Throughout Christian history, there has always been a united, visible body of believers who professed much the same faith regarding conversion and a personal relationship with God but who refused to conform to the state enforced form of worship of their day. The Martyrs’ Mirror catalogues the faith, and the persecution of these people because … Continue reading The Quiet in the Land
evangelism
Francophone Anabaptists
We may think of the Anabaptist faith as having originated among people who spoke German and Dutch. But before them most Anabaptists spoke French. Does that have any significance for us today? Most of the original explorers and settlers of New France were Protestants. The Roman Catholic Church in France soon moved to prevent further … Continue reading Francophone Anabaptists
Some more thoughts on evangelism
OK, we need to strip the gospel message down to the pure Bible-based essentials and restore all those essentials that have been cast away. Now, when we come to sharing this vital message, we need to strip away all the verbiage and attitudes that hide the message rather than revealing it. Here are some thoughts … Continue reading Some more thoughts on evangelism
Some thoughts on evangelism
Each time the Apostle Paul stopped in a new location during his missionary journeys, he first went into the synagogue to teach. This always ended with the Jews rising up in opposition, sometimes with great violence. Roland Allen, in Missionary Methods, St. Paul’s or Ours, expresses the view that it was Paul’s intention to make … Continue reading Some thoughts on evangelism
Intriguing book titles
These are two of my recent reads, with titles that seem to need a little explanation. Randy Newman's book, Questioning Evangelism, is not about questioning the value of evangelism, which might be your first impression. Rather, he is advocating asking questions as a means of evangelism. Forty-five years ago, Tom Skinner published a book entitled … Continue reading Intriguing book titles
The brief career of a fervent preacher
Levi Young was born in Eastern Pennsylvania in 1841. The date of his conversion is not known, but he became a member of a small Mennonite denomination at the age of 21. Not long after, he became an itinerant minister and evangelist in that group. He never married. He was on fire for the Lord, … Continue reading The brief career of a fervent preacher
JOY
“I don't know why we are here, but I'm pretty sure that it is not in order to enjoy ourselves.” ― Ludwig Wittgenstein A bleak, hard and cold view of life. Wittgenstein, a native of Austria who spent much of his life in England, is regarded as one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th … Continue reading JOY
Happy 2019
A friend was going from place to place, checking and re-filling displays of gospel tracts that had been placed in various businesses. He walked into a grocery store in a small town with some tracts in his hand. Seeing that he needed more, he left those on the counter and went back to his car. … Continue reading Happy 2019
The truth can stand by itself
A friend likes to preface many of the things he says with:“Without a word of a lie.” For some reason I don’t find such a statement all that convincing. It makes me wonder if he is not accustomed to telling the truth. I guess that’s why Jesus instructed us: “But let your communication be, Yea, … Continue reading The truth can stand by itself
Turbulent waters
Our planned evangelistic services were imminent; a preacher and a men’s quartet would be arriving on Sunday. Our pastor didn’t want the disaster cleanup to distract from that effort, so he let people know that no more volunteers were needed. He thought flowers for the church would be a nice touch so he sent one … Continue reading Turbulent waters
Flatlander Faith 