“This is a truth we also acknowledge. In one sense, the antebellum South was a Christian nation, but it was a Christian nation that invited, and received, a genuinely severe judgment from the God who is not mocked. This judgment from a holy God included all the atrocities of Sherman, and sinful men must always …
When Will It Be Obvious Enough to Point Out?
“The point is to identify the desperate spiritual problem we are confronting, to call it by its biblical name, and to call for repentance. Jesus speaks of those who are in the grip of a self-important self-righteousness, which is the chief characteristic of our Intoleristas, and He says that their fundamental problem is that they …
What The Minister Does Not Do
“The church has an important role to play in witnessing the vows, and a minister may with propriety declare the vows to have been made, but the minister is no priest and marriage-maker. The couple does not stand before him to be transubstantiated” (Federal Husband, p. 110).
Weddings and Self-Expression
“So in the sixties we all began to do our own thing — write our own vows, invent our own little ceremonies, and generally march around in our own little circle. Since then we have settled down somewhat, but we still have the idea that the wedding belongs to the couple and not to a …
On the Prowl for the Lord’s Will
“How should a young man seek a wife? What should his criteria be? First, a few important pointers on what not to do. Do not hand out photocopies of this chapter at the college and career class at church, announcing in a loud voice that you are ready for the marital state and are earnestly …
Crows Strutting in the Gutter
As we try to understand the disintegration of culture around us, including the prevailing drift of pop culture toward that which is grimy — on the assumption that it is therefore more “authentic” — we have to do some hard thinking about the relationship of flesh and bones. Particulars matter. The way something is enfleshed …
Lowlife Authenticity
Too many parents try to understand the ins and outs of popular culture by trying to study particular artifacts of that culture. But the real thing to get to is the driving engine. What makes it go? What are the foundational presuppositions? If you teach your children to identify those rightly, and to respond in …
The Idea of History Itself
“Our current obsesssion with multiculturalism is a prime example of this. This obsession is not an educated desire to ‘modify the emphasis,’ gently reminding us that the Chinese had a great civilization while our Anglo ancestors were still killing their meat with rocks. If the desire of the multiculturalists were simply a well-taken insistence that …
Be Strict About Not Being Too Strict
“A father should never fall into the trap of thinking that anything that is ‘strict’ is biblical. Most false religions are strict. If a man applies discipline wrongly, he can mess with his kid’s head for life. He must not confuse house rules with God’s rules. He must teach his children to make such basic …
Learning to Suspect the Received Account
“The person weighing these things must know that there is no publication called All Reputable Historians’ Review. Acceptance of what one certified historian states entails rejection of what another certified historian says. This is not the path to relativism, but is rather an acceptance of what the Christian faith plainly teaches us. Men are sinners, …