Welcome back to another episode of Five minutes in Church History. On this episode we are talking about the theologian William Perkins.

Perkins was born in 1558 and he died in 1602.

He was one of the most influential theologians during the reign of Elizabeth.

And if you know anything about Elizabeth's reign, you'll notice those dates of Perkins.

Elizabeth came to the throne in 1558, the very year that Perkins was born.

And she reigned all the way until 1603, one year after his death.

So Perkins' life almost perfectly coincides with the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Back to Perkins in 1577, he arrived at Christ's College Cambridge.

And very quickly he threw himself into the study there.

He would live and study and work in Cambridge his entire life.

He received his bachelor's degree in 1581 and he received his MA in 1584 and somewhere around that time

he had his conversion. It was rather dramatic and rather sudden and immediately he started preaching.

One of the first places that Perkins started preaching was in the town jail to the prisoners.

And then he started preaching at Great St. Andrews Church in Cambridge.

In 1584 that year that he received his MA degree, he was appointed lecturer or pastor at Great St. Andrews

and he held that post right up until his death in 1602.

Also in 1584 he was made a fellow of Christ's College where he had been a student

and he held that post until 1595.

And so here is Perkins behind the pulpit and behind the lectern and being a theologian.

Perkins defined theology as the science of living blessedly forever.

Let me tell you that again.

He defined theology as the science of living blessedly forever.

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