What is the Calvin 500 celebration without a John Calvin bobbledhead?
Posted: June 23, 2009 Filed under: Calvin 500 2 CommentsThe John Calvin Bobble head stands 7 1/2 inches tall and the base is about 3 1/2 inches in circumference.
Cruise on Lake Geneva
Posted: June 22, 2009 Filed under: Calvin 500 Leave a commentOne event I am looking forward to at the Calvin500 Tour is meeting at the Paquis Pier at 1:45 p.m. for a 2:00 p.m. departure on July 6th. The Pier will be a five- to ten-minute walk from my Hotel. I’ll embark on the Henri-Durant for a cruise on Geneva’s beautiful lake – What a lovely opportunity to relax in the company of many of those who have gathered in Geneva for the Anniversary Conferences! The cruise will be about three hours in duration. Some of the participants on the cruise are:
Joan Ackley
Frank and Joan Alexander
Ralf Augstroze
Joel and Mary Beeke
John and Marie Beeke
Richard and Joyce Blauw
David and Ursula Blumenthal
Robert and Betsy Bryant
Robert Bullock
Matthew and Mary Burton
Richard Butler
Bryan Chapell
Scott Clark
Walter and Sue Cook
Lance and Sonja Cooper
Cecil Culverhouse
Byron Curtis
Elisha and Sharen de Waard
Nellie den Dulk
Tim and Jan Devine
Edward and Lorna Donnelly
Jennings and Anne Duncan
Sinclair Ferguson
Richard, Janice, Gwenyth, Hilary, Lindsey and
Whitney Gamble
Jim and Deborah Goodloe
Randy and Nancy Grossman
David and Ann Hall
Kenneth and Janet Hargis
Martin and Elsabe Holdt
Leonard and Anne Jenkins
Kris Johns
William and Jean Johnson
Terry Johnson
Doug and Caroline Kelly
Jae Sung Kim and Soyang Cho
George and Virginia Knight
Henry and Mrs. Krabbendam
Philip and Shelley Kruis
Anthony Lane
Steve Lawson
Peter and Debra Lillback
David and Jennifer Long
Glenn Maciag
Robert and Dianne Matthews
Bruce McCormack
Andrew McGowan
Dan and Amy Meadows
Harry and Catherine Metzger
Chris and Jenny Miller
Carolyn Mollenkopf
Ray Noel
Jerry and Ann O’Neill
Henry Orombi
Paul and Heidi Parisi
Ray Pennings
Ron and Fil Reed
Jack and Karen Rhoda
Robert Roaten
Douglas and Alice Roossien
Joseph and Eugenia Roskos
Tim and Katherine Russell
Philip Ryken
Mark and Sharon Sampson
Cornelius, Esther and Pamela Schelling
Richard and Adrien Segal
Gordon and Diana Severance
Bill Sim
Geoff and Iola Thomas
John and Joann Tolson
Rob van der Hoek
Steven and Mrs. Vander Hill
Joe and Mary VanPuffelen
Ann Walsh
Craig and Arlo Weaver
Scott Wells
Milton and Carolyn Werkema
Thomas and Katherine West
Mike and Brenda Whealy
John and Norma White
Faith Whittlesey
Mark and LeeAnn Wilkins
Kathleen Wilsack
Johannes Witte
John Witte and Eliza Ellison
David, Jennifer and Sarah Wood
Babs Zandstra
Check back for more updates on and about the Tour from time-to-time before the action starts in Geneva!
The Lord Our Companion
Posted: June 21, 2009 Filed under: Sundays with Spurgeon Leave a commentYea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)
Sweet are these words in describing a deathbed assurance. How many have repeated them in their last hours with intense delight!
But the verse is equally applicable to agonies of spirit in the midst of life. Some of us, like Paul, die daily through a tendency to gloom of soul. Bunyan puts the Valley of the Shadow of Death far earlier in the pilgrimage than the river which rolls at the foot of the celestial hills. We have some of us traversed the dark and dreadful defile of “the shadow of death” several times, and we can bear witness that the Lord alone enabled us to bear up amid its wild thought, its mysterious horrors, its terrible depressions. The Lord has sustained us and kept us above all real fear of evil, even when our spirit has been overwhelmed. We have been pressed and oppressed, but yet we have lived, for we have felt the presence of the Great Shepherd and have been confident that His crook would prevent the foe from giving us any deadly wound.
Should the present time be one darkened by the raven wings of a great sorrow, let us glorify God by a peaceful trust in Him.
Can you help one of my Professors?
