Big round up

We're over half way through the month already and I have been rather slow reporting on what's been going on. Sometimes there is so much on that there is not time to write things up.

At the beginning of the month I spoke twice on the Great Ejection of 1662. At the Westminster Fellowship on the first I chiefly worked my way through a work by John Corbet that was written as an apologia for those who were ejected in 1662 (see here). It was good to be with men I know and respect to discuss these important matters. Then on the Saturday (6th) I was at Buckingham Baptist Chapel, Bristol speaking to the Clifton and Bristol Protestant League. This time I covered the persecution that went on, as set out in one of the chapters of the book. There were good sales of the book at both venues so that was good.

On the following Monday I was at the LTS for the Theological Study Group where we were discussing the book The Mission of the church by Kevin de Young and Greg Gilbert. Clearly written, although it is for the American market it says some helpful things regaridng what is mission ans what are good deeds. Worth reading. In the evening there was a committee for the LIP down in Soho, which went off okay. I was at LTS again this Tuesday (16th) for the Board meeting. Everything seems to be going ahead very encouragingly. 

Carlo Crivelli, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The next morning I was down at the National Gallery near Trafalgar Square. I am attending a course of lectures on the history of art and our lecturer had a arranged for an expert to show us five or six renaissance works (Leonardo's Virgin of the Rocks, Crivelli, Titian, etc). Very interesting and informative, though as ever in this country when it came to Bible knowledge there was a slight slip I noticed.

 

On Saturday my father-in-law took us to the Prince of Wales Theatre for Let it be, which was a brilliant Beatles tribute band with knobs on. I liked Two of us best and became more convinced of the merits of While my guitar gentle weeps.

Bristol

I made me a long promised trip to Bristol Baptist College yesterday. I set out nice and early in the sunshine and headed along the familiar route west. My grandmother (nee Hazleton) was born in Bristol and I still have relatives there but I don't know the city at all and have rarely been there. My AA directions were fine and I found the way across to the college easily enough. It is in leafy Clifton near Clifton College. This is not the building that I visited as a teenager on a "Greek class outing" to see the Tyndale Testament. That was sold to the British Library (1994) and they are now in premises new to them. Not an over large building, it has lecture rooms, offices, library, chapel, etc but no accommodation (I think). The students are down now but some youth ministry students were still around.

The purpose of my visit was to consult the Benjamin Beddome materials they have (see my Beddome blog for more on that). The librarian Shirley Shire was very helpful. It was good too to meet honorary archivist Roger Hayden, author of several items on Baptist history including his book Continuity and Change: Evangelical Calvinism among 18th century Baptist Ministers trained at Bristol Baptist Academy, 1690-1791. I was glad to meet him and chat a little and buy a signed copy.

I had to pay for the privilege but given what I was getting plus lunch, free parking and what I saved on the postage with the Hayden book I was quids in except for the petrol to get there. I'll probably need to go again but it was good to see what is actually there.