: Yes, I believe there is. In Eph. 4:11, in the midst of a passage dealing with the gifts that Christ gives to each believer for the growth and maturity of the church, Paul singles out Word ministry as the particular means that Christ uses to enable this. If these men are ‘given’ to the church, it would be odd if they did not know it. The real question is: how are they (and the church) to know it? All would agree, I think, that this must involve the right character and gifts for the work, and that these must be recognised by the church – not just by the individual concerned. Is there a subjective element to it as well? I would find it strange if there were not, and verses like 1 Cor. 9:16 and 1 Tim. 3:1 seem to indicate such an element – but I know there is controversy over this and this is perhaps not the place to go into it in depth!

GD: Are all members of the faculty men with pastoral experience as well as theologians and biblical scholars?

RS: Yes, absolutely. That is one of the founding principles of LTS. We believe that (at least) two things are essential in a lecturer here: (1) a thorough grasp of the subject he is lecturing, and (2) a pastoral approach to teaching it, i.e. addressing those issues and difficulties which affect pastoral ministry, rather than issues which arise solely in an academic context. We aim for a high intellectual level, at least equivalent to any academic course – but the perspective is intensely pastoral.

GD: What are the advantages of attending a Seminary over "in house" training in the local church?

RS: Breadth and depth, I would say, and perhaps speed. Seminary training is not right for everyone. But it does expose students to a variety of different lecturers, from different backgrounds and with different perspectives, which in-house training may not provide. I think this is an enormous benefit. Mixing with fellow-students from other backgrounds is also, in my view, invaluable. And normally, I think, a lecturer who has specialised in a particular area is able to teach it in more depth than may be attainable in-house. Finally, I suspect you can simply cover more ground more quickly through a seminary course than if you are also working part-time in your local church.

GD: What are the key elements of the two-year LTS course?

RS: We study the Old and New Testaments in depth. Hebrew and Greek are studied with some rigour throughout the course, as we believe these to be invaluable tools for anyone involved in Word ministry. Systematic theology, church history, pastoral theology and contemporary issues make up the other core elements of the course – with, of course, a constant emphasis upon preaching.

GD: The Seminary does not award degrees. Why is that?

RS: We believe that the training of men to serve as preachers and pastors in the church of Jesus Christ must remain under the exclusive control, so far as possible, of the church. We do not see any place for the involvement of secular agencies. Even if such agencies have no input into the substantive content of what is taught, there will be extra administration, extra cost and, I suspect, ultimately some influence on the make-up of the course in some way or others. Of course, the issues may be different for seminaries that are also seeking to prepare people for a full-time academic career, which is a necessary task, but it is not what we are engaged in.

GD: What about the work of the John Owen Centre?

RS: I believe that the John Owen Centre for Theological Study has a vital role to play in the future of independent evangelicalism in this country. I think if we are honest, we would have to say that developments in Reformed theology currently tend to be led by the North Americans and, in this country, the Reformed Anglicans. They are the ones, for example, who have principally led the response to the new perspective(s) and to the recent attacks on the doctrine of penal substitution (though I would mention that one of the first books written on the new perspective in this country, well before many others, was by our current Principal, Philip Eveson – The Great Exchange).

I believe the John Owen Centre is uniquely placed to help develop a strong, robust understanding of Reformed theology in this country. We have exciting plans to develop the courses and seminars we currently run (including a fine ThM course from Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, which can be done entirely here at LTS), to develop our library resources, and provide all necessary facilities for pastors and others to carry out research at the highest level.

You might be interested to look out for the Calvin Conference we are planning for 2009, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of his birth. Watch out for developments at http://www.ltslondon.org/, or let us know (admin@ltslondon.org) if you would like to be kept informed of regular events.

GD: I first heard of the new perspective in Philip Eveson's lectures on Galatians in the late 80's. He was engaging with Saunders and Wright way before many other Reformed theologians. His book, The Great Exchange, is available online here. The Calvin Conference sounds like a very interesting prospect. Now, pastors are not just preachers. Amongst other things, we have to lead the flock, cope with difficulties in church life, counsel the wayward and visit the sick. What is the Seminary doing to help men face the practical realities of pastoral ministry?

