Chapter 4: “The Humanist Religion”
Versed in the Communist Manifesto (1848) and the two Humanist Manifestos (1933 and 1973), Schaeffer picks up the gauntlet in his Christian Manifesto, responding particularly in chapter four to these humanist documents.
He blames the media for much of the damage insofar as they “see through the spectacles of a finally relativistic set of ethical personal social standards” (56). He calls out public television for refusing to broadcast Whatever Happened to the Human Race? while using tax money to deploy the Hard Choices series, which platformed a materialistic view of the... Continue Reading
The Best Single-Volume Reformed Systematic Theology You’ve Never Heard Of
Book Review: As a master teacher, Bavinck writes clearly, directly, profoundly, pastorally, and yet also artfully to the individual reader.
This devotional aspect is perhaps uncommon in systematic theologies, but it is characteristic of The Wonderful Works of God. Christian families should have some reference work or guide to help make sense of the Bible and theology and to consult when confronted by confusing or difficult matters. Many books provide answers that satisfy the mind; better still is... Continue Reading
Book Review of “Why Borders Matter: Why Humanity Must Relearn the Art of Drawing Boundaries”
We learn not only how to understand and resist the spirit of the age, but also how to extend the winsome alternative in Biblical Christianity to a confused world.
At one point he makes reference to the inherent binary convictions of traditional Christianity when he writes, “Christianity make a clear distinction between those who follow Christ and those who fail to believe” (134). Key to his argument is the idea that even those who reject traditional borders, paradoxically invent new ones to replace them.... Continue Reading
He Gets Us? But Who Is He?
A trendy new "Jesus marketing" campaign seeks to rebrand a familiar figure; HeGetsUs is a movement to reintroduce people to the Jesus of the Bible and his confounding love and forgiveness.
The HeGetsUs campaign aims not to get people to “go to church,” but rather invite people to “consider the story of a man who created a radical love movement that continues to impact the world thousands of years later”….While the goals of HeGetsUs may be to make Jesus palatable to sophisticated urbanite worldings frustrated with... Continue Reading
A Mystery Made Sense of Me
How I Discovered the Not-Yet Kingdom
I eventually wrote a short book to help ordinary Christians understand the exciting and frustrating tension of being simultaneously restless and patient for the future new creation because of our assurance that it is superbly good and securely ours. In my teaching of seminary students, inaugurated eschatology has been a repeated theme. Throughout fourteen years of pastoral... Continue Reading
Chapter 10: By Teaching, By Life, By Action
In true Christianity the Christian discovers a Spirit-propelled inclination to be pleasing God in every aspect of life for his glory.
Since Christians have the truth—the truth of salvation from the One who is the Truth of total reality—it is our duty to be heralding not merely the truth for individual salvation but also the truth for right living in society. Schaeffer is calling for believers to submit to the lordship of Christ over our own... Continue Reading
Our Daily Descent
If self-knowledge begins with God, then apart from God any view of ourselves is distorted.
The confession of sin culminates in the acknowledgment of our condition. Due to our rebellion from God our Creator there is no health in us… we are miserable offenders. Brought lower still to our fallen, creaturely, and God-dependent state, the remedy of the gospel as declared in Christ Jesus is set forth! The minister then declares that through faith... Continue Reading
Remembering the Reformation
The church must not forget the lessons learned during the Reformation. We cannot forget what happens when the gospel is obscured and distorted.
There are hundreds of books on the Reformation, but if one coming to the subject for the first time were looking for the best place to start, he would be hard pressed to find a better introduction than Stephen J. Nichols’ The Reformation (Crossway, 2007). For those who find history difficult, Nichols’ style of writing... Continue Reading
The Limits of Civil Obedience
Schaeffer argues that during the first eighty years of the twentieth century a more rapid departure from that worldview subjected every institution to substantial alteration—whether family, school, church, or government.
Christians, who understand what God requires, obey or disobey on principles, not whims or wishes. Schaeffer observes that wherever the Reformation flourished, two essential and inseparable aspects from the Christian worldview governed citizens: (1) because God ordains governments, he establishes proper order, including officials to whom honor is due (Romans 13:7); and (2) the obligation... Continue Reading
5 Recommended Resources on the Westminster Confession of Faith
One of the Most Well-Written and Enduring Confessions of the Reformed Tradition
Confessing the Faith: A Reader’s Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith by Chad Van Dixhoorn. Historical and practical in its focus, this book provides a guide to the confession, considers its original proof-texts, and seeks to deepen the reader’s understanding of the Westminster Confession. Both advanced and general audiences can benefit from this book and... Continue Reading