Posted: June 20, 2009 Filed under: Video of the Week Leave a commentFree Book with DG-Conference Registration
Posted: June 19, 2009 Filed under: Desiring God Conference 2009 Leave a comment(post from Mike Tong & DG)
The first 500 people to register for the Desiring God 2009 National Conference, “With Calvin in the Theater of God,” will receive a free copy of The Soul of Life: The Piety of John Calvin edited by Joel Beeke.
The Soul of Life: The Piety of John Calvin
John Calvin is the most notable figure from the Reformed tradition. Unfortunately, he is often characterized as a stern and cerebral individual who had little concern for practical matters. However, Calvin was actually influential in promoting a profound sense of piety among early Protestantism. In “The Soul of Life”, Joel R. Beeke presents the life and ministry of Calvin with a special emphasis on Calvin’s efforts for cultivating healthy spirituality among the churches. The selections from Calvin’s own work will give readers a firsthand look at Calvin’s emphasis on godliness, and by God’s grace, will be a means for spurring on greater godliness in our day.
RHB’s Newest Title
Posted: June 18, 2009 Filed under: Profiles in Reformed Spirituality, Reformation Heritage Books Leave a comment
Reformation Heritage Books just got in Thabiti Anyabwile’s newest title, May We Meet in the Heavenly World: The Piety of Lemuel Haynes. If you are looking for a small summer read, Thabiti’s (volume 7) of RHB’s Profiles in Reformed Spirituality Series may be what you are looking for.
Stephen Nichols said on Ref21,
“He has just published a great addition to Joel Beeke and Michael Haykin’s fine series Profiles in Reformed Spirituality. These are handy little paperbacks at a great price. But don’t let the size fool you. They’re packed.
Thabiti’s installment is May We Meet in the Heavenly World: The Piety of Lemuel Haynes, fresh off the press at RHB. As a church history professor, I am greatly in Thabiti’s debt for this book. Move over dead white men, it’s time for some color. As a Christian trying to figure out what it means to be a faithful disciple, I am also indebted to Thabiti and to Lemuel Haynes for this book.
Haynes, who also pops up in Thabiti’s The Faithful Preacher: Recapturing the Vision of Three Pioneering African-American Pastors, was a colonial New England slave, turned Revolutionary war soldier, turned pastor and theologian. He has been a forgotten voice. But that is changing. Make sure to add this to your own summer reading list. It’s in the warehouse today and ready to go.”
John Saillant, author of Black Puritan, Black Republican: The Life and Thought of Lemuel Haynes, 1753–1833 said,
“This well chosen selection from Lemuel Haynes’s writings represents a significant part of the earliest African-American engagements with the Reformed theological tradition. In that tradition Haynes and his black contemporaries, both American and British, found a language of justice and inspiration that allowed them to criticize slavery and racial prejudice, and to offer a Christian vision of a free society. “May We Meet in the Heavenly World” can be recommended to students of Christian theology and of American history.”
Anthony Carter, author of On Being Black and Reformed said,
“I rejoice to know that God has given me friends and heroes like Lemuel Haynes and Thabiti Anyabwile. I love them both. I have learned much from them. In reading this volume, I am sure you will too. Enjoy.”
What I am looking forward to during the Calvin500 Tour
Posted: June 17, 2009 Filed under: Calvin 500 1 CommentToday I received my Witte Travels & Tours package in the mail for the upcoming Calvin500 Historic Tour and Conference that is taking place in Geneva in less then a month, June 30th – July 10th. My plan while over in Geneva is to blog, now to which form of blogging – micro blogging, live blogging, or just a write up over each days events and sessions, well that all depends on what type of internet service I have when I get there. As of now the only certainly that I have is my hotel room every evening. I hope that I have the time and means to share with the many of you that read mine and the Calvin500 Blog of the events that take place, the papers that are addressed, the sermons that are given and whatever else comes about from July 3rd to July 10th.
When it comes to travel, I do my far share in the states, but I have never been out of North America. I mean, I have been to Canada a number of times for canoeing, hiking, camping, fishing, and like every other American to see Niagara Falls. I also once went to Mexico to help build a church for two weeks, but never out of North America. So I have a list of items that I had made the other day in which I am looking forward to and hope to do while in Geneva.
- I hope to take pictures or maybe a video camera to record the event and remember the 500th birthday of John Calvin.
- I hope to not look like the typical American in the streets of Geneva, so therefor I am refusing to take any khakis with me.
- I am looking forward to meeting and staying with Dr. Henri Blocher. I do not know much about him besides the fact that he is a French evangelical theologian, is Gunther Knoedler Professor of Systematic Theology at Wheaton College Graduate School (since 2003) and is Professor of Systematic Theology, Faculte Libre de Theologie Evangelique, Vaux-sur-Seine, France. Maybe I can get some tips in applying for my Ph.D. From him.
