Blog
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The greatest thing that can happen to any human soul
In February 1931, the thoughts of the then Archbishop of York, Devon-born William Temple, put love in its most sacred context. He was conducting a mission on 8 successive evenings in St Mary’s church, Oxford. On the sixth evening,...
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Miles Coverdale: how to read the Bible
One bishop of Exeter who particularly deserves to be remembered is Miles Coverdale (1487-1569) who, in 1535, completed the first translation of the whole Bible into English. When Thomas Cromwell, King Henry VIII’s principal adviser, drew the king’s attention to...
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The greatest thing that can happen to any human soul
In February 1931, the thoughts of the then Archbishop of York, Devon-born William Temple, put love in its most sacred context. He was conducting a mission on 8 successive evenings in St Mary’s church, Oxford. On the sixth evening,...
Continue reading this entry → -
The lively Oracles of God
420 years ago, in January 1604, some months after coming to England (having worn the crown of Scotland for 37 years), King James I called a conference of church people and theologians at Hampton Court Palace. The organisers of the...
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Pray for the peace of Jerusalem
The first Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem, Michael Solomon Alexander (1799 – 1843), was the second son of Prussian Rabbi Alexander Wolff. He was born in Schönlanke in Prussia (now Trzcianka, Poland). From the age of seven, he was taught the...
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Hudson Taylor’s breakdown
I wrote recently on this site about James Hudson Taylor (1832–1905) who founded the China Inland Mission (now OMF International). I described him as ‘a man of indomitable faith and great personal devotion’, and recalled how his son, Howard,...
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Hudson Taylor: Praying and working
James Hudson Taylor (1832–1905) founded the China Inland Mission (now OMF International). Having studied and trained in medicine at the London hospital in Whitechapel, he responded to God’s call to be a missionary in 1849 and sailed for China...
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Loud organs, his glory
It was reported in July that archaeologists at Exeter Cathedral had made some exciting new discoveries from their investigation in the Quire area of the 900-year-old building. Experts at the site said they were now certain they had uncovered the foundations of the...
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Feeding on Christ by faith
Visiting Switzerland this summer I reminded myself of the work of Swiss reformers. Much theological controversy in the sixteenth century concerned the nature of the Lord’s Supper. Roman Catholic doctrine taught the sacrifice of the mass and the real...
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A story of gas and a beech tree
Dentists have been using nitrous oxide gas for over a hundred and fifty years to help relieve dental anxiety in patients. It was still common when I was a child. However, in recent years there has been a shift...
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