Amazing Grace

Now around the same time as Copernicus was working on his book, a Swiss theologian was also writing a book that would scandalise the establishment too and which would also turn the world upside down. He proposed the downright laughable idea that God doesn’t revolve around human beings but vice versa. That too was religious suicide. It flew in the face of man-on-the-street wisdom and yet John Calvin happened to be right.  

God does not revolve around us. He doesn’t exist for US. We exist for God. We are not ultimate in the universe – God is. Now, a quick spot of church history. 

2021 is the 35th anniversary of Highfields church, and back in January Jonathan Thomas explained gave us an introduction to church history here in Wales. While talking about the 18th century Welsh revival, one phrase that Jonathan used, which forms a key part of our history of the gospel in Wales was the phrase Calvinistic Methodism, of people like Daniel Rowland or Howell Harris or Thomas Charles. Maybe you’ve heard that phrase before & didn’t know what it means. 

It was the Calvinistic Methodism that flowed downstream of the Reformation and the theology of John Calvin (500 years ago) and eventually gave birth to the Presbyterian Church of Wales, (which Heath Church used to be part until the late 60s) and which (in turn) Highfields Church came out of in 1986. 

So you can see, even though we don’t really use the language very much these days, deep in our DNA is the theology of John Calvin and his subsequent followers at the time of the Reformation, what are sometimes called The Doctrines of Grace. 

Over the summer months as we restart our evening services, we are going to dig into our theological roots and rediscover the gospel convictions that God has powerfully used in the past to lead to remarkable Revival here in South Wales 

We’re calling the series “Amazing Grace: the five truths that change everything.” We hope you can join us.