truly became a Christian when I was at boarding school, just before leaving to go to Oxford University to study classics. It was when I went with my mother to the high Anglican church that she attended that I realised what a chasm separates true and ritualistic Christianity. The services were full of ceremonies and idolatrous forms and yet utterly without the renewing power of the Holy Spirit! At Oxford, in sharp contrast to the church I was brought up in, I went to a small Baptist chapel in a little village nearby called Fyfield (although I would sometimes go to St. Ebbs, the local evangelical Anglican church). There I imbibed strongly reformed doctrine, both from the preacher and from other members of the congregation. Early on in my Christian journey I became a Calvinist, and I have never had any reason to doubt the so-called `five points' of Calvinism. The more I study Scripture the more I am convinced that they are thoroughly biblical and that their widespread rejection in the British evangelical world is a serious weakness. Our God is a sovereign God, and His Holy Spirit works sovereignly in the hearts of His elect people.After Oxford I went to bar school and qualified as a barrister. I did not practice as a barrister immediately but worked in the Conservative Research Department and then subsequently as a political researcher for Michael Portillo, both when he was Secretary of State for Employment and for Defence. This was a very interesting time since I had the duty of preparing press releases, writing speeches and letters both for Mr. Portillo and for other senior Conservative politicians. I am absolutely convinced that the European constitution, whose political origins lie in the thinking of the Enlightenment and the social teaching of the Roman Church, is the most serious threat to our Protestant constitution since James II. All the victories won by our puritan and Protestant forbears will be forfeited if we sign up to this wretched document.

I left my political research work in the House of Commons for a stint at the criminal defence Bar. This was interesting but in many respects depressing work. The first case I was involved in was a paedophile case. I have never been so vividly reminded of the terrible effects of Adam's disobedience upon our fallen race. I did not stay at the Bar for long but decided I would move into the world of property development, and I started my own small company which has prospered and which I am currently seeking to expand. One advantage of being my own boss is that I can organise my own schedule and I am involved in the work of a number of Christian societies.

One of these is Church Society, which aims to fight for evangelical Protestantism within the Church of England. We have been actively involved in opposition to the present Archbishop of Canterbury, and are also responsible for the patronages of 113 livings in the Church of England. We aim to fill these with evangelical men who will not be ashamed to preach the Gospel fearlessly, although they are increasingly hard to find. I am also in the General Synod of the Church of England and sit in the House of Laity. This is often dispiriting, but what keeps me going is the thought that it would be a national catastrophe if the established church were to fall to the Church of Rome. In addition to these activities I have just completed a theology degree at Oak Hill Theological College. This has greatly enhanced my understanding of Reformed doctrine and Scripture. I was able to brush up on my New Testament Greek and also to learn some Hebrew. I did a dissertation on St. Paul's approach to the Law in the letter to the Romans, which left me convinced that Calvin's understanding of the continuing role of the Law in the life of the Christian is correct.

After leaving Oak Hill I was invited to join the Council of the Protestant Truth Society and was delighted to accept. I am amazed that both Anglican and Free Church evangelicals are increasingly unwilling to call themselves Protestant. This is astounding! Our present gospel freedoms were gained by the death and sufferings of the Protestant martyrs, and the doctrinal position of the Church of Rome is worse now than it was at the time of the Reformation. This evangelical weakness has led to the shameful compromise of `Evangelicals and Catholics Together', and an ignorance of the gravity of the errors of Romanism. Rome has preached and continues to preach a false gospel and it is my prayer that the Protestant Truth Society will be able to expose her lies and point people to the only saviour and high priest of his people - Jesus Christ. There are stormy times ahead but I feel sure that with the blessing of God the Society can be used by God to refute error and to advance His kingdom. "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds".

Duncan Boyd