Category Archives: History
Their Finest Hour
The incomparable Winston Churchill: What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and …
When Courage Falters and Faith Grows Dim
S. E. Morison concludes the Preface to his edition of Of Plymouth Plantation 1620–1647 by William Bradford with this stirring paragraph: Bradford’s history is a story of a simple people inspired by an ardent faith to a dauntless courage in danger, a resourcefulness in dealing with new problems, an impregnable fortitude in adversity that exalts and heartens …
China’s Great Leap Forward: Will Central Planning Produce Human Flourishing?
Have you heard references to the “failed policies of the past”? I always wonder if they think, as it seems, that freedom is the failed policy of the past. It seems that many in our culture want to replace freedom with more governmental control of all of life. Ironically, that’s the failed policy of the past. John Lewis Gaddis …
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C. S. Lewis and Biblical Theology
In his “Introduction” to Athanasius’s On the Incarnation, C. S. Lewis noted that “Every age has its own outlook.” Reading “the controversies of past ages,” Lewis was struck that “both sides were usually assuming without question a good deal which we should now absolutely deny. . . . they were all the time secretly united . …
The Land of Promise through the Ages
Seth Rodriguez introduced the SBTS OT Colloquium to the Maps of War website the other day. The map below (may have to click through to see it) shows who controlled the land God promised to Israel from 3,000 BC to AD 2006. Fascinating. Check it out:
Recovering a Vision: The Presidency of R. Albert Mohler Jr.
Watch this video:
The Scriptures and the Shrine: On the Keeping of an Authoritative Copy of the Scriptures at the Temple
Some questions have been raised by Charles Halton and T. Michael Law about the suggestion that an authoritative copy of the Scriptures would have been maintained at the temple in Jerusalem, making discussions of the canon unnecessary prior to the destruction of the temple in AD 70. Law tweeted that there is “not a shred …
Manchester’s Churchill
If you’re looking for some inspiration, to say nothing of a fascinating history lesson, an instance of one master of the English language writing about another, and an all around mind-widening read, I commend William Manchester’s biography of Winston Churchill for your reading or listening enjoyment. I’m in the first of three volumes on Audible, …
Lepanto by G. K. Chesterton
Savor the power of the language in this stanza from G. K. Chesterton’s tribute to the Battle of Lepanto: Dim drums throbbing, in the hills half heard, Where only on a nameless throne a crownless prince has stirred, Where, risen from a doubtful seat and half attainted stall, The last knight of Europe takes weapons …
The Beauty and Joy of Answered Prayer
I’m so thankful for Jason Skaer (follow him on twitter), and what a joy to read this account of how the Lord answered prayer and provided: PROPERTY PRAYER – There were many nights where the men’s ministry consisted of monthly gatherings on the corner of Branch Crossing and Alden Bridge to pray. I remember hot …
My Dad’s Coins
I didn’t feel that I did enough for my Dad this past Father’s Day, and in the early hours of the Monday that followed that Sunday I had a dream about My Dad’s Coins that, it seems to me, was connected to that feeling. Having awakened from that dream, I was having a hard time …
Greek Palindromes
Here’s a great post from Rod Decker: A palindrome is a word or sentence that reads identically forward and backward, e.g., “Do geese see God?” The Greek palindrome inscription: ΝΙΨΟΝΑΝΟΜΗΜΑΜΗΜΟΝΑΝΟΨΙΝ is from the Hagia Sophia. (In Greek, Ἁγία Σοφία is short for Ναός τῆς Ἁγίας τοῦ Θεοῦ Σοφίας, “Church of the Holy Wisdom of God.” …
The Scribes Didn’t Just Copy the Text
They also left some comments in margins, like these listed by Tommy Wasserman: “New parchment, bad ink; I say nothing more. “I am very cold.” “That’s a hard page and a weary work to read it.” “Let the reader’s voice honor the writer’s pen.” “This page has not been written very slowly.” “The parchment is …
The Rhetoric Companion by Doug and N. D. Wilson
Do you want to be a better preacher or public speaker? Do you want to be a better writer? If so, you’ll want to check out The Rhetoric Companion from N. D. Wilson and Douglas Wilson. I’m not saying that reading this book will enable you to write a book like N. D. Wilson’s Notes …
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Tom Nettles on Learning from Slaveholders
Trevin Wax’s post today on the Desiring God blog reminded me of this interview with Tom Nettles where he addresses the question. Here’s the exchange: How would you respond to someone who said he would never read your book for the simple fact that James P. Boyce was from the South and owned slaves? I …
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The Authorial Agony of Charles Dickens
My friend Scott Corbin sent me this poignant excert from Clair Tomalin’s Charles Dickens: A Life, 113-114: “These were all distractions from the central business of the year, which was the story that had started as a few episodes and was being made into a novel, week by week, The Old Curiosity Shop. Against all …
From Abraham to Paul: A Biblical Chronology by Andrew E. Steinmann
As I’ve noted before, Andrew Steinmann has been remarkably prolific in recent years: 2008 – a 600 page commentary on Daniel 2009 – a 700 page commentary on Proverbs 2010 – a 600 page commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah And now this year, 2011, he has brought out a 400 page book on biblical chronology. …
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Jonathan Edwards as a Missionary
Insightful article by Jonathan Gibson in the latest issue of Themelios, looking at how Edwards viewed his mission to the American Indians, how he adapted his preaching to the new context, and how he pursued “social justice”!