Pascal at the PA

Yesterday, I was back at the Pastor's Academy perhaps for the last time. I was at the reading group leading a discussion of a new biography of Blaise Pascal by Graham Tomlin. The book is a fine piece of work and appears to give a full and fair description and assessment of the giant and genius that is Pascal. The below were written to provoke discussion, whuch they did. They plan to look at Oilgrim's Progress next, September 7.

Pastors Academy Reading Group April 27 2026 [GB]

Blaise Pascal, the man who made the modern world by Graham Tomlin [H & S 2025]

Impressions? Did you enjoy it? What did you know of P beforehand? Can we trust Tomlin?

Intro [1-8] Does Tomlin oversell P? Did P anticipate postmodernism?

1 Great Century [9-36] How necessary is this chapter, how helpful? Is P an enigma [13]?

2/3 Majesty of Science [37-59]/Weighing the Air [60-73] Do these chapters help us with the science versus religion debate? What are the differences between P and Descartes? Would it be better today if scientists were more open to changing their minds if the evidence suggests it? [63] Do “Science & theology require different methods”? [72] If so, why? “It is the heart that perceives God not the reason”; true? [72]

4 Nothing Is Certain [74-96] Any libertins or honnete hommes today? What are the differences between P and Montaigne? How did they see death similarly/differently? Where did they differ on attitudes to self? What about man's insignificance/right responses to the human condition? 'What do I know?' or 'What do I do?' [95]

5 Children of Port-Royal [97-123] Is there an argument for sometimes abstaining from communion? What about retreats? [102] What about contrition and attrition? [112] What about pre-communion self-examination? [113] Does Chapter 5 help us on the matter of living out “the spiritual life in the middle of the world”? [121] What about providence – eg P not marrying, escaping his crazy uncle, etc? [120, 122]

6 Night of Fire [124-149] Is there a place for burying a talent? What do you make of P's “second conversion”? How does it compare with Descartes' story? Is it anti-physical at all?

7 Two Champions [150-168] Who are the two champions; what difference does P highlight under their names? Are Protestants far too confident that they, they alone, know the true meaning of the Bible? [159] Is sceptical dogmatism/dogmatic scepticism the right way to think?

8 Demented, Heretical or Jansenist? [169-196] What do we say to the five propositions? Is God a capricious despot moving pawns around? [172] Is there a blurring of Church and world today and will instruction put things right? [174] Were Jansenists Calvinists in disguise? [175; 112/3, 185] Would an entirely different approach help us perhaps? Does ridicule have a place? [176] Is there more of a need for popular writing? [178] Are there things to discuss here about use of technology/ persecution? What about the Jesuit views considered in letters 5 & 7? What do you make of the discussion of grace 186-191? Are both Jesuits and Jansenists wrong? Is it true to say heresy is often driven by an apologetic agenda, the Jesuits being a prime example? [192/3] Was P a Jansenist?

9 Hidden God [197-220] P speaks of the force of truth; a useful phrase? [197] What of his commitment to Romanism? [198] “P was always a too big and independent a mind and a character to fit ...” True or false? If true, good or bad? [199] Ridicule and eloquence might amuse but do not convert – discuss [201] Is the idea of God being hidden useful [202]? “True miracles can never be performed by anyone … to confirm an error” Is that a biblical position? [206] Are false miracles a proof there are true ones? [207] Do people believe miracles or not on the strength of evidence or what's in their hearts? [208] Is this helpful on the incarnation? [209, 220] Is P's doubt over creation's power to convert right? [212] It provides “too much to deny and too much to prove”; true? [213] “... he must see enough to know that he has lost him ...” Useful? [217]

10 Cleopatra’s Nose [221-244] Is P helpful on politics? Did the Jansenists act Jesuitically? [243]

11 Distracting Ourselves to Death [245-267] P was not content with conventional wisdom; is that a good thing? [251] What of P's struggle to balance his love of maths, etc and his love for God? [255] Is P helpful on distraction? Why is the most pleasure in the chase? [260] How do Montaigne and P differ on happiness? What about the long quotation 263?

12 Christianity Is Strange [268-293] Was P pre-suppositionalist? [275] How do we learn to love people? [276/7] Is P's order of arguing his case good? How do we escape thinking only of the past and future? [287] What about the problem of self-deception? Do we need to learn that we are monsters? [289] Is the observation top of 292 about Adam true and helpful? Is Christianity strange?

