As Christian Heritage opens a new centre in London, en interviews Peter Greyling about the work
en: Tell us about how the original vision for Christian Heritage Centres came about.
PG: In 1994 John Martin, a missionary who had retired from India to Cambridge, began giving guided walks of the city, using church history to tell the gospel to unbelievers and to stimulate believers. In due course the Round Church, Cambridge, became available and Ranald and Susan Macaulay founded Christian Heritage.
In 2013, a group decided that a Christian Heritage Centre should be established in London with a similar vision.
London has been the location of glorious and world-changing church history. The list of names of the heroes of the faith who have history in these streets and who, by faith, have glorified the God of the gospel, is truly amazing.
In modern day Europe, Christianity is regarded as irrelevant (at best) and harmful (at worst). The massive historic contribution of Christianity to education, science, health, welfare, freedom, democracy and culture is forgotten and history is being rewritten to support a secular interpretation.
It’s our hope that we’ll provide a window through which people might see how, since Roman times, Christianity has shaped London and might hear the gospel that transformed individuals and society.
en: Where is the centre located and what kind of events do you put on?
PG: Our London visitor centre is at the historic St Botolph-without-Aldersgate, the church with the plaque referring to the conversion of John and Charles Wesley. We’re in the City, across the road from the Museum of London and near St Paul’s Cathedral.
At the centre we display ‘The London Story’, a history of London from Roman times written by four church historians. We use unique elements of the building to tell visitors the gospel, and introduce them to the display. In many cases, both the gospel and the idea that Christianity has been good for London are completely new to people.
There’s a truly extraordinary amount of church history within walking distance of the building: Tyndale’s New Testaments were burned at Paul’s Cross; Luther was declared a heretic at the same site; Bunyan worshipped across the road; Milton is buried nearby; Bonhoeffer served a congregation nearby. Then there’s the history of the Wesley family at our own building: Samuel, John and Charles’s father, was curate here at St Botolph-without-Aldersgate.
A short walk away is Smithfield where John Bradford, John Rogers and Anne Askew, the only woman recorded to have been tortured at the Tower of London, were burned. One cannot understand these people’s stories without the gospel.
Walking through the places where these people walked can be powerfully affecting. We take people on guided walks through the area, telling the stories of these and others.
As well as this local walk we offer others, including ‘The Bible in the British Museum’ and ‘The Gospel in the National Gallery’.
We are also developing a programme of events demonstrating the impact of Christianity in history, its intellectual credibility and the vitality of Christianity today. These will include apologetics forums and discussions aimed at engaging the public on the Christian response to current issues.
It’s our hope that London’s churches will come to see the usefulness of our ministry and come in groups, inviting non-believing friends along. Londoners are often interested in London’s history and might be open to joining a small group on a walk.
As a separate initiative, we also offer a programme of seven to ten day Christian Heritage tours of the UK and Continental Europe.
en: Centres have been open for some time in Cambridge and Edinburgh. What have you learned from them about the best way to proceed?
PG: The Christian Heritage Centre in Cambridge, established 17 years ago, draws approximately 60,000 visitors per year and Edinburgh has approximately 15,000. Both of these centres are strategically located in the heart of these two cities and this was a main motivating factor for locating the London centre in the central, historical area.
Cities have, of course, grown around their centre where often, historically, the gospel flourished. Being located across the road from the old wall of the City of London we are frequently reminded of the parameters of what used to be London. Whitefield writes in his journal of travelling from Kennington to London. Kennington is now central London, but much glorious gospel history happened before the expansion. Thus we’re local to much significant history.
The Museum of London directly opposite St Botolph-without-Aldersgate draws over a million visitors per year. We hope to benefit from proximity to this great attraction.
en: Christian Heritage has an emphasis on apologetics. How does this fit with the historical approach? Won’t people simply think that Christianity is for the past, not the present?
PG: History and apologetics come together in the service of the local church. Our only hope for success is to define success biblical-ly, and the Bible prioritises the church of Christ. Churches, however, can’t necessarily run excellent historical gospel-centred walks or put on events at which world-renowned apologists teach.
Since the second century apologetics has been used as a defence and an explanation of Christianity, addressed not only to those who attacked it but also to those who had not yet formed an opinion. 1 Peter 3.15 says: ‘always be prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.’ This commands believers always to be ready to provide a rationale for their hope, and to do so winsomely and righteously.
Some holding a secular viewpoint might think that Christianity is from the past and not for the future. Blaise Pascal (1623– 1662), the French physicist, philosopher and committed Christian, made a profound statement: ‘Men despise religion; they hate it and fear it is true. To remedy this, we must begin by showing that religion is not contrary to reason; that it is venerable, to inspire respect for it; then we must make it lovable, to make good people hope it is true; finally we must prove it is true.’ Thus we see the marriage of truth and application, the love which is embodied in the church.
en: You have hopes to start Christian Heritage Centres in locations across Europe. How do you see that advancing evangelism in Europe?
PG: As well as Christian Heritage Edinburgh which operates from the historic St Columba’s Church on the Royal Mile, we are planning the establishment of three other Christian Heritage Centres in Geneva, Utrecht and Paris.
The need for Christianity to be defended and promoted as intellectually credible in Europe, which has now become largely secularised, is very great. Working with local churches and like-minded organisations, engaging with the local community, including students in the university towns, and demonstrating the relevance of Christianity today as a vibrant and transforming faith we hope Christian Heritage International will be catalytic in seeing advance in Europe. Modern Europeans are typically sceptical about matters of faith and we firmly believe that a well planned and executed apologetic approach will contribute to the demolition of false barriers to the Christian faith.
The historic triumphs of the gospel are so often the stories of the establishing of Europe. Listen to John Piper’s biographies or Carl Truman’s lectures on church history, both free online. Often grassroots movements, based on faith in the gospel, have had the effects of the yeast in the dough. As C.S. Lewis said, ‘anything that isn’t eternal is eternally out of date’: any advance that has been seen in Europe which has been constructive is truly history.
