Articles, thoughts, essays, and content from Brian as well as students – our budding theologians.
Managing Monday with Martin Luther – Happy 500th…
Though we have featured quotes from Martin Luther (1483-1546) a few times on Managing Monday, on this the eve of the 500th anniversary of Luther posting his 95 theses on the church door in Wittenberg on 31 October 1517, it only seems right to hear from him again. Here are some Luther quotes we have not yet considered… I have no use for cranks who despise music, because it is a gift of God. Next after theology, I give to music the highest place and the greatest honour. Martin Luther If our Lord is permitted to create nice large pike and...
read moreManaging Monday with John Stott – Take 3
Several years after his death, the ministry of John Stott (1921-2011) continues to impact many people, most commonly through his writing, with his classic Basic Christianity, his profound study The Cross of Christ and the deep insight shown in I Believe in Preaching, continuing to win him new fans. Stott was one of the key authors of the 1974 Lausanne Covenant, which continues to shape evangelicalism. This is the third and final post at which we look at some of his insights… We live and die. Christ died and lived. John Stott We must...
read moreManaging Monday with John Stott: Take 2
Several years after his death, the ministry of John Stott (1921-2011) continues to impact many people, most commonly through his writing, with his classic Basic Christianity, his profound study The Cross of Christ and the deep insight shown in I Believe in Preaching, continuing to win him new fans. Stott was one of the key authors of the 1974 Lausanne Covenant, which continues to shape evangelicalism. Here is a second selection of some of his insights… Until you see the cross as that which is done by you, you will never appreciate that...
read moreManaging Monday with John Stott
Several years after his death, the ministry of John Stott (1921-2011) continues to impact many people, most commonly through his writing, with his classic Basic Christianity, his profound study The Cross of Christ and the deep insight shown in I Believe in Preaching, continuing to win him new fans. Stott was one of the key authors of the 1974 Lausanne Covenant, which continues to shape evangelicalism. Here are some of his insights… The Gospel is good news of mercy to the undeserving. The symbol of the religion of Jesus is the cross, not...
read moreManaging Monday with T.S.Eliot – Take 2
Ever since studying Murder in the Cathedral during my school years, I have been a bit of a T.S.Eliot fan. For those not familar with his work, Eliot (1888-1965), who identifed himself as an Anglo-Catholic, was one of the most significant poets and playwrights of the twentieth century. In 1948 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Here is a second taste of some of his many reflections… Anxiety is the handmaiden of creativity. T.S.Eliot The purpose of literature is to turn blood into ink. T.S.Eliot Time you enjoyed wasting is not...
read moreManaging Monday with T.S.Eliot
Ever since studying Murder in the Cathedral during my school years, I have been a bit of a T.S.Eliot fan. For those not familar with his work, Eliot (1888-1965), who identifed himself as an Anglo-Catholic, was one of the most significant poets and playwrights of the twentieth century. In 1948 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Here is a tiny taste of some of his many reflections… Where is the life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?...
read moreManaging Monday with George Herbert – Take 2
George Herbert (1593-1633) was a Welsh born Anglican priest, theologian, poet and orator. Though he was only 39 when he died, he accomplished an extraordinary amount in his life (including a brief stint in the Parliament of England in 1624 and 1625). While a priest remembered for his genuine care of his parishioners, he struggled with his call to ministry, reflected in one of his most famous poems The Collar which concludes with the words, But as I rav’d and grew more fierce and wilde At every word, Me thoughts I heard one calling,...
read moreChurch: From Members to Attenders…
Language reflects the way we think about things, and with that in mind I was struck when someone recently claimed that it has only been in the last 50 years or so that Christians have spoken about “going to this church” or “attending this church”. For the many hundreds of years before that, they would have said “I belong to this church”or “I am a member of this church”. If the claim is true (and I suspect it is) it’s an interesting change – from members to attenders. Think through...
read moreManaging Monday with George Herbert
George Herbert (1593-1633) was a Welsh born Anglican priest, theologian, poet and orator. Though he was only 39 when he died, he accomplished an extraordinary amount in his life (including a brief stint in the Parliament of England in 1624 and 1625). While a priest remembered for his genuine care of his parishioners, he struggled with his call to ministry, reflected in one of his most famous poems The Collar which concludes with the words, But as I rav’d and grew more fierce and wilde At every word, Me thoughts I heard one calling,...
read moreProtestants, Reformers or Transformers…
As the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation draws near (it is usually dated from Luther posting his 95 theses on the church door in Wittenberg on 31 October, 1517), it is worth asking if we are now primarily protestants (from protestors) or reformers. The Protestant Reformation involved both protest and reform. It was a protest against a corrupt religious system, and some of its particular practices, such as the sale of indulgences. Later it was a strong protest against the April 19th, 1529 reversal of the August 27, 1526 German...
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