history
The sword and doctrine: Killing in the name of God?
Michael Haykin
Date posted: 1 Jun 2026
The acceptance by Constantine the Great in 313 of Christianity as a legal religion within the Roman Imperium was a truly revolutionary event.
The New England theologian Jonathan Edwards, in A History of the Work of Redemption, was convinced that Constantine’s “great revolution” was “like Christ’s appearing in the clouds of heaven to save His people and judge the world.” It was, in Edwards’ fulsome words: “the greatest revolution and change in the face of things on the face of the earth that ever came to pass in the world since the flood. Satan, the prince of darkness, that king and god of the heathen world, was cast out; the roaring lion was conquered by the Lamb of God in the strongest dominion that ever he had, even the Roman empire”.
the ENd word
‘Be still and know that I am God’
Femi Adeleye
Date posted: 31 May 2026
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Ps. 46v10)
There is no doubt that we live in an increasingly troubled world. Often, we have hardly come to terms with the turmoil of instability or conflict in some part of the world before our attention is drawn to another. Be it the Israeli and US attacks on Iran that have destabilised various nations in the Middle East that are increasingly expanding to various other parts of the world, or the seemingly ever-present Russia–Ukraine [war], these do not make us forget other trouble spots like the hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan, DR Congo’s conflict with the M23 (March 23 Movement rebel group) or militant attacks and persecution of Christians in Northern Nigeria, just to name a few.
Ten questions with Mark Ellis: 'Union with Christ'
en staff
Date posted: 31 May 2026
Mark is the Chief Executive of Keswick Ministries having previously been a pastor, worked in cross-cultural mission in Asia, and led teams in student ministry.
1. How did you become a Christian?
Martyn Lloyd-Jones and the paradigm of Acts
Adam Ramsey
Date posted: 30 May 2026
This is the fifth and final article in the series written by Adam Ramsey of Liberti Church, Gold Coast, Australia, exploring what we can learn from Martyn Lloyd-Jones today in relation to the Reformed faith and a Scriptural understanding of spiritual experience.
The essays need to be taken together. They are taken from original, yet-to-be published research undertaken by Ramsey for his Doctor of Philosophy thesis. They also, we hope, represent something of the generous- hearted, thoughtful, Biblical approach that en was founded 40 years ago in 1986 to embody.
The 'never-ending novelty' of staying with the same person
Seth Lewis
Date posted: 29 May 2026
Love songs will never go out of fashion. But have you noticed that most love songs are limited to the very first stages of love?
They’re almost always about two specific topics: either the excitement of meeting someone new, or the sadness of breaking up. It’s rare to hear love songs that focus on love in the decades after the "I dos".
The human predicament: The Bible and the Qur’an compared
Andrew Marsay
Date posted: 29 May 2026
My previous articles looked at what the Bible and the Qur’an tell us, firstly about the character of God and his ways of working in the world (en May 2025, online version here), and then their respective diagnoses of what I called the world problematique, or what is the human predicament that Christianity – and Islam – purport to address (en October 2025, online version here).
The first article showed how the Bible’s rich revelatory structure provides the context for its presentation of a God who is actively involved within the warp and woof of human history. In contrast, the Qur’an’s limited historical timeframe and absence of any intergenerational connections, allows no scope for tracing God’s involvement in history.
Handling disagreements in church
Ian Shaw
Date posted: 28 May 2026
There are differences over fundamental truths of the gospel, where the whole question of what defines a Christian is at issue. There also may be failings in the lives and Christian profession of believers. But there also may be differences over matters of personal judgement or behaviour in relations between those who are faithful believers. What may we learn about this kind of problem?
There are two New Testament examples that are of help, one involving two men and another involving two women.
scattering seeds of hope
This question transformed the school run...
Edith Vilamajó Sanchis
Date posted: 28 May 2026
School drop-off and pick-up: the same journey, the same scenery, and the same faces. But those faces – was I actually seeing them? The people I'd see twice every weekday, was I actually looking at them?
This initial question led me to wonder: "What if I could look at these people the way Jesus does?"
Leadership and the danger of unrepentant sin...
Andy Mason
Date posted: 20 May 2026
Spiritual leaders face many tricky circumstances, setbacks and tragedies, but the biggest threat that we leaders ever face is the failings of our own character.
The rather disconcerting thing about spiritual leadership is that every leader contains within themselves the seeds of their own destruction: "...sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you…" (Gen. 4v7).
I preached the gospel in a barn... and people listened
Josh Williamson
Date posted: 20 May 2026
There was a buzz of excited conversation in the air as over 170 people jammed into a barn in the middle of a field in Lancashire.
