Over the years on reformation21, three things have earned me more critical, if not at times hate-, mail than anything else: my interactions with Roman Catholicism; my belief that not every mother is called to be a homeschooler; and my criticisms of the American passion for huge conferences. On this...

Strange times. I return to the US after a week in Wales to find that my fellow Englishman, Paul Levy, has launched the end-time class war by going after the Anglicans in general and the Rt. Hon. Jonathan Fletcher, Bt., in particular. That is my job, Paul. Back off. Still Wales was good. Wet and...

Perhaps it was not the Greeks but the ancient Czechs who normalised homosexuality. Such seems to be the conclusion drawn by the archaeologists who have unearthed the grave of the first gay caveman. Thanks to running pal Dave Reese for bringing this article to my attention. The evidence that this...

In response to my post last week on conversions to Roman Catholicism, a number have asked me what I consider to be the reasons for such. I can only give my own limited take on this matter but here, in no particular order, are some of the reasons I have noted which converts have cited: A sense of...

Over at the Gospel coalition, friend Justin Taylor links to an interview with Mark Noll on the historical strengths and weaknesses of parachurch coalitions. In the excerpt which he cites he gives the following quotation: "Then, there is also the danger of schisms. As a broad coalition with...

While evangelicalism has been in turmoil over pop theology the last couple of weeks, I have just started to read the second volume of Hans Küng's memoirs. Michael Holroyd reports Lytton Strachey as once saying that discretion is not the better part of biography. Even more so is this the case with...

Last night, a friend emailed me the following quotation, apparently written by one of the gurus of emergent evangelicalism, or whatever it calls itself these days. He is talking about the sacraments, or so I am told: "These rituals are true for us, because they're true for everybody. They unite us...

Logos Software has a couple of great new projects in the works but needs sufficient advance orders to make them viable. These projects are: The Collected Works of John Henry Newman . Newman, as I have argued before on this blog, is singularly important to a correct understanding of nineteenth...

Some time ago on Reformation 21 I recounted certain events from my visit to Italy: the awesome beauty of Rome; the flight to Padua with a delightful Maronite priest; and the scene at the Basilica of Saint Anthony, with dozens of old ladies lining up to kiss the tomb of the dead saint and to pay...

For anyone who may be tempted to be impressed by the Rev. Bell's ability to dodge questions posed by a British interviewer, as flagged by Justin Taylor , don't be. The Dodgemeister is still Michael Howard, former British Home Secretary, interviewed by Jeremy Paxman over his role in the Derek Lewis...

Last week, I had the privilege of speaking to a group gathered under the auspices of the conservative think-tank, the Acton Institute. On the surface, it was an odd moment. Francis Beckwith had mentioned to me some time earlier in the year that Dinesh D'Souza was going to be in my neck of the woods...

While the virtual evangelical world and his brother continue to work towards fever pitch over the headline `Charlie Sheen occasionally broke the speed limit when driving' -- sorry, I mean `Emergent pastor advocates universalism' -- back in the real world of the local church, where the pressing...

Pete Sanlon has brought the following post to my attention. For the American audience, Peter Tatchell is the ultimate in British one-issue politicians. He came to prominence nearly thirty years ago when, as a Labour Party candidate, he was so far to the left that he managed to turn Bermondsey from...

Seeing Colonel Gadaffi clinging desperately to power in Libya has rather taken my mind back to my childhood. You see, the Colonel and I have one odd thing in common: we were both taught English literature by the same man, an upper-class Irishman with a passion for Yeats and Joyce by the name of Joe...

Neil Strauss has a fascinating article over at the WSJ about the number of top pop stars who think that their careers are specially anointed by God as part of his higher purposes. I guess it is indicative of the overall decline in rock music over the years: when I was young, graffiti declared that...

This morning, I received this note Danny Hyde, URC pastor in California: Hello friends, colleagues, and everyone else in between! I am sending this note to almost everyone in my contact list in order to spread an opportunity as far and wide as possible for the sake of Christian missions. As a means...

One of my great hates -- yes, I know, I have so many. Like Cardinal Newman, I am a `great hater,' though while his focused on great personalities, mine focus more on disco music, American "sports,"and pastors of the arts/offshore investments/whatever is the latest trendy thing we are all supposed...

As usual, the Superbowl generates more questions for me than answers. How did a game of one hour develop over time into a game of between three and four hours? Who ever decided that a bunch of predominantly overweight men who stand around doing little other than posing in spandex should come to be...

The Affinity Conference in High Leigh was most enjoyable. All British evangelical life was there. And for me half the fun was catching up with stacks of old friends. Dan Strange, public theologian, began every paragraph with an apologetic `I am not actually an Anglican, although I do teach at Oak...

Over at Tim Challies' place , a minor storm is brewing about whether Bonhoeffer was an evangelical (whatever that might mean) or not. Here are some thoughts: First, I am no Bonhoeffer scholar, but have enjoyed reading him over the years and found him often helpful and always provocatively...

Perhaps only a few American readers will know the name of John Profumo. He was a British conservative MP, and married the actress, Valerie Hobson (Dennis Price's love interest in Kind Hearts and Coronets ). In 1963, as Minister of War, he was caught in a scandal involving a prostitute who had...

Now that things are calming down after all the excitement surrounding Liam Goligher, the latest winner of the UK reality TV show, I'm a Presbyterian, Get Me Out of Here! (in my humble opinion, a far better UK choice for Tenth than either Piers Morgan or that girl who used to be in the Spice Girls...

I just received in the post a copy of Mike Reeves's new book, On Giants' Shoulders: Introducing Great Theologians from Luther to Barth (IVP UK). This is a companion volume to his earlier work, The Breeze of the Centuries , which took the story of theology, via short studies of its greatest...

As I sat with Liam Goligher in my usual breakfast haunt near Philadelpia yesterday, we both speculated as to when the `rats abandoning the sinking ship' theme would emerge in commentary on his potential move from Richmond to Tenth; little did we know that, back in Ealing, Paul was already putting...