Steve Bagby

Thanks for visiting my blog. Born and raised in Texas, I am now living in the United Kingdom pursuing a PhD in theology at Durham University. Here I am specializing in patristic theology (specifically, Origen of Alexandria), but I am also deeply interested in the theology of Augustine, Anselm, Luther, Calvin, and Barth. Other academic interests include early Medieval Christianity and liturgics.

My theological studies have shown me that the church often so easily goes astray from its mission of being a faithful witness to Jesus Christ. Instead, we often marginalize the gospel by absorbing many erroneous assumptions about worship, theology, and culture. The gospel message is often obscured by the American values of consumerism, patriotism, corporatism, pragmatism, and entertainment. With this in mind, my blog seeks to be a small help for those in the church by allowing for the reexamination of our assumptions through the engagement of sound works throughout Christian history. Throughout my life I have found reading groups immensely helpful in drawing out the implications of the gospel for the church in the world. Critical reflection on our assumptions and a host of other Christian issues can be found on the Recommended Reading page. I sincerely believe the church needs challenging in its thinking, away from the endless flow of superficial books and sermons (some outright heretical) that are produced within evangelicalism and the broader culture, and toward books that reflect on what it means to be witnesses to Jesus Christ in our world.