13 Make It Attractive [294-317] Is it right to say that simply piling up rational arguments for faith is a mistake? [299] What about “All those contradictions which seemed to take me furthest from the knowledge of any religion are what led me most directly to the true religion”? [302] How important is it to stress that we need a Redeemer? [303] What about his approach to Islam and the Old Testament? And the centrality of Jesus Christ? [308] Is the realisation that revelation is paradoxically hidden a helpful insight? [309] “Despite its total implausibility”? [310] The importance of the cross? What about pages 316, 317?

14 Spinning Coin at the Edge of the Universe [318-342] Atheism – not a bad argument but a bad gamble?? [332] What about the power of habit? [334] Confirmation bias?? [336] Three ways to believe? [340]

15 Hate Your Self [343-364] Does P define conversion well? [343] The competitive, deceiving, divided, trivial self and the remedy? The right balance in hating self?

16 If You Only Had a Week to Live [365-388] What do we make of P and his critics?

The Great Divorce and Miracles C S Lewis

We had another book session at the seminary on Monday (May 12 2025). Every third book we choose is supposed to be a classic and so we went this time for C S Lewis. For some reason we went for two - the brief Great Divorce and the longer Miracles.

I was given a copy of TGD when I was younger and a bit more literalistic. Lewis says clearly it is a fantasy not a cosmology of heaven and hell but I couldn't cope, especially with the apparent to-ing and fro-ing between the two. Hopefully, I am more mature now and could see the points being made. The title is a deliberate play on words and ideas, referencing William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. For Blake good and evil, Heaven and Hell, are ultimately reconciled or intertwined. Lewis strongly rejects such ideas. Hence divorce, a total and eternal separation between good and evil, Heaven and Hell. For Lewis, there can be no blending of the two; souls must ultimately choose one or the other. There is a final, irreconcilable break between those who accept joy, truth,and God (Heaven) and those who cling to self-deception, pride or sin (Hell).

Miracles is a more demanding read and takes a long time to get to the main subject, though those final two chapters are helpful. (Sadly, Lewis was unprepared to defend Old Testament miracles in the same way that he does NT ones).

I guess our group reponse was a typical evangelical one. Wow, what insights but how dangerous he can be at times. I Bought my copies in a slip case with five others at a bargain price. Next time in September, it is John Mak Comer's popular Practicing the Way.

Engaging With Thomas Aquinas

On Monday we met at the Pastors Academy in Finchley once again for our reading group. Our subject was Leonardo De Chirco's book on engaging with Aquinas. I was leading so I'll reproduce the questions I prepared below. About ten of us met. We were all quite favourable towards the book which we found helpful though not essential. We decided next time to look at a couple of C S Lewis books.

Questions

How much did you know about Aquinas before reading the book? Have you read any of his work? What did you think of de Chirico's book? Who would benefit best from it?

Introduction 1-11 Are you aware of the evangelical love story with Thomas? (5) How would you answer the five questions on page 6? (“What should we make of this entire discussion? … ie sifting what is good and rejecting what is deviant?”) Also a sixth question as we move on to page 7?

1 The life and work of Thomas Aquinas 12-31 How do you tend to think of the Middle Ages? Is your ultimate goal to see God or to love him? Which is most important - the true or the good? (18) Why is Thomas better remembered than Bonaventure? (19-21) What do you make of Thomas's 1273 mystical experience? (25) How impressive is 8 million words? (26) [Dickens – 4.6m, Shakespeare – 884,000, Bible – 780,000]

2 Sources and synthesis of Thomas Aquinas's thought 32-67 Does a good theologian need a good knowledge of science? (33) Was Thomas's use of Aristotle a theologically compromised use of the Christian faith? (34) Is Aristotle of any use to us? Are some truths of faith accessible to reason? (38) What do you think of Thomas's five attitudes to the Word? (42) Have the inspired apostles and prophets ever said anything contrary to the dictates of natural reason? (44) Did Thomas understand justification by faith? Did he understand total depravity? Is the exitus-reditus motif of any use? (55-57) How do we relate nature and revelation? (59) What do you make of Thomas's five arguments for God? (62) Was Thomas too optimistic? (65-67)

