Dr. David Allen
IN 1792
As a historian I have always been fascinated with dates. It probably seems daft, but when the girl at the checkout tells us what it all comes to, I translate the “damage” into a date in history. If she tells us it comes to £17.89 I think of the French Revolution; and if it is £ 15.09, then that is, of course, when Henry VIII came to the throne. I am just waiting till it comes to £10.66!
I am cheating here because to my knowledge it has never yet come to £17.92; but for me it was an important date in the history of the Church, even though the French Revolution was in the throes of mass execution of the aristocrats there and Christianity was banned for a time and replaced by the worship of Reason.
In1792 three important personages saw the light of day: Edward Irving; John Keble and C.G. Finney. Though they were very different, all three of them made significant contributions to Church life and doctrine.
Both Keble and Finney became famous – Keble as the writer of a famous collection of hymns and the founder of the influential Anglo-Catholic wing of the Church of England and Finney as arguably the most effective evangelist of the nineteenth century. Sad to say, Edward Irving was more notorious than famous in his day, though now he is being hailed as a pioneer of Pentecostalism and a theologian of some importance.
The “problem” with Irving’s theology was twofold: he believed that spiritual gifts had never ceased; and he believed that Jesus’ human nature was “fallen” i.e. He could have sinned but never did. I believe Irving was no heretic, but that was what he was branded at the time. And it has taken well over a century before his name has been cleared. Theologians such as Gordon Strachan and Colin Gunton are mainly responsible for this process of honourable rehabilitation. 1792 was a good year.
Alwyn said,
November 15, 2009 at 2:53 am
I thought I had arrived at Shocksville when I was lately reading “Edward Irving is Unnerving” in Googleland. It has me convinced that someone named Edward should be viewed as the “father” of dispensationalism instead of someone with the name of John. See if I am dreaming. Alwyn (I stumbled upon it on the “Our Daily Bread” blog hosted by a Mr. Joe Ortiz, the date being November 12, if that is of any particular significance.)