A fallible, yet sturdy monument to far better times, when men feared God and kept His day. Lord, let your Wind blow once again!
Archive for the ‘Social Byproduct’ Category
New Jersey blue laws
Posted in Establishments, Historiography, Sabbatarianism & the Church Calendar, Secularization, Social Byproduct, Social Issues, Worship, True & False on January 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Another prescription for community renewal
Posted in Free Church of Scotland, Missiology, Moral Suasion, Parish in American Context, Parish Theory & Practice, Parochial Strategy, Social Byproduct, Social Issues, The Gospel & the Poor, Theology of Community, Theology of Place, Thomas Chalmers on August 25, 2023| 1 Comment »
Community is dead. R.I.P. This short article by Dr. Carl Trueman laments the evaporation of community–at least in the West–and of its historically Christian nexus, the Church. He then offers a strategic prescription in the rediscovery of hospitality, no doubt in the spirit of Rosaria Butterfield. I couldn’t agree more. If we are embodied souls living in real places with zip codes and GPS coordinates, we as Christians need to love our neighbors in very tangible ways for their salvation — and as a happy byproduct, recreate community.
But I think this malady requires more than one prescription. Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847), the pioneer of the Free Church of Scotland in which Trueman spent many years, was even in his day deeply troubled at the disintegration of then-modern community. The Industrial Revolution had forced masses of country folk into the slums of Britain’s factory-choked cities. It grieved him to his core that these people were living in grinding poverty and were completely falling through the cracks of the Church of Scotland’s traditional spiritual care, forming a bloated underclass of unchurched “home heathen.” And the mechanized web of misery only strengthened its grip by the complete and utter absence of community. His assessment is surprisingly contemporary: “As the matter stands, juxtaposition forms no security whatever for acquaintanceship—insomuch that the members of distinct households might live for years under the same roof, unknowing and unknown to each other.”
(more…)Reformed parish missions: “Gentil-inclusión”
Posted in Authored by Site Admin, Contemporary Parochialism, Covenant Theology, Family Religion, Gospel Proclamation, Gospel Tactics, Locality & the Law of Residence, Ministerial Fidelity, Missiology, Ordinary Means Ministry, Parish in American Context, Parochial Strategy, Reformed Parish Mission (RPM) Posts, Social Byproduct, The Church in America, The Gospel & the Poor, The Visible Church, Theology of Community, Thomas Chalmers, Transgenerational Faith on May 23, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Years back, my heart got large for missions — especially urban missions to those on the ‘other side of the tracks.’ At about the same time, I became Reformed (a high octane, old school Presbyterian no less!), putting me in a a sub-subset of a subset. My life and ministry has ever since lived somewhat in the frontiers the unlikely and the implausible. A straightlaced, tall gringo Presbyterian goes out among immigrants, trying to evangelize in broken Spanish and recruit sinners to the “outward and ordinary means” in a humble, little Reformed church 15 minutes to the south. And to sing Psalms. Without musical accompaniment. In English.
I admit that there are all kinds of problems with this model, from a human perspective. But it is actually more plausible than one might think. Yet before I deal with the plausibles, let me first set forth some principles.
The first principle is principle! Principle precedes the practical. We must first determine whether something should be done before we decide whether or not we think it is practical. We ought to go out and bring the Gospel to all. None excluded. Politics quite aside, we may and must not discriminate based on sex, ethnicity, gender, or for that matter even sexual ‘preference.’ By the mandate of our King, we must go and tell them. Yes, as Calvinists, we know that not every “all” means “all.” But “every creature” does in fact mean “every creature.” Even if they don’t look like us, eat like us, or even use our language. It doesn’t matter whether they ‘have papers’ or not, vote Democrat or not. How they got here and whether they should by law be here, is a separate issue for a different discussion (and full disclosure: I lean quite “red” when it comes to immigration policy!). But that they are here means they are here for us to evangelize. And not just gripe about and avoid them as much as possible.
