The Relevant Reformation Restroom?

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and so I may be the only one to think that my own artwork is a thing of beauty. Regardless of whether this qualifies as 'art' (and there is no reason why it shouldn't, considering some of what passes as 'abstract art'), my Reformed rendition of the 'pragmatism potty' that we covered in a previous post, is at least worth a laugh. Mark this day on your calendar, it's a rare humor post on Old Truth!... [Read More!]

How They Measured a Soul 'Awakening' - Part 2   Walter Chantry

Unusual outward manifestations attended the revivals of [The Great Awakening of the 18th century]. At times there were audible sighs and sobs throughout assemblies under the preached Word. Sometimes convicted sinners cried out, 'What must I do to be saved?', as scripture was brought home to their consciences. In a few instances men fell prostrate on the floor, even becoming physically rigid for a time. What was the attitude of the pastors to these unusual happenings? ... [Read More!]

How They Measured a Soul 'Awakening' - Part 1   Walter Chantry

There have been outstanding periods in the history of the church when the intensified activity of the Holy Spirit has amazed her. Such times are known as revivals. True revivals do not result from some special work of the Spirit of God different from his normal gracious influences! Rather they are the effect of an increased measure of precisely the same power and grace which operate at every time and in every place that the church has been found since Pentecost. In revival times the Spirit's work remains what it ever has been since Pentecost, namely the work of inwardly convincing the unconverted by the Word, inwardly regenerating sinners by the Word, inwardly teaching and sanctifying saints by the Word, and inwardly prompting worship of Father and Son by the Word. [What then are we to make of outward manifestations that many assume to be obvious signs of conversion? And what about personal revelations that seem to occur in some revivals?] ... [Read More!]

Medieval Mistakes: Is Darkness Coming?   Sinclair Ferguson

We face the alarming possibility that there may already be a medieval darkness encroaching upon evangelicalism. Can we not detect, at least as a tendency, dynamics within evangelicalism which bear resemblances to the life of the medieval church? The possibility of a new Babylonian or (more accurately, following Luther) the Pagan Captivity of the Church looms nearer than we may be able to believe. Consider the following five features of medieval Christianity which are evident to varying degrees in contemporary evangelicalism. ... [Read More!]

Get Your Primetime Portion of Church History

Don't be a turkey by spending your entire Thanksgiving watching football.
You know the Detroit Lions will loose anyway, and besides - there's better stuff on TV this year. You'll want to fight through the tryptophan drowsies and tune-in for a rare portion of primetime church history. ... [Read More!]

A Challenge To Innovators: Look Back & Remember

A few decades ago, the young visionaries Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started Apple Computers in a family garage launching a new revolution in technology. Today's young church innovators share that same spirit; they are inventing something new, hoping for a revolution of their own. There's just one problem with that comparison; Christianity isn't new, in fact - it's centuries old. To behave as though that were not the case, to forget the past, is ignorant and dangerous. Such would not be 'vision', but tunnel vision. So with Tuesday being Reformation Day 2006, here's a reminder that Christianity didn't just start in a garage a few decades ago; there really is a history behind it, and almost 500 years back in the pages of Church history we find an earthquake of an event called the Reformation. ... [Read More!]

Some Things Just Stop Being True After a While . . . Right?    Link

It's strangely amusing to consider some of the things that were once true, but now are not. There was the truth of that really big rodent actually being "a fish", so that people wouldn't go hungry on religious days. Galileo found out the hard way about the truth of the sun revolving around the earth, even though he knew better. That brings us to this latest truth, believed by many thousands of people. Just recently however, it stopped being true once and for all. The hat tip goes out to Mark S. for giving me this link and a way to get some additional mileage out of my limbo graphic! Perhaps we'll live to see a day when purgatory will likewise cease being true. ... [Read Link]

The Pope Who Made Purgatory Popular

I recently made a book exchange deal with a Roman Catholic, in which we agreed to read a book of each other's choosing. I was willing to do so, because I thought it would be an opportunity to have a captive audience for the Gospel. The book that I got stuck with left me a little hot under the collar however, with it's seemingly endless discussion of purgatory; just enduring through the reading of it felt a little like being there myself! Here are my final thoughts on the book exchange deal, as well as some interesting history of how purgatory became popular in the west. ... [Read More!]

A Fashion Statement    Link

Reading this link was the cause of some out-loud laughter for me. But after that wears off, you start to wonder - how did it get like this? How did we get from the one who had no place to lay His head, to this present day royal figurehead. The answer of course, is little by little, over centuries of history. ... [Read Link]

Why We Need The Puritans Today - Part 3

Pastors of Puritan times stood head-and-shoulders above the common breed of today. J.I. Packer says that it is on the pastoral front, that today's evangelical Christians most need help. Our numbers, it seems, have increased in recent years, and a new interest in the old paths of evangelical theology has grown. For this we should thank God. But not all evangelical zeal is according to knowledge, nor do the virtues and values of the biblical Christian life always come together as they should. This is another reason why we need the Puritans today. ... [Read More!]

Books: Using The Thoughts of Other Men's Brains

The comments on my last post brought out some controversy related to the topic of bible helps and theology books, so I thought I would turn this post over to Charles Spurgeon and even the Apostle Paul, for their opinions on books. We are confronting the contemporary attitude of Christians that says "I don't read the books of man, the bible is all that I need". ... [Read More!]

Learning From How The Reformers Preached

In the 19th century, R.L. Dabney wrote -
"All the leading Reformers, whether in Germany, Switzerland, England or Scotland were constant preachers, and their sermons were prevalently expository"; the purpose was to explain the meaning of Scripture. So he says, "We can assume with safety that the instrumentality to which the spiritual power of the great revolution of the Reformation - was mainly due to the restoration of scriptural preaching". ... [Read More!]

Why We Need The Puritans Today - Part 2

J.I. Packer speaks of a popular segment of today's Christianity who's outlook is one of casual haphazardness and fretful impatience, of grasping after novelties, entertainments, and 'highs', and of valuing strong feelings above deep thoughts. They have little taste for solid study, humble self-examination, disciplined meditation, and unspectacular hard work in their callings and their prayers. They conceive the Christian life as one of exciting extraordinary experiences rather than of resolute rational righteousness.
They dwell on the themes of joy, peace, happiness, satisfaction and rest of souls with no balancing reference to the divine discontent of Romans 7, the fight of faith of Psalm 73, or the 'lows' of Psalms 42, 88, and 102.
It's another reason why we need the Puritans today. ... [Read More!]

'Forgetfulness' is Pre-Requisite to Idolatry

It doesn't take an expert in Theology, or Church History, to realize that the modern church has lapsed into a dreadful state of impotence. Pride, ignorance, arrogance, and complacency are serious contributing factors to the horrific character of today's modern church. Another destructive ill that the modern church has embraced is 'forgetfulness'. ... [Read More!]