Martyrdom and Identity: The Self on Trial

My book is coming out in May, but you can pre-order your copies now! :-)

(It may be cheaper from Amazon than from the publishers).

The cross alone...

This week's DADA article is on the cross.

Imitation article in The Churchman

The Churchman has published my article entitled Imitating Paul, Imitating Christ: How does imitation work as a moral concept?

Lecture on Foxe

Tonight I am giving a lecture on Foxe's Book of Martyrs at the Presbyterian Theological Centre, Sydney as part of their 'Get to Know the Classics' series.

Here's a bit of what I am going to say:

In telling these terrible narratives, Foxe calculated to inspire an outrage in his readers that godly ministers could be so vilely treated. However, Foxe told the vast story of the martyrs of the church like this not merely because he was after an emotive impact (though of course he was), but because he wanted to give the evangelical cause legitimacy. It was legitimacy that it appeared to lack without the authority of the Pope.

But if Foxe could show that the killing of the evangelical martyrs was of the same type as the martyrdoms of the early church, then he could give an immense boost to the English Reformation. The true church of Jesus Christ, if it is like Jesus himself, is a persecuted church. Under Queen Mary, there was no doubt as to which church the more Christ-like (as Foxe saw it).

Foxe drew his inspiration from the book of Revelation. In that book he saw an account of the history of the world that had martyrs at the centre: ‘these are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb’ (Rev 7:14). And it was a book which spoke of a true and false church. Foxe interpreted what he saw as part God’s great providential plan.