(more…)Collateral repair
Posted in Culture, Establishments, Parish Theory & Practice, Public Health, Sacred & Secular, Social Byproduct, Social Issues, The Gospel & the Poor, The Sacred Ministry, Thomas Chalmers on April 11, 2021| Leave a Comment »
In the following quote, Chalmers explains how a territorial establishment, where parish missions bring the Gospel to every home and hearth, is a double blessing. Even if few souls are saved, the social and moral impact of the Gospel effort leavens the lump:
“And perhaps it will give in your eyes less of a Utopian, and more of an experimental character, to our anticipations of a result so general—if we ask you to consider the just observation of Mr. Wilberforce, on the effect of Christianity even beyond the circle of its own proper and genuine disciples. It elevates the general standard of morals, in every country or neighbourhood which it enters. Even though it should but spiritualize the few, it civilizes the many. Over and above its direct influence on those whom it converts, it has, through the medium of their example and their virtues, a reflex or secondary influence on the families of every little vicinity around them-insomuch that the sanctities and the extraordinary graces of a small number, with the influence of a purifying and preserving salt on the general mass, tell, by a certain overawing power, in restraining the profligacies, and so in raising the character for decency and morals of society at large. This will be remarkably seen in any parish that is under a reclaiming process from the out-fields of heathenism, if the experiment be but well and vigorously conducted. We do not say that the minister will Christianize all; or that he will introduce the worship of God, the voice of psalms, into every family. But the melody that is heard in the habitations of the righteous, will have a certain softening and subduing effect on the inmates of other habitations; and it will be found no romance, but in strict accordance with the realities of human nature, if-by means of his schools and of his other parochial institutes, and (of no small account either) if, by means of his own frequent and various intercourse with the people, and the dignifying effect upon all the householders of their personal acquaintance with the clergyman, and of the personal cognizance which he takes of them and of their families—he mollifies, and to a very great degree, the general aspect of that parochial community over which he presides ; and bequeaths to his successors a far blander and better generation, than he had to encounter himself at the outset of his great undertaking” (Works 14:334-335)
-
Join 131 other subscribers
- Follow West Port Experiment on WordPress.com
Categories
- Abuse, Manipulation
- Alexander Henderson
- Antigua Kirk
- Audio Resources
- Authored by Site Admin
- Benevolence & the Diaconate
- Biblical Interpretation
- Calling of, Mission to the Jews
- Care for the Youth
- Catechesis
- Catholicity
- Chalmers Audio Library
- Charles Bridges
- Christ & the Church
- Christ Jesus
- Christian Conduct
- Christian Life & Experience
- Church of England
- Church of Scotland
- Church Order & Discipline
- Colonial Presbyterianism
- Commerce & Christianity
- Communion of the Saints
- Confessional Subscription
- Connectionalism & Conciliarism
- Constantine
- Contemporary Issues
- Contemporary Parochialism
- Covenant Theology
- Culture
- David Nasmith
- Diets of Catechizing
- Divine Providence
- Earthy Eschatology
- Ecclesiology
- Education
- Eschatology
- Español
- Establishments
- Evangelistic Catechesis
- Experimental Religion & the Cure of Souls
- Faith & Saving Faith
- Family Religion
- Fasting & Days of Fasting
- Fatherhood
- Finance & the Maintenance of Ministry
- Free Church of Scotland
- Free Offer of the Gospel
- Gathered Church Ecclesiology
- Gospel Proclamation
- Gospel Tactics
- Gregarious (Social) Principle
- Heathenism
- Historiography
- Holy Scripture
- Housekeeping
- Indigenous Principle
- Individual & individualism
- James Begg
- John Calvin
- John Knox
- John Murray
- Law & Gospel
- Lectures
- Light of Eternity
- Locality & the Law of Residence
- Medieval Church
- Mental Health
- Ministerial Fidelity
- Missiology
- Moral Suasion
- Mysticism & Fanaticism
- Natural Theology
- New England Puritanism
- Old Testament Theology
- Ordinary Means Ministry
- Parish in American Context
- Parish in Perspective (Qualifications)
- Parish Theory & Practice
- Parochial Strategy
- Pastoral Theology
- Patristics
- Patronage
- Pietism
- Practice of Piety
- Prayer
- Preaching
- Protestant Conversions from Rome
- Protestantism & Romanism
- Psalmody
- Psalmody in Culture
- Public Health
- Puritans & Puritanism
- Redemption Accomplished
- Redemption Applied
- Reformed Parish Mission (RPM) Posts
- Religious Marketplace
- Richard Baxter
- RP Study Group
- Sabbatarianism & the Church Calendar
- Sacraments
- Sacred & Secular
- Samuel Rutherford
- Secularization
- Separatism & Schism
- Social Byproduct
- Social Issues
- Spiritual Warfare; the Occult
- The Church in America
- The Free Offer of the Gospel
- The Godly Prince
- The Gospel
- The Gospel & the Poor
- The Kingdom of God
- The Lord's Supper
- The Manse
- The Romance of Locality
- The Sacred Ministry
- The Social Status of the Church
- The Visible Church
- Theological Diagrams
- Theology of Community
- Theology of Place
- Theology Proper
- Thomas Boston
- Thomas Chalmers
- Thomas Guthrie
- Transgenerational Faith
- Two Kingdoms Theology
- Uncategorized
- Vignettes from 19th Century District Visitation
- Vignettes from the Old Parish Way
- Visitation Evangelism
- Visitation Journaling
- Visiting the Sick & Dying
- Vital Godliness
- Vox Patrum
- West Port experiment
- Worship, True & False
- WPE Audio
- WPE Memes
Archives
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- November 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- October 2016
- July 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008