[The decline in the public education system did not begin yesterday. These paragraphs are excerpted from a book published almost 60 years ago. The difference today is that most people accept this as normal - they don't remember a time when things were different.] Is it possible that this timidity, this excessive appeal to "interest", … Continue reading Illiteracy in Elementary and Secondary Schools
Epistle from a Waldensian Barbe
[Barbe, meaning uncle, was the name given by the Waldensians to their ministers.] An Epistle of the Barbe Bartolemi Tertian to the Evangelical churches of Pragela, circa 1420 AD. Jesus be with us. To all our faithful and beloved brethren in Jesus Christ. I greet you all. Amen. This Epistle is to alert your brotherhood, … Continue reading Epistle from a Waldensian Barbe
Theory, hypothesis, fallacy
People despise Christian faith. They hate it and are afraid that it may be true. -Blaise Pascal Pascal wrote these words at the beginning of the scientific era. All attempts made during succeeding years to disprove Christianity by scientific means have been motivated by this fear. For, if Christianity is true, if there really is … Continue reading Theory, hypothesis, fallacy
Peter Waldo / Francis of Assisi
In the summer of AD 1160, a group of the leading citizens of Lyon was together at a feast when one of them suddenly fell over and died in front of the others. This caused Peter Waldo, another of the guests or perhaps even the host, to reflect on his own life and destiny. He … Continue reading Peter Waldo / Francis of Assisi
Conservatism / Liberalism
[I believe this writing must originate with Robert Friedman. There is a paragraph on page 92 of Mennonite Piety Through the Centuries which briefly states the same thoughts in almost identical words. I'm not sure if Mr. Friedman expanded on those thoughts in another writing, or if another writer did it. In any case, it … Continue reading Conservatism / Liberalism
The Essence of Pietism
Pietism has appeared in so many forms over the years, from the extreme asceticism of the hermit monks to the ecstatic antinomianism of some segments of the charismatic movement. The common thread running through all aspects of pietism is the conviction that I have attained to a level of spiritually and communion with God that … Continue reading The Essence of Pietism
The Perils of Pietism
Glenda Careless sat enthralled as the speaker told of the hundreds who had been delivered from sin and addictions by the blood of Jesus through his ministry. She drank it all in and realized that she needed that deliverance — she wanted it with all her being. He said God would do the same thing … Continue reading The Perils of Pietism
There is still power in the blood
Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. A time to remember Christians in northern Nigeria where the Boko Haram Islamic sect appears to be attempting to wipe out Christianity, and persecuted Christians elsewhere, in places like Pakistan, North Korea, Iran, China and many other countries. There are troubling signs in our … Continue reading There is still power in the blood
The significance of baptism
This post consists entirely of excerpts from the chapter on Baptism (pages 81 to 88) in A Third Way, by Paul M Lederach, © 1980 by Herald Press. In essence, baptism is the means through which the reborn believer commits himself or herself to a life of obedience, in the fellowship with other believers, and … Continue reading The significance of baptism
Buckley’s Mixture versus Christian Evangelism
In the mid-nineties I saw posters in Montreal’s buses and subway trains showing a bottle of Buckley’s Mixture with these words beside it: You’d have to be really sick to take that!, followed by the question: Are you sick? (I’m translating from French here; the English version of the ad campaign may have been worded … Continue reading Buckley’s Mixture versus Christian Evangelism
