“Men naturally are wanton in nothing more than in the things of religion; and corrupt spirits are bent upon and pleased with opposition in these things above any other” (Burroughs, Irenicum, p. 29).
A Second Battle of Tours 2
Introduction: Our intent is to contrast some of the key differences between the biblical Christian faith and Islam, and to do so in a way that leads us to see the fountainhead of those differences, which is the triune nature of God, over against the radical monotheism found in Islam. In other words the differences …
Masked Men on Monkey Bars
I have wondered why it is that, whenever the media wants me to worry about incipient terror attacks, they frequently show me footage of masked men on monkey bars. Somewhere in the Middle East, some men in pajamas swing menacingly toward the camera, and I am supposed to sign up for increased restrictions on my …
Time for Some Larger Barns
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 106 “The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit” (Prov. 18:11). The Bible is full of warnings about the false security of wealth. It does provide a measure of security, as …
Or So It Seemed
“By 1920, it seemed that the triumph of Europe over Islam was complete. In Afghanistan and inner Arabia and a few other places difficult of access and offering no attraction, independent Muslim rulers maintained the old ways. Otherwise, new rulers and new ways, introduced or imitated from Europe, prevailed everywhere” (Bernard Lewis, What Went Wrong? …
Deconstructing Criticism of the Puritans
“The number of good Puritan poets, as I have attempted to suggest in this study, is far larger than has been realized” (Daly, p. 222).
Sound Reading for Children
“Since it is so likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker. Nor do most of us find that violence and bloodshed, in a story, produce any haunting dread in the minds of children. …
A Reformed Magisterium
“On the other side of things, we have the ‘exalted tradition’ contingent. The traditions of men are frankly acclaimed as the requirements of God. This may be held with doctrinal consistency, as the Roman Catholics do, or furtively, as inconsistent ‘strict subscriptionists’ within the Reformed tradition do. This is the ‘tradition as monarch’ school. The …
Lost Proportion
“Some think there must be a necessary connection between tolerating some things conceived to be errors and tolerating all things” (Burroughs, Irenicum, p. 26).
Like Dirt When It’s Dry
“Scandal will rub out like dirt when it’s dry. Let it alone, and never try to answer it. The more you meddle with it, the more will the wet mud be spread. Wait till you can use the clothes-brush with real effect” (Charles Spurgeon, Proverbs and Sayings, Vol. II, p. 140).