Monday, December 18, 2006
Death in the City - Chapter Two: The Loneliness of Man
The current generation has a hunger for meaning in life (this seems to apply as much today as is did in 1968). Unfortunately, the “dust of death” is everywhere. They hunger for meaning because they have forgotten their main purpose in life. To quote the Westminster Shorter Catechism, our chief purpose is “To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” Both parts of that succinct statement are needed. Since we’re made in His image, genuine fulfillment can only be in reference to God which brings about an “affirmation of life”. In Christianity the whole man needs fulfillment. This is unlike Platonism where the soul finds final fulfillment and the body is minimized.
Even though, like today’s generation, the Jews of Jeremiah’s day turned away from the true God, they at least turned to idols, recognizing that there was something out there. Only recent modern generations have turned away to God to a belief in a purely materialistic universe. But this means we’ve turned away from the only one who can comfort us and bring meaning, the infinite-personal God who is there.
What are the consequences of turning away from God? Not only the loss of individuals but the loss of our culture. Insofar as the culture was built on Reformation principles, turning away brings death to the city. Schaeffer quotes Lamentations 1:19. “I called to my lovers but they deceived me; my priests and elders perished in the city while seeking food to revive their strength”. He extends the word “city” to include the concept of “polis”, the sociological group or culture.
But what sort of death will this be? It manifests itself most sharply in the form of loneliness. If we reject God, believing that there is no God, then there is no purpose for man’s existence. He is surrounded by thousands or millions of others in the city and yet he is lonely.
He concludes, “In Jeremiah’s day God worked into history upon the basis of His character, and He continues to do so….God judged [the Jews] as they had turned away from Him. He will do the same in our generation.”
Even though, like today’s generation, the Jews of Jeremiah’s day turned away from the true God, they at least turned to idols, recognizing that there was something out there. Only recent modern generations have turned away to God to a belief in a purely materialistic universe. But this means we’ve turned away from the only one who can comfort us and bring meaning, the infinite-personal God who is there.
What are the consequences of turning away from God? Not only the loss of individuals but the loss of our culture. Insofar as the culture was built on Reformation principles, turning away brings death to the city. Schaeffer quotes Lamentations 1:19. “I called to my lovers but they deceived me; my priests and elders perished in the city while seeking food to revive their strength”. He extends the word “city” to include the concept of “polis”, the sociological group or culture.
But what sort of death will this be? It manifests itself most sharply in the form of loneliness. If we reject God, believing that there is no God, then there is no purpose for man’s existence. He is surrounded by thousands or millions of others in the city and yet he is lonely.
He concludes, “In Jeremiah’s day God worked into history upon the basis of His character, and He continues to do so….God judged [the Jews] as they had turned away from Him. He will do the same in our generation.”
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Favourite Hymn #10
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Refrain
Rejoice! Rejoice!Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.
Refrain
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.
Refrain
O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Refrain
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Refrain
O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Refrain
O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.
Refrain
O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.
Refrain
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Refrain
Rejoice! Rejoice!Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.
Refrain
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.
Refrain
O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Refrain
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Refrain
O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Refrain
O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.
Refrain
O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.
Refrain
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Death in the City - chapter one
Death in the City by Francis Schaeffer (IVP, 1968)
Chapter One
This book is an adaptation of a series of lectures Schaeffer gave at Wheaton College in 1968. He starts the book with the question: How should orthodox, bible-believing Christians view life in a post-Christian world? His goal is to attempt to answer this question through the lens of Jeremiah, Lamentations and Romans.
To those who long for revival, Schaeffer offers this corrective: “There cannot be true revival unless there has been reformation.” He also admits that reformation is incomplete in the absence of revival. The two go together. He writes: “Reformation refers to a restoration to pure doctrine; revival refers to a restoration in the Christian’s life.”
He lays the blame for the directionless and morally bankrupt nature of our society on human foolishness. Quoting Romans 1:21-22, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasoning”. This foolishness in rejecting God is not merely religious foolishness, but intellectual foolishness. Man has taken a position that is out of step with what he, if he really examines things carefully, knows to be true about the universe. Thus, he is left in a position of intellectual and personal tensions. He laments that, while humans have always turned from God, the speed with which western society has rejected God in his own generation is remarkable.
