Alas, how far have we fallen from a right honoring of the Lord’s day in a land that was once “a city on a hill!” And how short is our collective memory of far better and holier days. But a simple search will bear witness. Our center of pleasure has shifted from the sacred to the secular, from God to games. The following is the Wikipedia entry for “Sunday sporting events.” Telling.
“Sunday sporting events were not usually played until the early 20th century. In North America, they were prohibited due to blue laws at first, but then cities like Chicago, St. Louis, and Cincinnati later decided to legalize them. Other cities such as New York City and Philadelphia had intense political and court battles to legalize the games. Nowadays, professional sports leagues schedule games on Sundays in the United States, though this practice continues to be opposed by some Christian denominations upholding first-day Sabbatarian doctrine.”
[Image courtesy of Google Gemini.]
Posted in Establishments, Psalmody in Culture, Sabbatarianism & the Church Calendar, Sacred & Secular, Secularization | Leave a Comment »
“Under a local system, the teachers move towards the people. Under a general system, such of the people as are disposed to Christianity, move towards them. . . .
“It is the pervading operation of the local system, which gives it such a superior value and effect in our estimation. It is its thorough diffusion through that portion of the mass in which it operates. It is that movement by which it traverses the whole population; and by which, instead of only holding forth its signals to those of them who are awake, it knocks at the doors of those who are most profoundly asleep, and, with a force far more effective than if it were physical, drags them out to a willing attendance upon its ministrations. . . .
“The schools under a local system are so many centres of emanation, from which a vivifying influence is actively propagated through a dead and putrid mass.”
Thomas Chalmers, Collected Works, 14:79, 81.
Posted in Gathered Church Ecclesiology, Parish Theory & Practice, Thomas Chalmers | Leave a Comment »
“He has dressed the whole Supper Himself, covered the table, and there is no more for us to do, but sit down and eat. If we look to this dressed Supper, Christ dressed it all Himself, in the furnace of God’s wrath, and the bread that we here eat is His flesh, which He gave for the life of the world. The wine, which is mingled and drawn is His blood. And, O, sirs, was not our Lord a hot man in making ready this Supper? Not one dish is mis-cooked, all is set before us in the gospel, and Jesus craves no more for all His pains, but only that His friends come to the banquet and eat and be merry; and if ye will come, Christ will pay all the reckoning. When the Israelites were fed with manna, they behoved to go out of the camp, and gather it themselves; but we furnish nothing of this Supper. God be thanked, Christ bears all the expense. Alas! alas! that the unhappy world will not eat heartily, since Christ pays for all. The poor sons of Adam were all sick and at the point of death, and their stomachs were so spoiled with a sour apple that Adam did eat, that they were famished and not able to eat. In comes Jesus and makes a medicinal dinner of His own flesh and blood; lays down Himself and is slain to make physic of His crucified body for us, in order to affect our cure. It is just they die for hunger, and lose their stomach for evermore, who loathe this meat. In the sacrament all things are ready; whatever the soul wants, it shall find at the Table. All the hungry shall find Christ meat and drink.”
Samuel Rutherford
Posted in Church of Scotland, Ordinary Means Ministry, Sacraments, Samuel Rutherford, The Lord's Supper | Leave a Comment »
Pope Leo apparently just said, “Someone who says ‘I’m against abortion but says I am in favor of the death penalty’ is not really pro-life.”
Thomas Aquinas said, “Therefore if a man be dangerous and infectious to the community, on account of some sin, it is praiseworthy and advantageous that he be killed in order to safeguard the common good . . . .” (ST IIa-IIae, q. 64, a. 2).
And, “It is permissible to kill a criminal if this is necessary for the welfare of the whole community. However, this right belongs only to the one entrusted with the care of the whole community — just as a doctor may cut off an infected limb, since he has been entrusted with the care of the health of the whole body” (ST IIa-IIae, q. 64, a. 3).
Rome the same, “everywhere, always, by all,” right?
Semper protestans!
Posted in Christian Ethics, Protestantism & Romanism, Social Issues, The Civil Magistrate | Leave a Comment »
A great little video on marriage with Dr. Joel Beeke:
Posted in Christian Ethics, Family & Family Issues, Family Religion, Gender & Sexuality, Motherhood & Childbearing | Leave a Comment »
I often listen to the Christian news podcast, The World and Everything in It. It’s basically a reformed-ish version of NPR, and produced by the same folks who publish World magazine. I highly commend it (my only quibble being the quasi-benediction at the end of each episode).
There was a really great segment this morning with their regular “Monday Moneybeat” with David Bahnsen. It was an excellent treatment of the masculine malaise of younger men in the U.S.A. and their economic underperformance. Perhaps the most impactful quote for me was “employable men are marryable and marryable men are employable.” Standing ovation! Listen to the episode here; the segment begins at 22:10, and the transcript is below.
* * * * *
MARY REICHARD, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: The Monday Moneybeat.
NICK EICHER, HOST: It’s time now to talk business, markets and the economy with financial analyst and advisor David Bahnsen. David heads up the wealth management firm the Bahnsen Group, and he is here now. Good morning to you.
DAVID BAHNSEN: Good morning, Nick, good to be with you.
Continue Reading »Posted in Christian Conduct, Culture, Family & Family Issues, Natural Law, Social Issues | Leave a Comment »
Here is the latest quarterly update. If you missed the last one from February, you can read it here. And visit Reformed Parish Mission to learn more about history and principles of this effort.
Posted in Reformed Parish Mission (RPM) Posts | Leave a Comment »
West Port Experiment 