RS: Pastoral theology – meaning the practical aspects of pastoral ministry – is one of the core elements of the course. We also have a mentoring scheme which places each student with a local church, to give him experience of the different aspects of pastoral ministry that you mention. This works well and we are planning to develop it further, to provide students with opportunities during vacations for longer placements in partner churches.

GD: Did the training you received at LTS give you adequate preparation for the Ministry?

RS: It was excellent. I only hope that, as Principal, I shall be able to uphold and continue to strengthen the high standards that have applied under my predecessors.

GD: Over the last twenty years or so, there has been something of a recovery of expository preaching in the UK. This applies both in Free Church and Anglican contexts and is a very good thing. But isn't there more to preaching than simply giving an biblically accurate, well structured, nicely illustrated, and thoughtfully applied address? Where does the work of the Holy Spirit come into all this?

RS: Of course, the work of the Spirit is vital. Without him, we have nothing to give except hot air. We try to impress on our students the preacher’s need for complete reliance upon the ongoing work of the Spirit – in preparation and in delivery of sermons, as well as in the entirety of his life.

GD: Amen to that! Do you think that enough emphasis is being given to evangelistic preaching, that is preaching aimed at the salvation of the lost?

RS: No. And too much preaching that is intended to be evangelistic misses the mark because, in our biblically illiterate age, it takes far too much for granted. A great deal needs to be done here. John Wesley famously said that he would have far rather preached from a comfortable pulpit, but he was barred from most of them and so he went to where the people were. He wasn’t going to be prevented from taking the gospel of life to the crowds who had never heard it. We need the same attitude.

GD: There are many pastorless churches in the UK. But there are also a number of men who have trained for the Ministry, but have not yet found pastorates. What more could be done to remedy this situation?

RS: A very good question, which I think raises a host of issues. More co-ordination perhaps is needed. I wonder sometimes whether churches, and potential pastors, can sometimes be too choosy in their approach. Above all, we need to pray and we need to have a heart ready for service to Christ, in whatever circumstances we might find ourselves.

GD: When I went to LTS, I had a grant from my local education authority, which paid for everything and gave me some money to spend each term. Those days are long gone. In the current climate, isn't attending a Seminary prohibitively expensive?

RS: No, not at all. Our fees are actually quite low! But in any event, God’s people are very generous. We have bursaries and grants available for men who would not otherwise be able to fund themselves – both for UK men and for international students. This means that lack of finance should never prevent someone from coming to LTS.

GD: That's good to hear. What is the main goal of ministerial training at LTS?

RS: To prepare men to minister the Word of God to a world of sinners.

GD: What is the most helpful theological book that you have read in the last twelve months? It is a must read because?

RS: Steve Jeffery, Mike Ovey & Andrew Sach, Pierced for our Transgressions: Rediscovering the Glory of Penal Substitution (IVP, 2007). This is the definitive answer to current objections to the doctrine of penal substitution. The authors deal with the issues biblically and systematically and answer contemporary objections one by one. A really excellent resource.

GD: I second that. See here for my review. Care to share your top three songs or pieces of music?

RS: If you mean Christian songs: I enjoy Stuart Townend’s ability to put real theology into poetry, as well as his musicianship; specific hymns would feature Toplady, ‘A debtor to mercy alone’; Joseph Hart, ‘Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched’; and David Charles, ‘From heavenly Jerusalem’s towers’.

If you mean any music, then (currently): Beethoven piano sonata Op. 111; the last movement of Tchaikovsky’s Pathetique Symphony; and Rodolfo’s aria ‘Che gelida manina’ in La Boheme.

GD: What is the biggest challenge facing evangelicalism today, and how should we respond?

RS: An increasingly self-confident and arrogant secularism – which is really the age-old selfish human pride of fallen man, dressed up in 21st century Western clothes. The response is the same as ever – the bold, Spirit-dependent proclamation of the gospel, calling all people everywhere to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, who alone saves sinners.

GD: If anyone is interested in to finding out more about the London Theological Seminary, how can they contact you?

RS: Through the link on the website, http://www.ltslondon.org/; email to admin@ltslondon.org; or phone us on 020 8346 7587. All very welcome!

GD: Well Robert, thanks for this conversation. I wish you well as you take up the role of Principal. May the Lord richly bless all that you seek to do for him!