About Our Name // modern reformation

All over England in the 16th century, before rioting and pillaging became the pastime of London’s children, people used to meet to discuss politics, religion, and big ideas; and in this little pub, the White Horse Inn, a group of men on cold nights over warm beer came together to discuss revolution, revival, an uprising and a revolt, the throwing over of the old and an instituting of the new.  They were discussing the big ideas of a little insignificant monk, from an itsy bitsy obscure monastery in Germany, who wrote the first Christian blog post and nailed to the door of his church. The great reformation that swept through England would later be traced to the stirrings, the conversations and the prayers of those faithful men in that now demolished tavern in Cambridge.

people used to meet to discuss politics, religion, and big ideas; and in this little pub, the White Horse Inn, a group of men on cold nights over warm beer came together to discuss revolution, revival, an uprising and a revolt

The reason you and I sit here today as Christians can be at least in part traced back to an insignificant group of men, in a relatively meaningless point in time, discussing the musings of a nobody monk… that led to one of the great reformations, and revivals in history.   We firmly believe that this is exactly what God is doing now again, at this point in time, stirring the hearts of a handful of men and women, blunt tools in the hands of a great and sovereign God to again bring about a revival of his church.

These men, meeting in that small tavern, Thomas Crammer, Hugh Latimer, Robert Barnes, and William Tyndale (among others who were labelled ‘little Germany’ because of their interest in Luther) would all later literally and finally give their lives in torturous ways to see the great English reformation begin and the gospel advanced.   They did so willingly as men who sought to glorify God as their greatest satisfaction and joy.   We believe that the call is really no different to believers today.  Christians in the west today, under virtually no threat of persecution often will pray bold prayers of ‘Giving their lives’, ‘dying for the gospel’, and the like.  For many Christians around the world, this is a tangible reality.  For most people reading this article, its not.  Nor though was it for the men of ‘little Germany’ probably, as they discussed what it was simply to stand for the truth of the gospel, and prayed for the boldness to do so.  Lets consider then, like the men of the White Horse inn, what it truly means to give our lives for Jesus.

there is more to being the church, and spreading the gospel than the iced vo-vo's and cold tea of a monastic church picnic, holding hands and singing Kumbaya till rapture

As Tertullian observed, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.".  Not to be dramatic, but there is more to being the church, and spreading the gospel than the iced vo-vo's and cold tea of a monastic church picnic, holding hands and singing Kumbaya till rapture.  The gospel is not only the incredible news of salvation, by the scandal of grace through the propitiatory death of Jesus, but it’s a call to arms… it’s a call to give our lives to glorify God.  To treasure God.  To by comparison, hold everything cheap and Jesus Christ most dear.  That’s what White Horse means and that’s what is in our name.