We must not think that religious concerns swamped all other social activities. They simply provided a focal point for them.

If there is no ultimate reality, it's pointless to think about how we might get there.

Deep down within all of us is a longing to work out what life is all about and what we're meant to be doing.

One of the best introductions to the history and ideas of Calvinism, packed with insight and wisdom.

Beneath all the rhetoric about relevance lies a profoundly disturbing possibility - that people may base their lives upon an illusion, upon a blatant lie. The attractiveness of a belief is all too often inversely proportional to its truth... To allow "relevance" to be given greater weight than truth is a mark of intellectual shallowness and moral irresponsibility.

The idea of ‘calling' was fundamentally redefined: no longer was it about being called to serve God by leaving the world; it was now about serving God in the world

The most radical question which anyone can be asked is not how much their possessions cost, but whether they have found something of value - that is, something that makes living worthwhile.