His phrase “post-Christian”, is now part of the evangelical lexicon. In the generation before his, Christians could have had common ground on which to discuss question of value, ethics, and religion; but in the course of a generation, western (European/North American) culture has abandoned its cultural, religious and intellectual heritage.
He sums up the result of this rejection with strong words: Western culture is under the wrath of God.
There is currently a popular praise song called “Days of Elijah”. Schaeffer, however, believes that we are living in the day of Jeremiah. He writes: “The book of Jeremiah and…Lamentations show how God looks at a culture that knew Him and deliberately turned away. But this is not just the character of Jeremiah’s day of apostasy. It’s my day. It’s your day.”
How does God judge? Unlike Zeus who throws down thunderbolts, God can directly intervene or he can simply turn away, letting the natural course of history do what it has always done. Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome. These are the civilizations that make up the detritus of history. Western culture is in danger of the same fate. He concludes the chapter with this statement: “As the Jews of Jeremiah’s day were hungry for bread and had no comforter, our post-christian world is hungry in state and society and in the individual longings of the heart, for it too has turned in our own day from the only sufficient Comforter.”
Chapter One
This book is an adaptation of a series of lectures Schaeffer gave at Wheaton College in 1968. He starts the book with the question: How should orthodox, bible-believing Christians view life in a post-Christian world? His goal is to attempt to answer this question through the lens of Jeremiah, Lamentations and Romans.
To those who long for revival, Schaeffer offers this corrective: “There cannot be true revival unless there has been reformation.” He also admits that reformation is incomplete in the absence of revival. The two go together. He writes: “Reformation refers to a restoration to pure doctrine; revival refers to a restoration in the Christian’s life.”
He lays the blame for the directionless and morally bankrupt nature of our society on human foolishness. Quoting Romans 1:21-22, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasoning”. This foolishness in rejecting God is not merely religious foolishness, but intellectual foolishness. Man has taken a position that is out of step with what he, if he really examines things carefully, knows to be true about the universe. Thus, he is left in a position of intellectual and personal tensions. He laments that, while humans have always turned from God, the speed with which western society has rejected God in his own generation is remarkable.
His phrase “post-Christian”, is now part of the evangelical lexicon. In the generation before his, Christians could have had common ground on which to discuss question of value, ethics, and religion; but in the course of a generation, western (European/North American) culture has abandoned its cultural, religious and intellectual heritage.
He sums up the result of this rejection with strong words: Western culture is under the wrath of God.
There is currently a popular praise song called “Days of Elijah”. Schaeffer, however, believes that we are living in the day of Jeremiah. He writes: “The book of Jeremiah and…Lamentations show how God looks at a culture that knew Him and deliberately turned away. But this is not just the character of Jeremiah’s day of apostasy. It’s my day. It’s your day.”
How does God judge? Unlike Zeus who throws down thunderbolts, God can directly intervene or he can simply turn away, letting the natural course of history do what it has always done. Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome. These are the civilizations that make up the detritus of history. Western culture is in danger of the same fate. He concludes the chapter with this statement: “As the Jews of Jeremiah’s day were hungry for bread and had no comforter, our post-christian world is hungry in state and society and in the individual longings of the heart, for it too has turned in our own day from the only sufficient Comforter.”
Friday, December 01, 2006
Favourite Hymn #11
O God Our Help in Ages Past
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,
“Return, ye sons of men:”
All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.
A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in following years.
Time, like an ever rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.
Like flowery fields the nations stand
Pleased with the morning light;
The flowers beneath the mower’s hand
Lie withering ere ‘tis night.
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,
“Return, ye sons of men:”
All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.
A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in following years.
Time, like an ever rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.
Like flowery fields the nations stand
Pleased with the morning light;
The flowers beneath the mower’s hand
Lie withering ere ‘tis night.
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Reformed Dogmatics - Introduction
Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics – Prolegomena (Baker Academic, 2003) isn’t exactly an easy book to read or summarize. So I'll just summarize the intro and let y'all read the book.
This is the first of a four volume set. The series is edited by John Bolt of Calvin Theological Seminary and translated by the late John Vriend.