- Hearing more than 25 professors and pastors preach and teach on a number of different topics and selected text from the Scriptures that will be preached. Most of all I am looking forward to three of these. 1.) Dr. Bruce McCormick: “Union with Christ in Calvin’s Theology: Grounds for a Divinization Theory?” 2.) Dr. R. Scott Clark: “Calvin’s Principle of Worship” and 3.) Dr. Richard Gamble: “Recent Research in Calvin Studies.”
- Looking forward to meeting at the Paquis Pier with 25 top-scholars on John Calvin and going on a Cruise on Lake Geneva.
- I hope to find some Calvin500 B-day cake!
Those of who are interested in hearing about and keeping up-to-date in what is happening at the Calvin500 Tour and Conferences, stay tune, stay here at my blog and the Calvin500 Blog for updates.
I’m Blogging the Calvin500 Tour
Posted: June 16, 2009 Filed under: Calvin 500 Leave a commentI (Michael Dewalt) will be at the Genevan Conferences. I’ll be blogging or posting as often as possible. For my work, see the following.
Twitter – follow his experience in Geneva while attending the Calvin500 Tour and Conference
Facebook – look for updated status’s on what is going on during the Calvin500 Tour and Conference
Calvin500 Blog – Blogging the papers and sermons given during the Calvin500 Tour and Conference
Gospel-Centered Musings – personal blog post on the experience in Geneva during the Calvin500 Tour and Conference
A Interview with Daniel Hyde on Images of Christ
Posted: June 15, 2009 Filed under: Danny Hyde, Interviews 4 CommentsAbout a month a go, I got the chance to set down and interview Daniel Hyde on his newest tile, In Living Color: Images of Christ and the Means of Grace.
Thanks to Dirk Naves for putting together this video.
Divine Cultivation
Posted: June 14, 2009 Filed under: Sundays with Spurgeon Leave a commentI the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: Lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. (Isaiah 27:3)
When the Lord Himself speaks in His own proper person rather than through a prophet, the word has a peculiar weight to believing minds. It is Jehovah Himself who is the keeper of His own vineyard; He does not trust it to any other, but He makes it His own personal care. Are they not well kept whom God Himself keeps?
We are to receive gracious watering, not only every day and every hour “but every moment.” How we ought to grow! How fresh and fruitful every plant should be! What rich clusters the vines should bear!
But disturbers come; little foxes and the boar. Therefore, the Lord Himself is our Guardian, and that at all hours, both “night and day.” What, then, can harm us? Why are we afraid! He tends, He waters, He guards; what more do we need?
Twice in this verse the Lord says, “I will.” What truth, what power, what love, what immutability we find in the great “I will” of Jehovah! Who can resist His will? If He says “I will,” what room is there for doubt? With an “I will” of God we can face all the hosts of sin, death, and hell. O Lord, since Thou sayest, “I will keep thee,” I reply, “I will praise Thee!”
The Calvin500 Tour Reveals ALL 8-Volumes in Their Series
Posted: June 12, 2009 Filed under: Calvin 500 Leave a commentThose in Print as of now, volumes 1-4…
Volume 1 – Theological Guide to Calvin’s Institutes: Essays and Analysis Edited by, David W. Hall and Peter A. Lillback
Capturing both the best of elite scholarship, as well as exhibiting a firm understanding of and passion for Calvin’s own work, these essays by 20 elite Calvin scholars who appreciate the abiding value of Calvin’s Institutes provide definitive and section-by-section commentary on Calvin’s magnum opus. A section by section commentary on Calvin’s Institutes.
Volume 2 – Legacy of John Calvin: His Influence on the Modern World by David W. Hall
David Hall identifies 10 seminal ways that Calvin’s thought transformed the culture of the West, complete with a nontechnical biography of Calvin and tributes by other leaders. The Legacy of John Calvin is brief enough for popular audiences and analytical enough to provide much information in a short space.
Volume 3 – The Piety of John Calvin: A Collection of His Spiritual Prose, Poems, and Hymns by Ford Lewis Battles
The Piety of John Calvin is an anthology that promotes “a warm personal grasp” of Calvin, the man. This book seeks to show the Christian man as he saw himself, to see the Christian life as he understood it, and to examine both his theoretical exposition or prayer and his own prayers, in the liturgy and for other occasions.
