Teaching for today

Archbishop Cranmer's reforms in the Church of England led Christianity in this country in a direction that we still benefit from today. He came into office at a time of great uncertainty, but managed to push the Church towards embracing the great doctrines of the reformation. Gordon Murray shows that while Cranmer's work had a profound impact in many areas, his ultimate concern was the proclamation of justification by faith alone.

One of Victorian Britain's most prominent evangelical preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon believed firmly that the Bible applied to all of life and to the nation. His life and teaching reflects a conviction that Christians should be an influence for good in the way society is governed. Tim Curnow offers an important insight into the work and influence of a man who sought to "draw politics up into the light and power of Christ".

In this lecture Robert McCollum unlocks what it means to apply the Christian faith to all of life. He helpfully outlines the 'robust theology' that will lead believers to applying a consistent worldview to their lives.

From modest gentleman farmer to great soldier and statesman, Oliver Cromwell consistently trusted in God's mercy and providence in spite of the political tumult of his times. He often cuts an ambivalent figure in British history, suffering from popular misrepresentations of the Puritans as gloomy killjoys. However, Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones has celebrated the period of his Protectorate as "one of the most glorious" in English history. After Cromwell, Parliament gained a status it had never had before.

How is the Lord Jesus fully God and fully man? This controversy raged in the 5th Century and was answered at the Council of Chalcedon by addressing the two natures of Christ. His deity and humanity were declared to exist "without confusion, without change, without division, without separation".This not only helps us in our thinking about Christ but should also elevate our understanding of what it means to be human and teach us how we should live out our lives in the world.

The fall of Rome in 410 saw the world many people thought was unshakable, collapse. In light of this, Augustine of Hippo wrote about the city that would never be destroyed – the City of God. In outlining human history as a conflict between the City of God and the City of the World, Augustine presents the true church of Christ as being independent from any place or state. Civic peace in the earthly city can help to further the City of God. But even those who dwelt within the City of God would still face trials and tribulations, until the return of Christ.

Irenaeus is regarded by some as the founder of apologetics. He was a 2nd Century Bishop of Lyons and was the first great theologian of the patristic age. His most renowned work, Against Heresies, is a defence of the orthodox Christian faith and an attack on the heresies of the day. Irenaeus was resolute in his beliefs but in his style of reasoning he actively sought to persuade and convince people of the truth.

The tombstone of Athanasius read 'Athanasius contra mundum' – Athanasius against the world. Athanasius made a solitary stand in the 4th Century in defending the truth that Jesus Christ was fully God. As a result he was repeatedly exiled from the city of which he was bishop, but Athanasius continued to show remarkable faithfulness and perseverance in the face of almost total opposition.

We have available to us the inerrant, authoritative and complete Word of God, so of what benefit to us are church creeds? Many battles against error have been fought down through the ages of church history. These battles have often been resolved by the drawing up of statements of sound doctrine. But how should we approach and value these ancient creeds in the modern world, especially in relation to Scripture?

In a fallen world how is it that unbelieving men and women are capable of great acts of kindness, can experience a measure of joy and happiness, and possess wonderful skills and talents? What should Christian believers think about this? How should these things affect the way we relate to our unbelieving neighbours and friends? The doctrine of common grace powerfully explains the world we live in.