The introduction is written by Bolt. Bavinck’s Dogmatics was first published a hundred years ago and represents the high point of four hundred years of Dutch Reformed theological thought. He was also serious about engaging other theological traditions such as Roman Catholicism and modern liberal Protestantism.
Kampen and Leiden
Bolt begins with a brief biography and a short history of the religious and political circumstances surrounding Bavinck’s life. Bavinck was born in 1854. He was indelibly shaped by the deep pietism of Reformed spiritual life, in particular that of the Christian Reformed Church which had seceded from the National Reformed Church in the Netherlands twenty years before his birth.
Although he began his theological training at Kampen Theological School, the seminary of the CRC, he transferred, to his parent’s dismay, to the Univesity of Leiden, the training from which was one of the biggest influences in his theological thinking. His reason was to “become acquainted with the modern theology firsthand” and to receive “a more scientific training than the Theological School is presently able to provide.” His time at Leiden seems to have shaken his faith somewhat. Bavinck wrote: “Will I remain standing in the faith? God grant it.” Bolt writes: “The Leiden experience gave rise to what Bavinck perceived as the tension in his life between his commitment to orthodox theology and spirituality and his desire to understand and appreciate what he could about the modern world, including its worldview and culture.” This tension in his thinking revealed itself in his attempt to reconcile modernity with Reformed pietism.
An example of this tension is found in his creation theology, where he engages the modern philosophy of Kant and Hegel, the scientific theory of Darwin, and the geological theories of his day.
Grace and Nature
It would probably be folly to try to encapsulate Bavinck’s theology in a short statement, but this might work: “His heart and mind sought a Trinitarian synthesis of Christianity and culture, a Christian worldview that incorporated what was best and true in both pietism and modernism, while above all honoring the theological and confessional richness of the Reformed tradition dating from Calvin.”
The framework Bavinck used to do this was Dutch neo-Calvinism, a theological movement propelled by its pioneer, Abraham Kuyper, politician, future Dutch prime minister, journalist, founder of the Free University of Amsterdam, and aggressive adversary of the modern spirit in church and society. Dutch neo-Calvinism set its sights not only on church matters but also on the whole realm of thought, “the arts, the professions, education, culture, society, and politics”. It was, like Bavinck, “appreciative of much in the modern world but not uncritically so.” Bavinck writes, “The thoughtful person places the doctrine of the Trinity in the very center of the full-orbed life of nature and mankind.” His whole theology is shaped by the Trinitarian concept that “grace restores nature.”
Prolegomena
Theological prolegomena deal with “introductory matters of definition and method”. Bavinck defines “dogmatics” as the “knowledge that God has revealed in his Word to his church concerning himself and all creatures as they stand in relation to him.” Bavinck never backed away from honestly engaging modern thought, notably, the Kantian claim that “God cannot be known and the subsequent effort to maintain the study of theology as a form of human religious experience.”
Traditional Reformed theology is organized around six loci (i.e. chief themes or places): the doctrine of God, humanity, Christ, salvation, the church, and last things. Bavinck follows these throughout this work.
Bolt’s words sum up things well: “Dogmatic theology is a science; it is a disciplined, rigorous, systematic study of the knowledge of God. Strictly speaking not every believer is or needs to be a theologian. The long history of theology parallels the life-history of the church but is not identical with it. In that connection, Bavinck’s lengthy discussion of the history of dogmatics has few parallels in any single volume published more recently…though it is a century old, Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics continues to be relevant to many issues still discussed in theology today….it is biblically and confessionally faithful, pastorally sensitive, challenging, and still relevant.”
This is the first of a four volume set. The series is edited by John Bolt of Calvin Theological Seminary and translated by the late John Vriend.
The introduction is written by Bolt. Bavinck’s Dogmatics was first published a hundred years ago and represents the high point of four hundred years of Dutch Reformed theological thought. He was also serious about engaging other theological traditions such as Roman Catholicism and modern liberal Protestantism.
Kampen and Leiden
Bolt begins with a brief biography and a short history of the religious and political circumstances surrounding Bavinck’s life. Bavinck was born in 1854. He was indelibly shaped by the deep pietism of Reformed spiritual life, in particular that of the Christian Reformed Church which had seceded from the National Reformed Church in the Netherlands twenty years before his birth.
