“It is a great part of the skill of the minister to divide the Word aright; but this skill of his will be put to the test when he comes to divide the Word among a divided people, to give every part its portion” (Burroughs, Irenicum, pp. 16-17).
Slept Straight Through Their Thundering Guns
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! Too many, Lord, now trouble me, Those who rise against me Multiply. They whisper threats against my soul; There is no help for him in God. I think on my troubles. But You, O Lord, have shielded me; You are my glory, …
A Clash of Faiths
Why should Christians learn about Islam? Why teach on it? Why discuss it? Why stir up yet another debate or controversy? One time, during the debates over the formation of the U.S. Constitution, someone proposed that the United States be prohibited from having a standing army of more than 15,000 men. I forget the exact …
Complete Reversal
“The impotence of the Islamic world confronted with Europe was brought home in dramatic form in 1798, when a French expeditionary force commanded by a young general called Napoleon Bonaparte invaded, occupied, and governed Egypt. The lesson was harsh and clear—even a small European force could invade one of the heartlands of the Islamic empire …
Something to Push Against
“Creative freedom can defeat itself because novelty can be felt only in relation to a perceived norm, just as rhythmic freedom can only be felt against a regular meter. When the norm is obscured by heedless violations, interest gradually disappears” (Jacques Barzun, The Culture We Deserve, p. 155).
The Seamless Coat of Christ
“There was a great deal of ado in Luther’s time about the seamless coat of Christ . . . When Luther labored to bring reformation to the rule, they bade him take heed that he did not rend the seamless coat of Christ . . . And what a stir has there been, an outcry, …
Look at Your Hands
The fact of death is woven into this fallen creation. The fact of resurrection is woven into the new creation. We are to live in the old order, as heirs of the new. We cannot do this by sight, and so we are summoned to walk by faith. Look at your hands. You know that …
An Unthinkable Reverse
[Around 1718] “We have an Ottoman document . . . the first Muslim document in which Muslim and Christian methods of warfare are compared, to the advantage of the latter, and the previously unthinkable suggestion is advanced that the true believers should follow the infidels in military organization and the conduct of warfare” (Bernard Lewis, …
Why Creative Writing Courses Are Usually Full
“Such is the fated result of an assumption deeply buried in our collective mind. It grew there early in the last century when the artist as a social type came to be glorified as a hero, a seer, a genius. Geniuses must be allowed to do as they please while the rest of mankind gratefully …
What We Do When We Never Had It So Good
“No, we have such ease, such liberties, that, were our forefathers raised out of their graves to see, they would admire God’s goodness and bless Him with meltings of heart; but we spend that strength in siding, wrangling, contending, quarreling, vexing, and opposing one another that we should spend in magnifying, blessing and praising the …