As the crowd gathered, the barn wasn’t big enough to contain those assembling for a special Friday night meeting. Between the sounds of a cow mooing and the rustle of hay, gospel-saturated songs were sung, followed by preaching. At the end of the message, a call was given for people to repent and trust in Christ – and people responded!
Biblical meekness: The key to good leadership?
Dan Steel
Date posted: 20 May 2026
There is a peculiar kind of exhaustion that comes from living at one end of a tension that was never meant to be resolved.
Christian theology is full of paradoxes that resist easy resolution:
'Even in devastating loss, Iranians are still finding hope'
Rachel Fadipe
Date posted: 18 May 2026
“We know your hearts are beating for Iran,” one viewer wrote to us recently. “These days more than ever we need your spiritual support, encouragement and solidarity.”
These words arrived during one of the darkest moments many Iranians have faced in recent years. As Iran and the Strait of Hormuz dominate world headlines again this week, the outside world is focused on missiles and diplomacy. Inside Iran, another crisis has been unfolding.
You need deep, gospel-centred relationships
Alistair Chalmers
Date posted: 15 May 2026
We live in the most connected generation in history, yet many people have never felt more alone.
We can message hundreds of people instantly, follow thousands online, and remain constantly updated on each other’s lives, but still lack genuine friendship.
‘A sense of His presence’ - ten questions with James Burnett
en staff
Date posted: 15 May 2026
James Burnett is the Principal and CEO of Belfast School of Theology (BST). Married to Hazel, James is also an amateur sailor, triathlete (see photo) and open-water swimmer.
1. How did you become a Christian?
To save humanity, we must return to humility!
James Burnett
Date posted: 13 May 2026
Jesus says: "The meek shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5). But how realistic is this Sermon on the Mount prediction for the contemporary scene?
The stage-boards of world power creak under the hefty tread of “strong men” (Donald Trump AI-imaged himself as Jesus on Truth Social and later eschewed messianic similarities as fake news); the tech industry is supine to Elon Musk who is the richest person on earth with possibly a genius IQ and certainly a hedonistic outlook; while primary school children in the UK are taught the three “s's” of western success: self-interest, self-reliance, and self-promotion.
scattering seeds of hope
When women encounter freedom in Christ
Anna Heydon
Date posted: 12 May 2026
Through their relationships with Jesus, many women in our church have experienced a new freedom and confidence to become who God created them to be.
This is hardly surprising when we consider how Jesus Himself treated women.
pastoral care
‘Are you impatient with me?’
Andrew Collins
Date posted: 12 May 2026
“Are you getting impatient with me?” The question was pointed. There was clearly something in my tone that betrayed my feelings!
Much as I tried to cover it with a veneer of kindness, my true attitude was escaping through the cracks. We’d walked this conversation many times. My friend was feeling a familiar sense of being overwhelmed at life, and was expressing worry, fear and catastrophe.
Not cessationist, not charismatic: The nuance of Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Adam Ramsey
Date posted: 11 May 2026
This is the fourth in a series of articles written by Adam Ramsey of Liberti Church, Gold Coast, Australia, exploring what we can learn from Martyn Lloyd-Jones today in relation to the Reformed faith and a Scriptural understanding of spiritual experience.
The essays, of which there are five in total, need to be taken together. They are taken from original, yet- to-be published research undertaken by Ramsey for his Doctor of Philosophy thesis. They also, we hope, represent something of the generous-hearted, thoughtful, Biblical approach that en was founded 40 years ago in 1986 to embody. Next month: “The Book of Acts as paradigmatic in the theology of Martyn Lloyd-Jones.” While there are a number of ways in which the pneumatology of Lloyd-Jones bears similarities to elements of charismatic theology, it would be a category-error to label him as a Pentecostal or a Charismatic – either in theology or in practice – according to the ways in which those terms were understood during his lifetime.
Eastern Orthodoxy & evangelicals
Eastern Orthodoxy & evangelicals: An iconic moment?
Ken Brownell
Date posted: 10 May 2026
I begin this occasional series on Eastern Orthodoxy by taking a look at icons. Icons are perhaps the thing that most non-Orthodox people associate with Orthodoxy.
Flat and two-dimensional images of saints, the Virgin Mary (often referred to as the Theotokos or Mother of God in Orthodoxy) and Jesus Christ, icons can be seen in Orthodox homes but most prominently in Orthodox churches. There they are placed on the walls, but are most concentrated on what is called the iconostasis, which is the screen in the church before and behind which the liturgy is conducted.