Volume 4 – Calvin in the Public Square: Liberal Democracies, Rights, and Civil Liberties by David W. Hall
In the past two decades, a small cottage industry of important new scholarship has emerged documenting the distinctive Calvinist contributions to the development of Western theories of law, democracy, and human rights. In this engaging volume, David Hall offers a crisp distillation of the latest scholarly findings and a clarion call to reclaim the Calvinist pedigree of some of our most cherished political ideas and institutions.
Those to come, volumes 5-8…
Volume 5 – Calvin and Commerce, by David W. Hall and Matthew D. Burton
Is Capitalism dead? Should it be? This volume explores the seminal thought of John Calvin on business, commerce, investment, stewardship, philanthropy, and other economic areas. His thought revolutionized certain areas of life; it may be time for that revolution to be revisited.
Volume 6 – Tributes to Calvin, Edited by David W. Hall
Calvin500 marked the 500th anniversary of Calvin’s birth with an international conference in Geneva. These 24 addresses by a host of international scholars were presented in Geneva for that conference and provide one of the most comprehensive, informed, and rounded assessments of Calvin’s thought today.
Volume 7 – Commemorating Calvin: Sermons in Honor of John Calvin from Calvin500, Edited by David W. Hall
One of the signatures of Calvinism is expositing the Scriptures, and no anniversary of Calvin would be complete without preaching from modern Calvinists. Thirteen sermons, delivered in St. Pierre Cathedral as part of Calvin500, are given to commemorate the lively preaching of Calvinists today.
Volume 8 – Calvin and Culture: Exploration of a Worldview, Edited by David W. Hall and Marvin Padgett
Calvin’s thought was not confined within the walls of the church; it had a pervasive cultural overflow. Thirteen scholars each discuss an academic discipline (art, law, science, philosophy, economics, literature, music, politics, etc) and reflect on how Calvin impacted each of those and provide a salutary worldview.
For ONLY those who will be attending the Calvin500 Tour, Reformation Heritage Books will be offering all these volumes at 40% OFF!!!
God writes…
Posted: June 11, 2009 Filed under: Gospel Quote of the Week Leave a comment“God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.” — Martin Luther
New on the Calvin500 Tour
Posted: June 10, 2009 Filed under: Calvin 500 Leave a commentBad news… Dr. James McGoldrick of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary will not be able to travel to Geneva for our conferences due to a family illness.
However, our readers and others would benefit from his fine paper prepared for the occasion.
This, along with 23 other essays, will appear later this year (2009) in the volume from the Tribute Conference.
Enjoy!
LUTHER AND CALVIN: COMRADES IN CHRIST
RHB has a Great Deal on some Thomas Watson titles
Posted: June 9, 2009 Filed under: Reformation Heritage Books, Thomas Watson Leave a commentThese three titles would cost $48.00, and RHB is selling them for only $28.00!!! I know I am getting these this week!
C. H. Spurgeon said, “These three volumes make up Thomas Watson’s complete Body of Practical Divinity. “One of the most precious of the peerless works of the Puritans, and those best acquainted with it prize it most.”
My Summer Reads
Posted: June 8, 2009 Filed under: What am I Reading Today? Leave a commentSome people have asked me what I am reading this summer. After last semester with taking 20 credits to finish my Masters of Arts degree, I have planned on taking a 3-month vacation from studies, which means I plan on not reading very much. However I have bought a few books to read this summer and felt like sharing what I’ll be working through, any suggestions?
#1 Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries, by Everett Ferguson
Performing an almost Herculean task, Ferguson has evaluated every important document and baptismal font from the first five centuries of the Christian era. By delineating the diversity of beliefs and practices he discovered, he sheds enormous light on how we should understand this powerful rite of initiation.
#2 Church History: Volume One: From Christ to Pre-Reformation, by Everett Ferguson
Ferguson’s fresh yet scholarly work integrates the development of church doctrine with the cultural, intellectual, and political climates of the period—as the church weathered controversy after controversy. With a readable format featuring illustrations, charts, and sidebars, this excellent resource will be a welcome addition to the library of the serious historian or seminarian.
#3 Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality, by Rob Bell
Just as the physical world is linked with deeper spiritual realities, sex and God are intimately connected. But how? With unusual beauty and insight, Bell addresses this intriguing question to help you better understand that we can’t talk about ourselves as sexual beings without asking who made us that way. An enlightening exploration of sexuality and spirituality.
#4 Judas and the Gospel of Jesus: Have We Missed the Truth about Christianity?, by N. T. Wright
A publishing phenomenon, The Gospel of Judas soared to the top of bestseller lists—and sparked a worldwide debate about its impact on Christianity. What exactly is this ancient document, and how significant is it for today’s believers? Wright tackles these provocative questions, offering a much-needed theologically sound response to this controversial “Gospel.”