Although he began his theological training at Kampen Theological School, the seminary of the CRC, he transferred, to his parent’s dismay, to the Univesity of Leiden, the training from which was one of the biggest influences in his theological thinking. His reason was to “become acquainted with the modern theology firsthand” and to receive “a more scientific training than the Theological School is presently able to provide.” His time at Leiden seems to have shaken his faith somewhat. Bavinck wrote: “Will I remain standing in the faith? God grant it.” Bolt writes: “The Leiden experience gave rise to what Bavinck perceived as the tension in his life between his commitment to orthodox theology and spirituality and his desire to understand and appreciate what he could about the modern world, including its worldview and culture.” This tension in his thinking revealed itself in his attempt to reconcile modernity with Reformed pietism.
An example of this tension is found in his creation theology, where he engages the modern philosophy of Kant and Hegel, the scientific theory of Darwin, and the geological theories of his day.
Grace and Nature
It would probably be folly to try to encapsulate Bavinck’s theology in a short statement, but this might work: “His heart and mind sought a Trinitarian synthesis of Christianity and culture, a Christian worldview that incorporated what was best and true in both pietism and modernism, while above all honoring the theological and confessional richness of the Reformed tradition dating from Calvin.”
The framework Bavinck used to do this was Dutch neo-Calvinism, a theological movement propelled by its pioneer, Abraham Kuyper, politician, future Dutch prime minister, journalist, founder of the Free University of Amsterdam, and aggressive adversary of the modern spirit in church and society. Dutch neo-Calvinism set its sights not only on church matters but also on the whole realm of thought, “the arts, the professions, education, culture, society, and politics”. It was, like Bavinck, “appreciative of much in the modern world but not uncritically so.” Bavinck writes, “The thoughtful person places the doctrine of the Trinity in the very center of the full-orbed life of nature and mankind.” His whole theology is shaped by the Trinitarian concept that “grace restores nature.”
Prolegomena
Theological prolegomena deal with “introductory matters of definition and method”. Bavinck defines “dogmatics” as the “knowledge that God has revealed in his Word to his church concerning himself and all creatures as they stand in relation to him.” Bavinck never backed away from honestly engaging modern thought, notably, the Kantian claim that “God cannot be known and the subsequent effort to maintain the study of theology as a form of human religious experience.”
Traditional Reformed theology is organized around six loci (i.e. chief themes or places): the doctrine of God, humanity, Christ, salvation, the church, and last things. Bavinck follows these throughout this work.
Bolt’s words sum up things well: “Dogmatic theology is a science; it is a disciplined, rigorous, systematic study of the knowledge of God. Strictly speaking not every believer is or needs to be a theologian. The long history of theology parallels the life-history of the church but is not identical with it. In that connection, Bavinck’s lengthy discussion of the history of dogmatics has few parallels in any single volume published more recently…though it is a century old, Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics continues to be relevant to many issues still discussed in theology today….it is biblically and confessionally faithful, pastorally sensitive, challenging, and still relevant.”
Saturday, November 18, 2006
I've got too much time on my hands.
Your Language Arts Grade: 100%
Way to go! You know not to trust the MS Grammar Check and you know "no" from "know." Now, go forth and spread the good word (or at least, the proper use of apostrophes).
Are You Gooder at Grammar?
Make a Quiz
The Great Depression
By Pierre Berton (Penguin, 1990)
I’m actually not going to summarize this book – the structure doesn’t lend itself to summarization easily (and if isn’t easy I won’t do it). I’m about halfway through it. Berton’s prose is light and readable and he has the knack of telling a story well. If all Berton writes is correct then one can only shake one’s head in disbelief at the incompetence of Canada’s leaders in the 1930’s – William Lyon Mackenzie King, R.B. Bennet, et al. Had Canada had reasonably competent leaders the suffering may have been mitigated somewhat. This is not to say that there would have been no suffering at all. Nor that there would have not been much suffering. But to have had as much suffering as did occur is unconscionable.