3 Roman Catholic appropriations: from veneration to magisterial affirmation 68-93 Should the accrued venerations of medieval spirituality towards Thomas affect our attitude to him? Is there a Protestant equivalent to Thomas ie someone accepted as the standard representation of Protestantism? How important is the difference between Thomas and Thomism? What is the significance of the legend of the Summa and the Bible? (76) Is Thomas useful to Protestants in proving the incompatibility of Rome and the Reformation? (78) What is wrong with John of St Thomas's approach to Thomas? (80) Why did Thomistic trends from Trent onwards provide the best apologetics for the Roman status quo intellectually and symbolically? (81) What can you learn from Rome's opposition to modernism? (84) What is the significance of Pope Pius XI's 1923 encyclical? (85) “The irony was… neo-Thomism... built a… system that, to fight against the Enlightenment, ended up assimilating the rationalistic outlook of its plausibility structures.” Discuss. (86) What about Thomas's “theological guide” status? (89) Is de Chirico right to note the lack of reference to Protestant theologians in FR? (91) Is the reference to Thomas's Mariolatry significant? (92, 93)

4 Protestant readings of Thomas: circling around evangelical eclecticism 94-124 What are the implications of Schaff's statement? (94) Which approach to Thomas is best – that of Luther (95-100) Calvin (101) Zanchi, Dorsche (102, 103) Bucer, Vermigli (105ff) Melanchthon, etc (109) Turretin and Owen (110ff)?? What about Kuyper's approach? (114) and Bavinck (116ff) and Van Til and Schaeffer (119ff)? How about A Vos and Geisler (121ff)? Can and should evangelicals learn a great deal from Thomas? (123) Was Thomas a Proto-Reformer? (123)

5 Legacy and critical issues… contours... trajectories of Thomas's architectural thought 125-158 Are people naturally open to God? (125ff) Does grace scrap nature or bring it to perfection? (128) How important is it to distinguish common and special grace? (131, 135) How important is what is said about the development of the understanding of nature and grace by Rome? Where does general revelation sit in your theology?Any remarks on what is said about Vatican II? (145-149) Does Christianity need Greek philosophy? Is Bavinck's comment helpful? (150-153) “Updating without changing” – how well does that seem to sum up Romanism? (157)

6 Thomas Aquinas for evangelicals today 159-172 What colour hat for Thomas? (159) Can an evangelical be a Thomist? (160) Thomas on the doctrine of God: Frame or Trueman? (161-164) Can de Chirico's principles be improved, modified, increased? (165-172) Have you been avoiding conversation with Thomas? What is the significance of his having an integrated system? (169) Did you expect more reference to Sproul and apologetics? (171) Are you being mature about this?

Day Off Week 3 2025

More of a traditional day off this week after holidays and Carey in the first two weeks. It was unsual in that I have agreed to lead a discussion at the Pastors Academy on January 27 so I needed to finish the book and draw uo a set of questions which took up my morning. The book is by Leonardo de Chirico and is an introduction to Thomas Aquinas for evangelicals. This meant I had to postpone my walk on the Heath until the afternoon but I managed to get it done by sundown. Bumped into George Platt pastor of neighbouring Highgate Road Chapel with his new baby, Teddy. In the evening we watched the first two Silent Witnesses of the new season. It's an odd programme, quite pro-life in its own way.

Rumours of a Better Country

I was back at the Pastors Academy in Finchley on Monday for the reading group. This current book didn't draw the crowds as the book last time did but there were 9 or 10 of us and we enjoyed talking through the book  Rumours of a better country by veteran traveller and Schaefferite March Moyle. we all agreed that the book is rather quirky and a little hard to get into but felt that a willingness to stick with it bore fruit in time. The book looks at the ten commandments ina fresh and interesting way, as an apologetic directed at the interested unbeliever. Mostyn Roberts (no stranger to things Schaefferian) chaired. Next time we are back to Rosaria Butterfield and her book Five lies of our anti-Christian age. We meet next September.

