Month: September 2018

The Greater Context of a Quintessential Lewis Quote

  

Nearly everyone conversant with the writings of C. S. Lewis has heard this famous quote: I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. It’s such a striking comment that it has found a permanent place on Lewis’s commemorative stone in Westminster’s Poets Corner. That wonderful insight is the very last sentence of Lewis’s essay called “Is Theology Poetry?” found in the collection… Read more »

A Meditation on Knowledge & Wisdom

  

I spent many years earning a doctorate in history. When I began that quest, I had turned my back on the Christian faith. I wondered if the world of academia could provide the answers. One master’s degree, a multitude of courses, and three comprehensive exams later—all prior to the doctoral dissertation—finally convinced me that the educated elite were just as clueless as the rest of the world. “Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater… Read more »

Kavanaugh, Accusations, & Evil Intent

  

As I’m sure many of you have, I’ve listened carefully to all the accusations against Brett Kavanaugh. Why? I want only people of sterling character in important positions in government. I also watched the interview Martha McCallum of Fox News conducted with him. I wanted to see how he would respond to the controversy that has erupted concerning his nomination to the Supreme Court. By the way, a Supreme Court nomination never should have this degree of importance. It is… Read more »

Jeremy Lanphier & the Prayer Revival of 1857

  

I teach about this man when I cover the Civil War era. This account is taken from a Christian History e-mail I receive daily. I thought it was worth sharing today. JEREMY LANPHIER was born in Albany in 1809 but he made his mark in New York City. He moved there to find employment and became a success as a clothing wholesaler. Although he attended church to sing in the choir, he was not a Christian. While attending the Broadway… Read more »

Evil Is a Parasite, Not an Original Thing

  

One could argue, quite convincingly, I think, that every sin is simply something good being misused. Food is for our good and we are to eat; gluttony is the misuse of what was meant to be good. Sex is a gift of God provided as both a means to create unity between husband and wife as well as for procreation. Yet we see what it has become—a complete perversion of God’s intent. As I’ve been going through Mere Christianity with… Read more »

Bring Down the Curtain on This Theater of the Absurd

  

Just when we thought the Brett Kavanaugh hearings were over, the judge is hit with an eleventh-hour accusation of sexual harassment. From his high school days. Thirty-six years ago. The hearings themselves were a ludicrous display of manufactured outrage and protests as extremists deliberately disrupted the proceedings. The screaming and hysterics were carefully timed to erupt every half hour or so, it seemed. Yet Kavanaugh is the extremist? As the vote for confirmation was about to happen, suddenly Sen. Diane… Read more »

Character: That Which Is in Our Hearts

  

We are all free moral agents made in the image of God. In order for His creation to operate the way He intended, we must reflect His character. If we don’t, everything falls apart [which is evident just by observing the world]. Noah Webster’s dictionary definition of character, distinct from the human aspect, was simply “a mark made by cutting, engraving, stamping, or pressing.” Like a typewriter—you remember those? Put in the paper, press the key, the arm jumps up… Read more »