#5 Cash: The Autobiography, by Johnny Cash
A humble, happy look back from the man in black. Johnny Cash answers to many names; he’s JR to childhood friends and family, John to bandmates, and Johnny to fans. “Cash” is the name wife June Carter reserves for “the star, the egomaniac.” The star gets plenty of ink here, from the early days at Sun Records–with Elvis, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis–to his current status as a darling of the alternative rock set. But it’s the private man who’s most compelling and surprisingly complex. Cash writes candidly of his recurring addiction to amphetamines and his concomitant shortcomings as a father, addresses his spirituality without sounding maudlin, and displays genuine humility at his success and very little bitterness at his abandonment by the country music establishment. A more accurate subtitle might be “The Second Autobiography,” since this volume covers some of the same ground as Cash’s previous work, The Man in Black (1986), but a life so chock full of oddments (he once started a forest fire with an automobile and on another occasion was nearly disemboweled by an ostrich) and renegade stands (he opposed Vietnam, heresy to the nation’s blue- collar constituency) easily merits a second look. Organized around the domiciles where he divides his time–homes in Tennessee, Florida, and Jamaica, as well as his tour bus–the book stays grounded in the present, mixing reflections on his 40-year career with a running chronicle of an ongoing tour. This novel approach minimizes the as-told-to blahs that plague many a celebrity autobiography and highlights Cash’s wry humor and introspection. With the help of Carr, editor of Country Music magazine, Cash keeps the pace lively until the end, when the roses he throws everyone from grandkids to music biz buddies bog things down. Mostly, though, a pungent, substantive autobiography from one the most iconoclastic talents on the American music scene. (32 pages b&w photos, not seen) ($200,000 ad/promo; author tour) — Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
#6 The Ten Commandments, By Thomas Watson
This volume is one of three that make up Thomas Watson’s complete Body of Practical Divinity. ‘One of the most precious of the peerless works of the Puritans, and those best acquainted with it prize it most.’ – C. H. Spurgeon
He Always Listens
Posted: June 7, 2009 Filed under: Sundays with Spurgeon Leave a commentThe Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer. (Psalm 6:9)
The experience here recorded is mine. I can set to my seal that God is true. In very wonderful ways He has answered the prayers of His servant many and many a time. Yes, and He is hearing my present supplication, and He is not turning away His ear from me. Blessed be His holy name!
What then? Why, for certain the promise which lies sleeping in the psalmist’s believing confidence is also mine. Let me grasp it by the hand of faith: “The Lord will receive my prayer.” He will accept it, think of it, and grant it in the way and time which His loving wisdom judges to be best. I bring my poor prayer in my hand to the great King, and He gives me audience and graciously receives my petition. My enemies will not listen to me, but my Lord will. They ridicule my tearful prayers, but my Lord does not; He receives my prayer into His ear and His heart.
What a reception this is for a poor sinner! We receive Jesus, and then the Lord receives us and our prayers for His Son’s sake. Blessed be that dear name which franks our prayers so that they freely pass even within the golden gates. Lord, teach me to pray, since Thou hearest my prayers.
Saturdays With Cash
Posted: June 6, 2009 Filed under: Just for Fun 1 CommentWhen you’re weary, feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all;
I’m on your side. When times get rough
And friends just can’t be found, Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down. Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down.
When you’re down and out, When you’re on the street, When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you. I’ll take your part.
When darkness comes
And pain is all around, Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down. Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down.
Sail on silvergirl, Sail on by.
Your time has come to shine.
All your dreams are on their way.
See how they shine.
If you need a friend I’m sailing right behind. Like a bridge over troubled water I will ease your mind. Like a bridge over troubled water I will ease your mind.
The Prayer of the Lord by R. C. Sproul
Posted: June 5, 2009 Filed under: Book of the Week, R.C. Sproul, Reformation Trust Leave a commentFrom Ligonier: What is the Lord’s Prayer? In The Prayer of the Lord, Dr. R. C. Sproul writes, “Jesus’ intent was to give His disciples a model prayer, an example to follow, one that would teach them transferrable principles for conversation with God.” In short, Christ gave the Lord’s Prayer to teach His disciples about prayer, and Dr. Sproul, in his trademark fashion, brings out many of the truths Christ intended for His followers to learn. Readers will learn how not to pray, then will be led into a deeper understanding of such topics as the fatherhood of God, the kingdom of God, the will of God, the nature of sin and forgiveness, the dangers of temptation, and the cunning of Satan. The final chapter includes questions and answers on various aspects of prayer not covered elsewhere in the book, and the appendix addresses the difficult question of the relationship of God’s sovereignty and prayer. The Prayer of the Lord is an eye-opening journey, one that reveals new vistas in familiar terrain. 