Pride at the PA

We had a bumper turn out at the reading group at the Pastors Academy in Finchley last Monday. We must have been around 16 and had to remove from the Library to the Lecture room where there is more space. Spencer Cunnah chaired. The book under consideration was Matthew Roberts' book on the whole subject of culture's obsession with identity. Many were quite positive about the book but several, nevertheless, felt a little nervous in places. It was hard to tease this out really but we were generally agreed that the approach to homosexuality that has dominated the evangelical scene needs refuting as this book does. Anyway very stimulating. We will meet again in May, God willing, when we will look at Rumours of a better country by Marsh Moyle.

Two Books on the Lord's Supper

Up at the Pastors Academy recently for the reading group. The main book this time was a beautifully presented volume of reflections on Baptist sacramental church history by Michael Haykin Amidst us our beloved stands. This was supplemented by a brief work on similar subjects from Robert Letham covering the same ground and other matters. Both books take the Calvinist view so popular at present and oppose the so-called  Zwinglian memorialist view. The books strengthened me in my Zwinglian convictions (if that's what they are) despite themselves. About a dozen of us met to discuss the subjects raised in the books and athough most appeared to be Calvinist many of Letham's statements, such as those on John 6, were questioned. A good time.

The last two Mondays

I suppose it has been a busy time to some extent recently. We had our son and his family here for a few days at one point and we visited the natural history museum with them. I had a zoom committee meeting about the work in Cranford on January 26. On February 1 we had our first fraternal walk of the year on the Heath. Only four of us. I have also started some baptism classes for our Iranian friends. Then I have also been busy on the last two Mondays in different ways.

Firstly, on Monday Jan 23, I spoke on zoom for the Evangelical Library on Samson Occom and his time in Britain which I am also serialising as articles in In writing, It is a very interesting story and I hope I was able to get it over. A recording is available from the Library. We also had a Library committee on zoom in the afternoon.

Secondly, on Monday Jan 30, I was up at the Pastors Academy for the latst reading grop. We looked at Mez McConnell's book The leat, the last and the lost. We had a bumper turn out. No-one was entirely satisfied with it but most were more willing to give it consideration than I was. I was put off by the amouont of pagan sociology the book contains. I suppose I should see past that and benefit from the content. Hard to do sometimes. Next time we will be looking, God willing, at Michael Haykin's Amidst us our beloved stands.

Godly Conversation

After a long, long break the Theological Reading Group that is under the umbrella of The Pastors Academy met under the chairmanship of Brad Franklin to look at the book Gdly conversation by Joanne J Jung. The book is a converted PhD thesis subitled rediscovering the Puritan practice of conference. Five of us gathered. It would have been nice to have more. We agreed that the book has some peculiarites, most due to the demands on PhD students but the basic point that conversation under God can be a means of grace was accepted and it would be good to do what can be done to promote that idea. We plan to meet again in January to look at Mex McConell's doorstopper The Least, The Last, and The Lost.

Last Things First

Back up to the Pastors' Academy today for the latest meeting of the reading group. The book was J V Fesko's Last things first. The book basically says let's forget the arguments over creation (paradovically doing more to inflame them rather than dampen them down) and let's see what we can learn about exchatology and the sweep of Scripture. He looks at Man in the Image of God, the Garden-Temple of Eden (ala Greg Beale), the Covenant of Works (Which is how he understandds Adam in the Garden), shadows & types of the Second Adam, the Work of the Second Adam and the Sabbath. Seven of us were present including a lady from East London there for the first time. We weregerally happy with Fesko without accepting every jot and tittle. Keith Holmes led us. Next time we will go for Craig Carter's Interpreting Scripture with the Great Tradition: Recovering the Genius of Premodern Exegesis.

Meynell When Darkness Seems

The latest reading group at the Pastor's Academy was on Monday. We tackled Mark Meynell's book on depression in ministry. There were about six of us, including a new recruit from south of the river. I was chairing. We were generally happy with the book although we thought some of it was strange and found it difficult to think who exactly we might pass it on to. Depression is a difficult subject, of course, and the good thing is that someone has bravely tacked the subject in relation to ministry. I liked this quotation on Pages 178, 179

The people who scare me most are the leaders who admit no weakness. They are either living in a super-spiritual fog without self-awareness ... or they wish they could admit it, but are too scared of the repercussions in over-critical and graceless church cultures, and so, perhaps, over-compensate by polishing the facade of ‘sortedness’... or they are plain old hypocrites. As someone once put it, never trust a leader without a limp. How else can any of us be brought to the end of ourselves enough to be forced to throw ourselves on God’s mercy? We’re all too proud ... by nature. But a limp is hard to hide - and, in fact, does not need to be hidden ... leaders who limp are those who are weak and know it, but are not threatened by it. They have no alternative but to trust God. They know they cannot manage on their own; they simply don’t have it in them. And yet still they lead, and even thrive. For that only God can take credit. That is how it was always meant to be for anyone in Christian ministry.

