Matthew Houston

@sambostock Complex. Saw the religious case as their ‘job’? Perhaps NI’s stricter Sunday observance in mid-late c.20th made it a low priority issue? 1695 Sunday Observance Act, maybe? PCI did think much about Sundays in mid-1950s, with hints of the civic/moral in their findings.

Why have churches in NI failed to make the civic and moral case for a societal day of rest and freedom to worship on a Sunday? @MWH_Houston?

This is *America* 80 years ago. Today in *Northern Ireland* churches are routinely expected to close so that marathons can take place. And why do the marathons tend to take place on Sunday? Because that is when there is least traffic on the roads. 🤔

How can today’s church leaders deal with international tensions and armed conflict involving competing ideological systems? My review of Andrew Chandler’s important book on British Christian responses to the Third Reich is now free online with @Themelios_TGC

Visit the link below for the full article, with further images from the collection. union.ac.uk/news/01/2025/t…

Several years ago UTC received papers and personal items belonging to former Principal, J. Ernest Davey. Ahead of the 100th anniversary of the ‘Davey Trial’ we continue to work to archive, conserve, and catalogue this collection to promote research into Davey’s life and thought.

An early Christmas treat to see this piece of research appear in @Journal_RH

OUT NOW: The latest book in our Histories of the Sacred and Secular, 1700-2000 series is 'Christianity in Britain Since 1914', edited by David Goodhew and Mark Smith - find out more here: bit.ly/3OrRybx

Thrilled to receive a copy of this important new volume to which I contributed a chapter. link.springer.com/book/10.1007/9…

A joy to be back at @UnionTCollege for a spot of teaching this week.

Delighted that, 4 years after I started writing it, my article on Archbishop J.A.F. Gregg, the Church of Ireland, and the Second World War has been included in this issue! #churchhistory #secondworldwar #twitterstorians

On #VEDay, Archbishop Gregg of the Church of Ireland said ‘But while we thank God, let us not forget those many at the price of whose endurance and sacrifice, even unto death, this victory has been won.’ #VEDay75 #churchhistory

Delighted to see a piece of my work on NI church responses to #WW2 in the Methodist Historical Society of Ireland's Bulletin. #history #churchhistory

#OTD 1939 #WWII broke out. W.S. Kerr, Dean of Belfast, claimed that: 'A Christian minister could not tolerate his country taking the sword for selfish reasons, for aggression or revenge or prestige, but there are holy causes that we dare not allow to be destroyed.' #churchhistory

Fin. @HAPPatQUB @QUB_History #LoveQUBGrad

Something for the weekend: as part #DDay75thAnniversary, why not read this #cleverblogs about the Church of Ireland and interpretations of the Second World War: churchofirelandhist.org/the-great-crus…

#OTD 1944 Presbyterians at the General Assembly in Belfast heard of the D-Day landings. They sang the national anthem, prayed and sent a telegram to the King, assuring him of their 'loyalty and affection' and prayers for 'victory and deliverance'. #DDay75 #presbyterian #belfast

A day off the day job means time on the dream job - working on a church history article. #churchhistory #WW2 #northernireland #history

#OnThisDay in 1941 Rosemary Street Presbyterian Church was destroyed in an air raid on Belfast. By 05:00 'the interior of the Church seemed a mass of flame and the mahogany pews were burning fiercely.' #belfast #WW2 #presbyterian #NorthernIreland

This day in 1941 saw the most intense air raid on Northern Ireland of the Second World War. Among the damaged or destroyed property were at least 11 church buildings of various denominations. Thanks to @TheBlitzMaps for the map of the #BelfastBlitz #belfast #churchhistory

Congratulations to Matthew Houston who received our Neely Postgraduate Prize for 2018 (read his blog here:churchofirelandhist.org/the-great-crus…). The deadline for the 2019 prize is *30 August*. Details here: churchofirelandhist.org/w-g-neely-priz…

Just 9 days before the first raid on Belfast and just over 2 weeks before the devastating raid on Easter Tuesday which killed over 900 people, the greatest loss of life to a single raid outside London, official concern over inadequate AA defence