One story Berton tells is pretty sad. A couple with one son decide, after losing everything, that their only recourse is to kill themselves. They use what’s left to buy a little gas for their car, park in a school garage, connect a hose from the exhaust to the inside of the car and wait for death. Unfortunately, due to their poverty, they weren’t able to buy enough gas to do the job for the whole family. The parents survived but their young son’s cold lifeless body lay in the back seat. Distraught, the mother tells her husband to stab her to death with a butcher’s knife. In order to avoid any unnecessary pain, he tries to knock her out first with an engine crank. The carbon monoxide did just enough, though, to weaken him so that he couldn’t generate enough force. So he decides to just stab her, but he’s not strong enough to penetrate her winter coat. He tries to slice her throat but the blade misses her carotid and she ends up still alive but bleeding profusely. They use razor blades to cut their wrist but the cuts aren’t deep enough. They finally give up and wait for a slow and agonizing death. They were found in time. Later they were charged with the murder of their son.
Well, there are heartwarming stories in the book as well. I’ve also heard stories from seniors in my church about their experiences during the depression, stories of poverty but also stories of faith, compassion and God’s providential care. Berton’s story is worth reading. And the stories of those who went through those times are worth hearing.
I’m actually not going to summarize this book – the structure doesn’t lend itself to summarization easily (and if isn’t easy I won’t do it). I’m about halfway through it. Berton’s prose is light and readable and he has the knack of telling a story well. If all Berton writes is correct then one can only shake one’s head in disbelief at the incompetence of Canada’s leaders in the 1930’s – William Lyon Mackenzie King, R.B. Bennet, et al. Had Canada had reasonably competent leaders the suffering may have been mitigated somewhat. This is not to say that there would have been no suffering at all. Nor that there would have not been much suffering. But to have had as much suffering as did occur is unconscionable.
One story Berton tells is pretty sad. A couple with one son decide, after losing everything, that their only recourse is to kill themselves. They use what’s left to buy a little gas for their car, park in a school garage, connect a hose from the exhaust to the inside of the car and wait for death. Unfortunately, due to their poverty, they weren’t able to buy enough gas to do the job for the whole family. The parents survived but their young son’s cold lifeless body lay in the back seat. Distraught, the mother tells her husband to stab her to death with a butcher’s knife. In order to avoid any unnecessary pain, he tries to knock her out first with an engine crank. The carbon monoxide did just enough, though, to weaken him so that he couldn’t generate enough force. So he decides to just stab her, but he’s not strong enough to penetrate her winter coat. He tries to slice her throat but the blade misses her carotid and she ends up still alive but bleeding profusely. They use razor blades to cut their wrist but the cuts aren’t deep enough. They finally give up and wait for a slow and agonizing death. They were found in time. Later they were charged with the murder of their son.
Well, there are heartwarming stories in the book as well. I’ve also heard stories from seniors in my church about their experiences during the depression, stories of poverty but also stories of faith, compassion and God’s providential care. Berton’s story is worth reading. And the stories of those who went through those times are worth hearing.
What's next
In lieu of my actually writing anything interesting I think I’ll (try to) summarize some of the books I’ve been reading recently. I’m a slow reader so these may come somewhat less than speedily. Nor is it at all certain that I’ll be able to capture the relevant or salient points the author is making. In fact, it’s more probable that I’ll miss his/her point completely and lead you, cherished reader of this blog, on a wild goose chase of non-existent and/or highly underdeveloped ideas/content that were not even the main point(s) of the book. (I should probably edit that last sentence but, eh, whatever…). So, let the excitement begin! (yawn)
Thursday, November 16, 2006
What kind of reader are you?
| What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more. | |
| Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm | |
| Literate Good Citizen | |
| Book Snob | |
| Fad Reader | |
| Non-Reader | |
| What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz | |
Read this
Some people think Man or Rabbit may be C.S. Lewis' best short essay. I think they could be right.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Favourite Hymn #12
For the Beauty of the Earth
For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.
Refrain:
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.
For the beauty of each hour,
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon, and stars of light.
Refrain
For the joy of ear and eye,
For the heart and mind's delight,
For the mystic harmony
Linking sense to sound and sight.
Refrain
For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild.