We meet again in the Autumn to look at F V Fesko's Last things first.

Calvin's Company of Pastors

On Monday I was at the Pastors Academy once again. Rather busy there as the Lloyd-Jones Library is being refurbished following a flood and the ThM  students were there for a module so the reading group ended up in the chapel. Seven of us, led by Brad Franklin, discussed Scott Manetsch's Calvin and the company of pastors. The book is absolutely brilliant and well worth getting hold of. See here. It is well written and yet scholarly with a large chunk of endnotes. It teaches you more about Calvin, which we need to know but going from 1536-1609 it partly fills in that haziness that takes us from Calvin to the Puritans. It scotches the Calvin and the Calvinist idea and is also full of nice anecdotes, which always helps. (eg Claude Griffat suspended for calling his dog Calvin; Calvin seizing a man who had pocketed communion bread during the Lord's supper, Jean Saddo who gave his minister his cow;s eyeball for soem reason, etc). It is very useful for thinking through pastoral work too. Geneva was sadly wedded to the church state ideas of the past but if you can see beyond that there is a lot to learn. Next time we plan to look at Archibald Alexander's Thoughts on religious experience, January 21, 2019.

The Benedict Option

There was a quite a buzz about Rod Dreher's Benedict Option a year or so ago and on Monday our little group that gathers at the Pastors Academy in North London from time to time met to discuss it. As you might expect there was some antipathy to a book by a former Catholic Orthodox fellow who is basically advoccating that we learn from a Mediaeval monk. We tried to see past that and found many things in the book of interest. What struck me about the book was that it really contains nothing new. People have been speaking about it being a post-Christian situation at least since Schaeffer and the suggested answers - more community living, Christian education (not even the classical education idea is new), greater commitment, etc are also not new. If you have not read it you are not missing much but if this paragraph gets you curious it is worth getting a cheap copy or a paperback or borrowing one.

Next time

Calvin's Company of Pastors: Pastoral Care and the Emerging Reformed Church, 1536-1609 (Oxford Studies in Historical Theology) Oxford Studies in Historical Theology by Scott M Manetsch.

Mondays in February

Mondays in February are being spent in ministerial studies. On February 5 I was in Westminster Baptist Church for the first Westminster Fellowship of the year. We had invited Peter Sanlon to speak on the Trinity, which he did in a very well informed and helpful way. One member of the fraternal is particularly concerned about the whole matter of the subordination of the Son which is a doctrine that is easy to mis-state. He wasn't sure even of Sanlon's own stance, though that appeared to be a little unfair. A very stimulating day. Pity there were not more of us.

Then last Monday (February 11) I was at the Seminary for our latest TSG meeting discussing Owen on Apostasy. We had elected to use the Banner paperback abridged and edited by R J K Law. You obviously lose something but it is a lot easier to read. We all agreed that Owen has done a very thorough job and has some interesting things to say on the subject. Nicely led by Brad Franklin.

Then next Monday (February 19) I am speaking at the Evangelical Library on David Brainerd. Do come and join us if you can.

Martin Luther Renegade and Prophet

Back in July last year, I bought a copy of Lyndal Roper's biography of the great Reformer. I really got into it early on but then put it down but I picked it up again more recently when we decided to do it at The Pastors' Academy Reading Group.

For various reasons numbers were down and only four of us gathered to discuss the book at our meeting yesterday. It's always good to talk over a book, however, and it was interesting to see what others thought. We agreed that it was a very readable and thorough book that gives a rounded picture of Luther - the good, the bad and the ugly. We were in agreement that no-one could really read this book and come away thinking Luther was some sort of plaster saint.

Be warned that some of the imagery, content and language in this book is outside the usual remit of evangelical publishing.

