In the United States, Christianity has often been a prop of liberalism, and even radicalism. It’s not very long ago that Evangelicals were pounding the sidewalks and ringing doorbells on behalf of Jimmy Carter. I actually had my own doorbell so rung one evening in 1976. The Roman Catholic Church has produced radicals aplenty in [...]
Archive for September, 2009
American Religion
Posted in Christianity, John Derbyshire on September 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The God Whom David Knows
Posted in Psalm 23 on September 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
In other words, the confidence of Psalm 23 is that of one who is steeped in the theology of those earlier days, when God made His covenant with His people. David knows that God. And, since He is the eternal Lord, His people are not surprised to find Him as the New Testament Shepherd, too: [...]
Victorian-Era Religion
Posted in Gertrude Himmelfarb, Leslie Stephen, The Victorians on September 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Religion was a game in the same sense in which politics was a game because both were skirmishes played out on the fringes of society, with society itself secure and invulnerable. Men could differ about the lesser issue of religion so long as they agreed upon the larger issues of manners and morals. It was [...]
For the Lord’s Day (89)
Posted in Book of Job, For the Lord's Day on September 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
If you prepare your heart, you will stretch out your hands toward Him. If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents. Surely, then, you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be secure and will not fear. You will forget your misery; you [...]
Authentic Trust in Christ
Posted in Gospel of John, John F. MacArthur, The Gospel on September 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Here is a practical lesson from this account: a positive response to Jesus should never be taken as proof of authentic trust in Him. There is a shallow, fickle brand of “belief” that is not saving faith at all. From the first public miracle He performed until this very day, there have always been people [...]
James Waddell
Posted in James Waddell on September 25, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
One Sunday, a year later, Waddell administered the sacrament to ninety white persons and twenty-three colored people. The next day, Monday, all of the people were assembled at church and the boys and girls recited the catechism. One young girl in the congregation “said all the Larger Catechism and all the Shorter.” When Dr. Waddell [...]
James Henley Thornwell
Posted in James Henley Thornwell, Preaching on September 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
In the classroom, Thornwell’s pupils regarded him as without an equal. The accuracy of his knowledge, together with its wide range made him, without doubt, the most illuminating instructor of his time in theological and philosophical subjects. His writings upon these themes, moreover, have come down to us to bear witness to the depth of [...]
The Sanctity of Truth
Posted in Hypocrisy, John Murray, Personal Godliness on September 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
That untruth is the hallmark of impiety is borne out by numerous examples of Scripture. The envy of Joseph’s brethren, by which they sold him into Egypt, is matched by the deception perpetrated to conceal the vile deed from their father (Genesis 37:31-35). Joseph’s piety is proven by his chastity: “how can I do this [...]
“Exegesis” Run Amok
Posted in Book of 1 Corinthians, Thomas Merton on September 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
…the chaplain…was a tall, powerful, handsome man, with hair greying at the temples, and a big English chin, and a broad, uncreased brow, with sentences like “I stand for fair-play and good sportsmanship” written all over it.
His greatest sermon was on the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians – and a wonderful chapter, indeed. But, his [...]
God’s Confessing People
Posted in Book of Psalms, Confession on September 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Preserve us, O God, for in You do we put our trust. You are our Lord. We have no good besides You. We count your people to be our people, and have come out of the false worship of our evil generation. Nevertheless, we have not lived up to our privileges nor escaped spotless from [...]