Retail $15.00 | Ligonier’s Price $12.00
Hardcover 5.5 x 8 | 144 Pages
ISBN 1-56769-118-8 | Released May 2009
Order Here for $12.00
Table of Contents and Sample Chapter
High-Res Image: Front Cover | Back Cover
About the Author Dr. R. C. Sproul is the founder and president of Ligonier Ministries, and the minister of preaching and teaching at St. Andrew’s in Sanford, Fla. He is the author of more than sixty books and served as the general editor of The Reformation Study Bible. Dr. Sproul is renowned for his ability to communicate deep, practical truths from God’s Word.
My Thoughts: If you are looking for a short little book that is to the point on the Lord’s Prayer R.C. Sproul’s newest little title goes through it line by line. Dr. Sproul goes through the model of Christ example in how we believers are to pray to our Father. My Favorite part of the whole book is chapter one dealing with, “How Not to Pray.” The chapter deals with: Avoiding Hypocritical Practices, A Facade of Hypocrisy, Avoiding Pagan Practices, and Praying to a God Who Already Knows.
In a day and age that Christians can often try to pray like they are some “holy-roller” or show themselves as if they know more then the guy next to them in their prayers, Dr. Sproul starts by showing exactly what not to do before dealing with Christ example in what to do. No matter for the young convert in learning how to pray, or the seminary student that studies all day, the book is a great reminder of the example from Scripture that christ has given his church to follow.
You Can Pre-order Thabiti Anyabwile’s New Book at RHB for 50% OFF Today Only!
Posted: June 4, 2009 Filed under: Profiles in Reformed Spirituality, Reformation Heritage Books, Thabiti M. Anyabwile Leave a commentPre-order for 50% OFF only today!
May We Meet in the Heavenly World: The Piety of Lemuel Haynes
Thabiti M. Anyabwile
Paperback, 152 pages
Page size: 4.5 x 7 inches
Retail Price: $10.00
RHB Price: $7.50
Pre-order Price Today Only: $5.00
ISBN 978-1-60178-065-2
Available: June 30
In “May We Meet in the Heavenly World”, Thabiti M. Anyabwile introduces us to the New England preacher, Lemuel Haynes (1753–1833). Through both the biographical essay and the selections from Haynes’s writings, readers are sure to perceive an Edwardsian sense of spirituality that ever lived in view of eternity. Well acquainted with difficulties, suffering, and death, Haynes’s ministry was infused with the unfailing hope of heaven.
Commendations
“This well chosen selection from Lemuel Haynes’s writings represents a significant part of the earliest African-American engagements with the Reformed theological tradition. In that tradition Haynes and his black contemporaries, both American and British, found a language of justice and inspiration that allowed them to criticize slavery and racial prejudice, and to offer a Christian vision of a free society. “May We Meet in the Heavenly World” can be recommended to students of Christian theology and of American history.”
—John Saillant, author of Black Puritan, Black Republican: The Life and Thought of Lemuel Haynes, 1753–1833
About the author
Thabiti M. Anyabwile is senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. He has a strong professional and academic background in community psychology, with special interest in the history and development of the African American church. He is the author of The Faithful Preacher, What is a Healthy Church Member?, and The Decline of African American Theology. Pastor Anyabwile and his wife, Kristie, have three children.
For other books in the Profiles in Reformed Spirituality series, click herehttp://www.heritagebooks.org/bookstore/catalog/index.php?cPath=222_448
Are You a Young Calvin Scholar?
Posted: June 3, 2009 Filed under: Calvin 500 Leave a commentPart of The Calvin500 Tribute Conference in Geneva during July (schedule posted here), will feature an afternoon session devoted to papers presented by Young Calvin Scholars. To present a summary of a paper at the Geneva Conference on July 8, 2009 in the afternoon, the paper (5,000-7,500 words) must meet the following qualifications:
- Must be submitted electronically in English to David Hall
- Must be submitted by June 12, 2009
- Must be in MS Word format
- Must be an original work by a registered participant that is attending the conference already
- Must be under 45 years of age
- Must have at least a Masters degree in related studies (M.S., M.A., M.A.R., M.T.S., M.Div., Th.M.)
- Must focus on some topic addressed by John Calvin, using Calvin as a primary source
Prizes will be awarded, and recognition will be given in the published volume of Proceedings from the conference. Prizes are as follows:
- First Prize $300
- Second Prize $150
- Third Prize $100
Professors, advisors, and participants are asked to spread the word and encourage some of our best young Calvin scholars to attend and present their work.