We were most dismayed at his advocacy of secret bigamy and some of his other advice on marriage and divorce and his manic insistence on the real presence, not to mention his magisterialism and his attitude to the Jews.

One thing we could not agree on is how well Dr Roper understands Luther.

Do get hold of the book if you want a very thorough treatment of the man that we're all talking about this month.

We will meet again in the new year, God willing and look at a book from the past. The exact tome is to be decided.

The Whole Christ

We had a bumper turn out (quite a contrast to last time) for the latest reading group gathering at The John Owen Centre. It was especially good to have three Americans present (having three Welshmen there is also good, it goes without saying - and the Englishmen, of course) especially as two of them have had visa problems recently. The book this time was Sinclair Ferguson's The whole Christ his study based on the Marrow controversy, the Marrow men and Thomas Boston. It is not a history book but a work of pastoral theology of the very highest quality. It deals with antinomianism, legalism and assurance; is well written and the footnotes are packed with information. We all liked it, although it is safe to say that some of us were more enthusiastic than others. Our (probably) best read group member was only positive, nothing more. Anyway, I do urge you to get a copy and read it. I want to read my copy again and drink in all the gems scattered about within.

Simply God

It was good to be at the John Owen Centre again today for our regular TSG. Our book this time was Simply God by Peter Sanlon. The book defends the traditional view of the doctrine of God and the importance of systematic theology, emphasising the simplicity of God. The book interacts with various recent ideas such as Open Theism and the high view of the Trinity promoted by Colin Gunton and others. Seven of us, mostly ministers, met to discuss the book. Mostyn Roberts kindly led. We were pretty sympathetic although we sometimes found it hard to accept all his statements, fearing at times that his penchant for Thomas Aquinas had grown too strong.

Something must be known and felt

I have recently been reading Stuart Olyott's book Something must be known and felt and last Monday led a discussion group on the book up at the John Owen Centre. We were a good number (about eight). I had been a little nervous as although I'm a big fan of Dr Olyott I found myself disagreeing with things he says in this book quite a bit. We are a fairly diverse group and I thought maybe someone would have been more enthusiastic than I am. As it turned out we were pretty uniform in our reaction. We all agreed that this book or something like it needed to be written and we did accept that it goes some way to setting out some of the things we think are being forgotten. However, we were also agreed that this is not quite the book we have been waiting for. The book is written in a fairly generalised way not wanting to get bogged down in detail and ends up making sweeping statements and assertions that are hard to substantiate (for example, the idea that Luther was clearly mistaken and taught that the Word does it all). No-one was entirely happy with the Edwardsean understanding of the soul and none of us were happy with the penultimate chapter about the prayer of faith. So, a flawed book but inching towards some sort of a defence of Calvinistic Methodism or Experiential Calvinism, whatever you want to call it.

The Confessions A biography

Our reading group at the John Owen Centre looked at Augustine's Confessions the other week and I bought this little book in the series Lives of great religious books. First, let me say what a nice book it is to handle - a properly bound hardback with clear print. I think Mr Wills is a Roman Catholic but he seeks to be objective and so this does not intrude too much. What you get is a helpful analysis of the contents of this Christian classic, along with some idea of the history of the scholarship with regard to it and something on its origins and subsequent reception. I found this an enjoyable and stimulating work. The fresh analysis of the famous conversion was interesting. It is perhaps how surprising how evangelicals rightly or wrongly are able to see it in a light that appears to be obscure to other observers.

Christologia

Started the week at the John Owen Centre for the reading group. Under our new chairman, Spencer Cunnah, there were six of us regulars plus three students, currently on placement. We were looking at John Owen's superlative Christologia which I had dipped into previously but never read through. As ever, I left my reading a bit late so was rushing through it at the end, not the best way to read Owen. Someone made the point that you need to read for a while and once you're in the groove it gets easier, which is probably right.

It is one of his later works and so he often vaguely refers you to previous writings. He covers the basic doctrines of Christ's person and his intercessory work with warmth and precision. We were all amazed at the depth of theology on offer here, even if we all found it a little difficult to get at because of the style. It is in Volume 1 of his works (see above). There are plenty of copies online and you can get a kindle edition at  a small price. It really could do with being simplified and presented in a modern annotated and indexed form. Anyone interested?