'Ye are of his militia; ye are now to fight his battles': Jeremy Taylor, Confirmation, and the Quiet Revival
While doing some background reading on the Bible Society's excellent Quiet Revival report (it is required reading), I came across a very good reflection by Sarah Coppin , a theologian in the charismatic tradition. I will be addressing aspects of the report in subsequent posts, but - amongst many important and insightful points made by Sarah Coppin - this one particularly caught my attention: Be open about the cost of being a Christian. Young men in particular really want to be challenged. Talk about the ways that following Jesus has been hard, and then talk about why it was worth it. Talk about Christian views on sex and porn. Talk about giving money away to the poor. Talk about how Jesus teaches us to forgive our enemies. Talk about the spiritual disciplines. Talk about sacrifice. Tell them to read Bonhoeffer. The reason it caught my attention is that, with Confirmation soon to be administered in the parish, I have been re-reading Jeremy Taylor's A Discourse of Confirmation ...
