In Honor of John Eliot

  

In my previous American history posts about the Puritans we’ve seen the good (city on a hill, establishment of Christian education, the first American bill of rights and constitution) and the not-so-good (treatment of Quakers, the Halfway Covenant that watered down the message of salvation). What about their relationship with the natives? It was mixed. The Puritans weren’t as missions-oriented as later evangelicals. Yet there were attempts to reach out to the surrounding tribes. I want to give credit in… Read more »

Have We Learned Our Lesson?

  

Let’s continue to talk about the ramifications of last week’s elections. Why? Because it’s a relief to finally have something positive to say about politics in our country. Most people understand what those elections meant. I say “most” because there are some who still just don’t get it: The hypocrisy and self-serving nature of Obama’s response is pretty blatant. At his now-infamous press conference the day after the elections, he revealed that he isn’t changing his views on anything. And… Read more »

Tear Down This Wall!

  

Today marks an auspicious historical anniversary: 25 years ago today, the Berlin Wall fell. First erected in 1961 to keep East Germans from fleeing communism, it became the symbol of the Cold War. Its demise, and the fall of communism in Eastern Europe in general, is worth remembering—that is, if you have a memory of it at all; our education system isn’t exactly top-notch: I grew up with the reality of the Cold War and the threat it posed. I… Read more »

Lewis: Replacing Natural Law

  

For the third Saturday in a row, I want to share some poignant excerpts from C. S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man, a small book with rather large insights. Taken from lectures he gave, and published in 1943, it remains astoundingly relevant today as we watch our civilization teeter on the edge of utter rebellion against God-given natural law. Lewis takes aim at the change in education during his time, and its attempt to replace undeniable truths with man-made ones…. Read more »

Lewis: How to Destroy a Society

  

Last Saturday, I gave an overview of the first chapter of C. S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man. Today, I would like to offer some of his clearheaded thinking in chapter two. In it, he delves more deeply into the idea of natural law—that there are some things that are built into the universe, and into our very being, that can never be erased, no matter how hard some people try to do so. That natural law he calls the… Read more »

The Lewis Project Update

  

My last two posts provided an update on my sabbatical with respect to research into spiritual advisers to presidents. Another project I’ve been working on is my desire to write a book on the influence of C. S. Lewis on Americans. I’ve posted before about my attempt to collect testimonies from Americans on how reading Lewis has impacted their thinking and their relationship with the Lord. The Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College has been the conduit for receiving… Read more »

Lessons of the Reagan Ranch

  

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the second treat of this past week was the opportunity to trek up to the Reagan Ranch. And I do mean “up.” I’m not one for heights, especially when there is a massive dropoff on the edge of a narrow road that twists and turns constantly. But if you survive that harrowing experience, you eventually make it to the top and see this: Doesn’t look like a mansion fit for a president, does it?… Read more »