I’ve got a former HMS Belfast Marine in my congregation: Ron Knight. Absolute hard as nails. Even in his late 90s. www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...

The thing is, while the UK is not that wide, England, in particular, slants. Edinburgh is actually West of Liverpool and, even more startlingly, Bristol.

Amen and amen!!

As a church minister, I approve this message:

I’ve sadly come to the conclusion that the vast majority of “Christian” biographies are unreliable hagiographies of figures who often ought not to be held up as a model to follow.

the man tried to stab himself to death. And seeing as the hymn is about God always doing good from awful events, it seems essentially contradicted by Cowpers subsequent life experience. A cruel slap in the face. Not in doubt that the man was ultimately saved inspite of his MH. But he didn’t know it.

I don’t hold Newton especially responsible, but am uneasy about usage of Cowper hymns. The Olney hymnal was a pre-existing project that Cowper had contributed to enthusiastically, after his breakdown on NYD 1773 he ceased contributing. GMIMW is esp. problematic inclusion as within 4-5 hours…

Cowper much, much, worse than Spurgeon. Would have been sectioned today for a considerable period of time. He entered a psychotic state that he didn’t exit for 3 years after writing GMIMW, and then into a higher functioning depression with further episodes of psychosis for the next 30+ years.

Yes. That’s broadly right. Newton published the hymns anyway, partially as a coping mechanism for himself, partially in hope that continuing the hymn work would snap Cowper out of his malaise.

It’s exploiting the work of someone in a mental health crisis. For Cowper there was no happy ending. We wouldn’t do similar for someone living.

And lastly, Thomas Hardy lived opposite TRC when he wrote Tess of the D’Urbevilles.

Most of the current late Victorian building was financed by writing weekly to all the homes in the neighbourhood and shaming them into funding the new building despite not attending themselves(!). Records still exist of this campaign.

They don’t make intimidating Pastors like they used to…

A few Spurgeon photos from the building of the foundation stone and the trowel(!) used to lay it.

They’ll still have records. Or at least there used to be a book recording the membership details of every member since the churches founding.

My controversial hymn-take (I wrote dissertation on Cowper & Newton) is that it’s inappropriate to use most of Cowpers hymns. Especially God Moves in a Mysterious Way, considering the fact that he then attempted suicide almost immediately afterwards and then never went to church again.

Yes. The history of TRC is quite funny. Anglo-Catholic church founded on Trinity Rd. Spurgeon not having it. So stumps up half the cash for a Baptist church opposite. Baptist church grew rapidly. Spurgeon preached first sermon there, his son was a life long member too.