I read a number of English language historical novels when I was young. The English heroes were brave, honest, noble and kind. The villains, often French or Spanish, were shifty-eyed, cowardly dishonest and cruel. I accepted this as truth, and, being of English ancestry, it felt good to be able to identify with the good … Continue reading The problem of ethnic pride
humility
Book review: Humble Roots
Hannah Anderson is the wife of a country pastor in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia who finds inspiration for her writing in her garden and other growing things. This book helped me understand why I have always felt uncomfortable when Christians talk about their humility. She tells us that "Show, don't tell," one of … Continue reading Book review: Humble Roots
Keep it authentic
Love thy neighbour as thyself This means to love your neighbour because God has given you a love for him. Don't try to love your neighbour because you know you should and hope that pretending to love will cause genuine love to spring up in your heart. The better way is to get down on … Continue reading Keep it authentic
Gerhard Roosen and the Amish division
The year was 1697. Mennonites fleeing persecution in Switzerland had been living in Alsace for some time. There was danger without because Louis XIV had sent his troops to annex Alsace to France. There was trouble within because Jacob Amman, one of the Mennonite ministers, accused the church of apostasy and worldliness. He demanded a … Continue reading Gerhard Roosen and the Amish division
Intellectualism, reason and faith
Intellectualism is the idea that all truth can be discovered by reasoning. René Descartes started with "I think, therefore I am," and proceeded down this line of reasoning to discover all that was worth knowing, to his own satisfaction at least. The fatal flaw in this is that God is considered as irrelevant and thus … Continue reading Intellectualism, reason and faith
Is Christian humilty the same thing as stoicism or zen buddhism?
Consider the following: "Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is for me to feel no trouble, never be fretted, or vexed, or irritated, or sore, or disappointed. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when … Continue reading Is Christian humilty the same thing as stoicism or zen buddhism?
The pursuit of happiness
Times are tough for writers today. Every writers' group and every writers' conference tells us that no publisher will even look at a book manuscript unless the author has an impressive "writer's platform." That would consist of a blog with at least 10,000 followers and a similar presence on Facebook and Twitter. And then there … Continue reading The pursuit of happiness
John Wycliffe, as seen by Geoffrey Chaucer
In 1367, when John Wycliffe taught at Canterbury Hall, Oxford, one of his students was Geoffrey Chaucer. These two men had a great influence on the development of the English language. In later years, John Wycliffe produced the first translation of the Bible into the English language, and Chaucer produced the first literary work … Continue reading John Wycliffe, as seen by Geoffrey Chaucer
The half-converted farmer
Years ago, there was a farmer in our neighbourhood who lived a simple life. He had no need of electricity, running water or a lawn mower. He didn't seem to have a need for a wife either, though it was rumoured that once long ago there had been a lady of the house. Perhaps the … Continue reading The half-converted farmer
The voice of God
How does God speak to you? Do you know His voice? Jesus said that his sheep would know his voice and would not follow the voice of a stranger. Are all the people who call themselves Christians listening to the same voice? Sometimes God speaks to a person through circumstances or dreams in such a … Continue reading The voice of God
Flatlander Faith 