Refrain
For Thy Church that evermore
Lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of love.
Refrain
For the martyrs' crown of light,
For Thy prophets' eagle eye,
For Thy bold confessors' might,
For the lips of infancy.
Refrain
For Thy virgins' robes of snow,
For Thy maiden mother mild,
For Thyself, with hearts aglow,
Jesu, Victim undefiled.
Refrain
For each perfect gift of Thine,
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flowers of earth and buds of Heaven,
Refrain
For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.
Refrain:
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.
For the beauty of each hour,
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon, and stars of light.
Refrain
For the joy of ear and eye,
For the heart and mind's delight,
For the mystic harmony
Linking sense to sound and sight.
Refrain
For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild.
Refrain
For Thy Church that evermore
Lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of love.
Refrain
For the martyrs' crown of light,
For Thy prophets' eagle eye,
For Thy bold confessors' might,
For the lips of infancy.
Refrain
For Thy virgins' robes of snow,
For Thy maiden mother mild,
For Thyself, with hearts aglow,
Jesu, Victim undefiled.
Refrain
For each perfect gift of Thine,
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flowers of earth and buds of Heaven,
Refrain
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Do great books always make great movies?
Austen is nothing if not acerbic and funny, her best dialog a fountainhead for the kind of writing that would take wing a century later in the work of Wilde, Huxley, and Coward — which may help to explain why she was so long in finding a devoted audience. Austen raises characterization to an audacious pitch, almost to the level of Moliére in the instance of Mr. Collins.The 1940 film, in which Austen's wit is augmented by Huxley's, was one of the funniest chamber comedies of its day, and remains so today.
In contrast, there are few laughs and no wit in the 2005 version...(read)
In contrast, there are few laughs and no wit in the 2005 version...(read)
Friday, October 06, 2006
Favourite Hymn #13
The Church’s One Foundation
The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord,
She is His new creation
By water and the Word.
From heaven He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her
And for her life He died.
She is from every nation,
Yet one o’er all the earth;
Her charter of salvation,
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With every grace endued.
The Church shall never perish!
Her dear Lord to defend,
To guide, sustain, and cherish,
Is with her to the end:
Though there be those who hate her,
And false sons in her pale,
Against both foe or traitor
She ever shall prevail.
Though with a scornful wonder
Men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distressed:
Yet saints their watch are keeping,
Their cry goes up, “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song!
’Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace forevermore;
Till, with the vision glorious,
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.
Yet she on earth hath union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won,
With all her sons and daughters
Who, by the Master’s hand
Led through the deathly waters,
Repose in Eden land.
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we
Like them, the meek and lowly,
On high may dwell with Thee:
There, past the border mountains,
Where in sweet vales the Bride
With Thee by living fountains
rForever shall abide!
The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord,
She is His new creation
By water and the Word.
From heaven He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her
And for her life He died.
She is from every nation,
Yet one o’er all the earth;
Her charter of salvation,
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With every grace endued.
The Church shall never perish!
Her dear Lord to defend,
To guide, sustain, and cherish,
Is with her to the end:
Though there be those who hate her,
And false sons in her pale,
Against both foe or traitor
She ever shall prevail.
Though with a scornful wonder
Men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distressed:
Yet saints their watch are keeping,
Their cry goes up, “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song!
’Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace forevermore;
Till, with the vision glorious,
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.
Yet she on earth hath union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won,
With all her sons and daughters
Who, by the Master’s hand
Led through the deathly waters,
Repose in Eden land.
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we
Like them, the meek and lowly,
On high may dwell with Thee:
There, past the border mountains,
Where in sweet vales the Bride
With Thee by living fountains
rForever shall abide!
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Books to read
Reynolds has also provided a list of books he deems essential reading ranging from preschool to high school.
I gotta get me some book learnin'
He's a tad too politically conservative for my taste but I like John Mark Reynold's take on education
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Tim Keller's 9/11 Sermon
This short sermon is just one example of why Tim Keller is probably my favourite pastor/preacher.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Ben Witherington on Wealth
See his top ten reasons why God doesn't want you wealthy and the comments they drew.
Christian singleness
Scot McKnight started a post on singleness and has drawn a number of responses.
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