Melancthon W. Jacobus, Last Old School Moderator
Jacobus’s autobiography describes the Old School group as the “remnant” alluding to the faithful Old Testament Jews that had not bowed the knee to false gods and turned from God’s Law.
Jacobus was honored with the Doctor of Divinity by Jefferson College, 1852, and the Doctor of Laws, by the College of New Jersey, 1867. But he appreciated most of all the honor of representing the Old School as its last moderator in 1869 and as joint moderator with the New School’s Rev. Philemon H. Fowler,... Continue Reading
G. B. Strickler, Prisoner, Pastor & Professor
When the Assembly convened in Baltimore in 1888, Strickler delivered his retiring moderator’s sermon from John 15:5. “I am the vine, ye are the branches.”
In 1896, Dr. Strickler was called to the Chair of Systematic Theology in Union Theological Seminary succeeding the professorship of C. R. Vaughan. His call to Union was his last ministerial move and though he was not an industrious writer, the students and faculty greatly respected his teaching and persuasive method. He was not a... Continue Reading
Saint Nicholas and the Origins of Santa Claus
Interestingly enough, Saint Nicholas and his legend began in the early church.
At his post Bishop Nicholas diligently served. Over the course of his entire life he was known for being extremely generous. He was especially generous to children, regularly giving them gifts. Myra was a busy port city with ships and sailors coming and going. The ships went out of Myra’s port loaded with gifts and... Continue Reading
What One Chinese Pastor Can Teach You About Suffering Faithfully
Wang quietly embodied so much of what I hear Christians in America today trying to figure out: how to be in the world but not of it.
Wang’s life invites us to ask, What’s the nature of a Christian hero? Does such a person exist? In the creation of heroes, humanity is prone to navel-gazing. Throughout history, men and women have been tempted to make more of each other than they deserve, and it doesn’t serve the persecuted church to put it... Continue Reading
Augustine’s ‘The City of God’ and Why It Matters Today
God’s kingdom is a kingdom which shall indeed prevail.
Augustine provides a model for how Christians ought to think of all of world history in explicitly Christian and biblical categories. As Christians raise children and attempt to think about the world we live in on God’s terms—and not ours—Augustine offers a model for making sense of the world in explicitly biblical categories. That is,... Continue Reading
Fresh Insight into the Life of the Prince of Preachers
Review: ‘Spurgeon: A Life’ by Alex DiPrima
In Spurgeon: A Life, Alex DiPrima provides an updated and accessible biography of the Prince of Preachers. Few of Spurgeon’s many biographies accurately portray his life or reflect the scholarly precision his legacy warrants. This new portrayal serves the church because it “makes some improvements over previous accounts of his life and also takes into view... Continue Reading
Marie Durand — Part 3: The Indelible Legacy of the 1572 Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
"I hope that God will deliver me, and if God gives me this grace, I will not leave you in a strange land."
[After twenty-two years of imprisonment. Marie offers to manage Anne’s finances, urges her to work hard, to be wise and godly, and not to rush into marriage.] “to Mademoiselle [Anne] Durand, at Onex, near Geneva, The Tour de Constance, April 27, 1752. The time must seem very long to you, my darling daughter, and no... Continue Reading
Billy Graham’s Los Angeles Crusade and the Postwar Evangelical Movement
In God’s providence, Graham’s L.A. Crusade put postwar evangelicalism on the map.
Graham has been criticized by some Reformed observers for embracing “revivalism” and “decisionism.” Opinions will vary on those questions, but regardless of their soteriological preferences, most evangelicals still believe that God used Graham to contribute to the salvation of thousands of sinners over his ministry. The L.A. Crusade lets us reflect on the mysterious relationship... Continue Reading
The Bishop’s Predictions
150 years later, the Bishop’s warning has surely proved true.
‘The best, the only explanation of the psalms….is this: that [Christ’s] Humanity found in them a collection of appropriate devotions: Prayer-book, liturgy, hymn-book, fitted and pre-harmonised for a Divine Sufferer and Pilgrim…They are lyrics primarily of the Humanity of our Lord, secondarily of ours’. ‘Read these psalms without this thought; they are petrifactions for a... Continue Reading
A Forgotten Martyr: Mrs. Agnes Prest
For Mrs. Prest, the call to serve Christ outweighed even her closest earthly ties.
During her imprisonment, Mrs. Prest’s resilience continued to shine with amazement. She was offered the chance to recant and to return to her family and live a quiet life if she would only renounce her beliefs and submit to the Roman Catholic mass. But she refused. To one who encouraged her to reconsider, she replied,... Continue Reading
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