Since I reach all of the following, I decided to give it a shot. Below is a link of the paper that a friend and I wrote. I’ll be sure to write a post here in the next month letting you know if I made it or not. I’m hoping for the best, but you can read and see for yourself if I have a shot.
Calvin’s Practical View of Adoption: Its Privileges and Duties
What does it mean? The Sabbath was made for Man…
Posted: June 2, 2009 Filed under: Sabbath 2 CommentsWhat does it mean when Christ said in Mark 2:27-28, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
If the Sabbath in the Old Testament was focused on the plan of redemption, the key events and people that played apart of it, then how does the New Testament practice of this take place for the church today?
If the Old Testament church practice was to look at the grace that God had gave to his people in the past, then how does the New Testament church today look at the grace on the Sabbath today?
If the Old Testament church looked on the Sabbath at how God was dependable for them, then how does the New Testament church do the same today?
If the home was mainly were the Old Testament church observed and practice the Sabbath, then how and where does the New Testament church observe and practice this today?
If the Sabbath’s main focus was on the family in the Old Testament, then what is the main focus of the Lord’s Day for the assembly of the church in the New Testament?
“Christ took the Sabbath in the tomb with him, and on Resurrection day refocused it to the Lord’s Day.” — Thomas Watson
How has the Sabbath/Lord’s Day refocus your life? or should I ask, Does it at all?
Read further: Matthew 12, Mark 2, & Luke 6
The Beauty of God’s Kingdom – Part 4
Posted: June 1, 2009 Filed under: The Beauty of God's Kingdom Leave a commentI had started a 4 part series on The Beauty of God’s Kingdom about two-weeks ago, before I was interrupted by a series (Don’t Bash the Man Called Cash) which took over most of last week on Johnny Cash and Gospel-Centered Living. Before this post, there were three others in dealing with the topic.
Part 1 The Beauty of God’s Kingdom in Hebrews 12
Part 3 was An Acceptable Kingdom
And for Part 4, The Beauty of God’s Kingdom is that you serve A Consuming God. The beauty of God’s Kingdom is that His fire, judgment, and wrath will consume all those that are not a part of the gospel.
The reason we serve the kingdom of God in awe is because of the fear of what we know lies in the very character and hand of almighty God. To think that we could be in the place of never knowing Christ, or never being part of this unshakable kingdom, should bring us to our knees in adoration of whom we serve on a daily basis. This is not a game or some joke, or even just a mere story written by some random writer; we are talking about the creator of the universe. This is why the writer of Hebrews ends this chapter by showing the importance of recognizing who our God is, bringing forth the most severe warning in the whole book of Hebrews. Those who do not know the gospel, do not know God, and do not live in the unshakable kingdom have only the force of God awaiting them. The God of Sinai – whom none could approach – is the same God of Zion. The judgments and wrath that poured out among the people of the golden calf awaits those that make idols in the same way today.
In other words, if you are not under the grace of God, you are damned because nothing but the wrath of God waits for you. Wrath abides on your head, and unless you see Christ, see your mediator, and repent and come to the fountain of blood which is offered to all, there will be no mercy for you. God does not tolerate other gods. And other gods aren’t just physical statues – gods are anything you serve besides the one true God. So, whether you serve yourself, your sin, your wants, your money, your greed, your lusts, your pride, your self-pity, or any god of doing whatever it may be that your flesh wants, the almighty God will not allow any before Him. They are completely shakable and have no part in the gospel kingdom.
There is another angle to this, which is vital to speak of, because some of you may be sitting here today and you know the gospel and are part of the unshakable kingdom, but you still struggle in areas which don’t allow you to live in reverence or awe as you ought to. You may struggle with debt that seems too large, bills too high, unruly children, unsaved family, difficult work, never-ending housekeeping, taxing studies, great worries, deep agony, depression, hurt… and you wish that Christ would come and shake what needs be, and take home what is His as soon as possible.
For those who feel this way, I want to say this:
I am going to end this message where I started – and that is exactly what you have do also. You have to end where you started – that is, Jesus Christ. He who gave you everything you have, will finish everything for you. God shows Himself as a consuming fire so that you can enjoy His good news and enjoy His work in awe. God, this consuming fire, did not spare His Son, but sent Him to the cross. He poured out His wrath – this consuming fire – upon His Son so that you can benefit now and for eternity. But even more than benefiting for ourselves, we benefit for the glory of God. We remember that the God of the law is the God of the gospel; the God of Mount Sinai is the God of Mount Zion; and because of His mercy His people enjoy new mercies every morning, so that we live daily in reverence and awe for Him. Someday, the person who mocked the gospel, who did not come to Christ, who refused the cross, will receive the consuming fire of God. But the one for whom Christ laid down His life in the front lines of the fire of God, that person lives for Him. He didn’t give us the gospel benefits in this kingdom for us to walk around and boast in ourselves, and he didn’t give them for our own self-gratitude. He gave them to make His own name known… to make known His fame and His glory, so that the world may see His holiness among all the nations, so that more will come from the farthest ends of the earth and proclaim, “The Kingdom of God is at hand.”
