Moralistic, therapeutic deism, a term first used by Christian Smith, seems a fitting description of much of what passes for Christianity in North America. The followers of this religion believe in a God who wants them to be good, wants them to feel good about themselves, doesn’t need to be consulted except in case of … Continue reading Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism
faith
Full of joy
[An excerpt from The True Knowledge of God by Dirk Philips, a co-worker of Menno Simons, written in 1558.] Where this love exists, there all that is good is found. Yea, there God is, who himself is love (1 John 4:8); there Christ dwells, there the Holy Spirit abides, there is the lovely gathering of … Continue reading Full of joy
Take heed how you build
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5). For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as … Continue reading Take heed how you build
Meditations on spring in Saskatchewan
For months our yard looked barren. Spring came, the snow melted, yet the weather remained cool and we waited week after week for signs of a change. The grass was brown; the trees were dry sticks. Very hesitantly, signs of new life began to appear. Last week warm weather arrived in full force, temperatures as … Continue reading Meditations on spring in Saskatchewan
What is our heritage?
One day, about twenty-five years ago, my wife and I were visiting in the home of an Old Order Amish couple. The husband was not ordained at the time, but is now the bishop of his Old Order Amish community. He is a fine man with many admirable qualities, kind, warmhearted, industrious, knowledgeable about many … Continue reading What is our heritage?
One God, two kingdoms
In 1660 AD, Thieleman J van Bright, a deacon of the Mennonite church in Holland, published the result of his exhaustive historical research of the beliefs and the persecutions of faithful Christians from the time of Christ up to the date of publication. This book, the Martyrs Mirror, runs to more than 1100 pages and … Continue reading One God, two kingdoms
Anabaptists and their persecutors
The following statement was made in 1538 by an unnamed Anabaptist leader during a meeting between the Swiss Reformed and Anabaptists in Berne: "While yet in the national church we obtained much instruction from the writings of Luther, Zwingli, and others, concerning the mass and other papal ceremonies, that they are vain. Yet we recognized … Continue reading Anabaptists and their persecutors
What is wrong with me?
I have been having repeated bouts of extreme lassitude, characterized by headaches, aching legs and a lack of energy that is unusual even for a guy in his seventies. Several days ago, I woke up with a nosebleed, something that hardly ever happens to me. At that point a light came on. Five weeks earleir … Continue reading What is wrong with me?
No place to hide
A young man from Africa once made the following comment in a letter: "God can see a little black ant on a black rock, at the back of a cave, in the middle of the night, when the sky is overcast."
The Rage Against God
The rage against God, how atheism led me to faith, © 2010 by Pe ter Hitchens is a personal memoir of the writer's rejection of God in his youth and his return to faith years later. He tells how the rejection of God in British society has led to moral decay and gives a rebuttal … Continue reading The Rage Against God
Flatlander Faith 