Martin Luther's words began the Reformation which changed the world. By 'his words' I mean his publicly recounting what Scripture itself says. As he was holed away in Wartburg Castle, the words of others began a revolution. These 'words' were not a recounting of Scripture but rather the fomenting of a rebellion.
This came to mind as I was forwarded a YouTube sermon. Video and sound effects were used to stir the soul. The sudden rise in pitch of the voice and a constant ominous sounding music was meant to put the viewer in a mini-trance of sorts. It was not reformation that was in the wind.
I wrote a post a few months ago titled....."Where Is Our Machen?" In that post was this...
Secular historian Frances Fitzgerald did a very credible job in connecting the dots in her latest book 'The Evangelicals, The Struggle To Shape America.' She writes about (William Jennings) Bryan...."By the time of the 1923 (Presbyterian) General Assembly the fundamentalists had gained another powerful champion in William Jennings Bryan....for the past few years Bryan had made common cause with the fundamentalists, but in many respects he was not one of them.....he hadn't much interest in the fine points of theology.....he once admitted he had never had time to study the difference between Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians."
Donald Trump is today our William Jennings Bryan in that he is a powerful presence...able to stir emotions and rally the faithful...but he succeeded only because we didn't want a genuine reformation but just to overthrow the nobility.
Luther eventually was coaxed out of his writing fortress. Not only did he return to the people but the peace and love and truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ returned in his teaching! Charles Spurgeon proclaimed Christ....J. C. Ryle proclaimed the cross of Christ.....but many of their contemporaries attempted to engineer a soft coup in the church against the King of Kings. B. B. Warfield represented academic scholarship whereas his contemporary William Jennings Bryan brought only fire. J. Gresham Machen's reasoning in the Scriptures resonated with even Progressive intellectuals.....as did those of Martyn Lloyd-Jones....while others relied on preaching to personal biases, stirring emotions and putting forth wild speculations. R. C. Sproul had the unique and extraordinary God-given ability to help us understand Scripture. Listen to his preserved words at ligonier.org and savor God's gift of communication.
To young people today I have this to say.....choose your teachers with prayer and care. Examine their messages for signs of manipulation. Has your heart been stirred but not your intellect? How would their words resonate without the music and the lights? Have you perchance at one time found yourself wishing that.....say your grandmother....who has gone on to be with her Savior.... and who spent her evenings for as long as you remember gently rocking in her chair with her worn out Bible on her lap....that she could have experienced the Holy Spirit as you did at the arena the night before....and looked forward to experiencing Him again at the next Christian concert?
Jeremiah.....that guy gets around in these posts.....tells us this as he told Israel and Judah......"Thus says the LORD....'Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls..." and then tremble at the next few words....."But they said, 'We will not walk in it'."
This came to mind as I was forwarded a YouTube sermon. Video and sound effects were used to stir the soul. The sudden rise in pitch of the voice and a constant ominous sounding music was meant to put the viewer in a mini-trance of sorts. It was not reformation that was in the wind.
I wrote a post a few months ago titled....."Where Is Our Machen?" In that post was this...
Secular historian Frances Fitzgerald did a very credible job in connecting the dots in her latest book 'The Evangelicals, The Struggle To Shape America.' She writes about (William Jennings) Bryan...."By the time of the 1923 (Presbyterian) General Assembly the fundamentalists had gained another powerful champion in William Jennings Bryan....for the past few years Bryan had made common cause with the fundamentalists, but in many respects he was not one of them.....he hadn't much interest in the fine points of theology.....he once admitted he had never had time to study the difference between Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians."
Donald Trump is today our William Jennings Bryan in that he is a powerful presence...able to stir emotions and rally the faithful...but he succeeded only because we didn't want a genuine reformation but just to overthrow the nobility.
Luther eventually was coaxed out of his writing fortress. Not only did he return to the people but the peace and love and truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ returned in his teaching! Charles Spurgeon proclaimed Christ....J. C. Ryle proclaimed the cross of Christ.....but many of their contemporaries attempted to engineer a soft coup in the church against the King of Kings. B. B. Warfield represented academic scholarship whereas his contemporary William Jennings Bryan brought only fire. J. Gresham Machen's reasoning in the Scriptures resonated with even Progressive intellectuals.....as did those of Martyn Lloyd-Jones....while others relied on preaching to personal biases, stirring emotions and putting forth wild speculations. R. C. Sproul had the unique and extraordinary God-given ability to help us understand Scripture. Listen to his preserved words at ligonier.org and savor God's gift of communication.
To young people today I have this to say.....choose your teachers with prayer and care. Examine their messages for signs of manipulation. Has your heart been stirred but not your intellect? How would their words resonate without the music and the lights? Have you perchance at one time found yourself wishing that.....say your grandmother....who has gone on to be with her Savior.... and who spent her evenings for as long as you remember gently rocking in her chair with her worn out Bible on her lap....that she could have experienced the Holy Spirit as you did at the arena the night before....and looked forward to experiencing Him again at the next Christian concert?
Jeremiah.....that guy gets around in these posts.....tells us this as he told Israel and Judah......"Thus says the LORD....'Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls..." and then tremble at the next few words....."But they said, 'We will not walk in it'."
