Articles by Carl Trueman

I have spent most of my life connected in some sense to Rome. At school and then at university, I was a Classics man. I preferred Greek tragedy to Roman comedy; but when it came to history, politics, poetry and oratory, I was a Rome man. continue

It is always a great pleasure to hear from my old friend, Paul Helm, even when I am being gently rebuked and corrected. The matter on which we lock horns here is, of course, of more than mere academic interest to us, since he and I are both products of the Anglo-Welsh evangelical world which was shaped so profoundly by the events of 1966. continue

Some weeks ago a friend forwarded me a link to the blog of an American Christian academic. Now, at the risk of protesting too much, I must stress that I don't read blogs - I really don't read blogs - unless, that is, they are sent to me by someone else. continue

Anyone who has ever emigrated as an adult to a foreign country will tell you that, while the physical process of moving can be dispatched in a relatively short period of time, the emotional and cultural transition takes much longer and probably never quite comes to an end. For me, the distance from family was difficult at times, but at least it was something that I knew would be part and parcel of the deal. continue

It has been a good couple of months for the celebrating of life at memorial services. First, there was the celebration of Michael Jackson's life and then there was Ted Kennedy, enfant terrible turned elder statesman. Both men, in their different ways, were proof positive that, in modern America, you only need to love your own kids and then at some point die in order to atone for any sins you may have committed against other people's beloved sons and daughters. continue

Over the last few months, I have been asked in numerous contexts what I think about the young, restless and reformed (YRR) movement(s) described in Collin Hansen's book of the same name. I did do a quasi -review of this book some time ago, in which I argued that the existence of the movement seemed to indicate that all the hype surrounding the emergent business was probably overwrought and that there was no need for complete panic in Reformed circles. continue

Recently, a friend quoted John Kennedy to me: `To lead is to choose.' It is not a quotation that I have been able to verify, but whether Kennedy said it or not, it is surely a piece of brilliant insight into the nature of leadership. continue

Years ago, I tried (and by general consent failed) to develop as my party trick an impersonation of the Hollywood actor, Christopher Walken. When I donned his identity, I just said the one line: "I'm going to hurt you." continue

One question that I have now been asked more times than I care to remember is "How do you cope with all the nastiness that's come your way on the internet over the last few years?" The answer is pretty simple: it generally doesn't come my way because I generally don't read it. continue

That's when it all started to go wrong. I do not know if you have ever tried to `inclusivise,' `unmarginalise' or `deoppresionise' on the fly, so to speak, but it is not that easy, as the gentlemen was about to demonstrate in spades. continue