Holy Foresight
Posted: May 31, 2009 Filed under: Sundays with Spurgeon Leave a commentNevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of Heaven. (Matthew 26:64)
Ah, Lord, Thou wast in Thy lowest state when before Thy persecutors Thou wast made to stand like a criminal! Yet the eyes of Thy faith could see beyond Thy present humiliation into Thy future glory. What words are these, “Nevertheless-hereafter!” I would imitate Thy holy foresight, and in the midst of poverty, or sickness, or slander, I also would say, “Nevertheless-hereafter.” Instead of weakness, Thou hast all power; instead of shame, all glory; instead of derision, all worship, Thy cross has not dimmed the splendor of Thy crown, neither has the spittle marred the beauty of Thy face. Say, rather, Thou are the more exalted and honored because of Thy sufferings.
So, Lord, I also would take courage from the “hereafter.” I would forget the present tribulation in the future triumph. Help thou me by directing me into Thy Father’s love and into Thine own patience, so that when I am derided for Thy name I may not be staggered but think more and more of the hereafter, and, therefore, all the less of today. I shall be with Thee soon and behold Thy glory. Wherefore, I am not ashamed but say in my inmost soul, “Nevertheless-hereafter.”
Don’t Bash the Man They Called CASH – Part 4
Posted: May 30, 2009 Filed under: Johnny Cash Leave a comment
This plans to be my last post in the series I am doing this week on Johnny Cash and living a Gospel-Centered life. You can read the pervious three post below at their links.
His most well known spiritual songs come of his album, American IV: The Man Comes Around. Although there is only a few on the album, the few that there are, are his best.
The Man Comes Around – No matter what your eschatological stance is, Johnny Cash constantly quotes Scripture after Scripture to get the point across to his hearers that there is an end and Jesus will return for his people. Below are the lyrics.
“And I heard as it were the noise of thunder, One of the four beasts saying come and see and I saw, And behold a white horse”
There’s a man going around taking names and he decides, Who to free and who to blame every body won’t be treated, Quite the same there will be a golden ladder reaching down, When the man comes around.
The hairs on your arm will stand up at the terror in each, Sip and each sup will you partake of that last offered cup, Or disappear into the potter’s ground, When the man comes around.
Hear the trumpets hear the pipers one hundred million angels singing, Multitudes are marching to a big kettledrum, Voices calling and voices crying, Some are born and some are dying, Its alpha and omegas kingdom come, And the whirlwind is in the thorn trees, The virgins are all trimming their wicks, The whirlwind is in the thorn trees, It’s hard for thee to kick against the pricks, Till Armageddon no shalom no shalom.
Then the father hen will call his chicken’s home, The wise man will bow down before the thorn and at his feet, They will cast the golden crowns, When the man comes around.
Whoever is unjust let him be unjust still, Whoever is righteous let him be righteous still, Whoever is filthy let him be filthy still, Listen to the words long written down, When the man comes around.”
Personal Jesus – simple and to the point Cash sees that after having a relationship with Christ, that it is real and that Christ is always there when the believer is in despair. Although the song was done by a number of bands and individuals in who I am sure are not believers (like Marilyn Manson & Depeche Mode) the song meant something different for Cash. Read the lyrics below. If you wish to see the video you can do so by clicking on the “Personal Jesus” link above, I didn’t post it is because of the images of Christ and some in my audience my take offense (as well as myself) so I figured it would better to leave it out.
Your own, personal, Jesus, someone to hear your prayers, someone who cares. Your own, personal, Jesus, someone to hear your prayers, someone who’s there.
Feeling unknown, and you’re all alone, flesh and bone, by the telephone, lift up the receiver, i’ll make you a believer, Take second best, put me to the test, things on your chest, you need to confess, i will deliver, you know i’m a forgiver.
Reach out and touch faith, Reach out and touch faith.
Your own, personal, Jesus, someone to hear your prayers, someone who cares, Your own, personal, Jesus, someone to hear your prayers, someone to care.
Feeling unknown and you’re all alone, flesh and bone, by the telephone, lift up the receiver, i’ll make you a believer, i will deliver, you know i’m a forgiver.
Reach out and touch faith, Reach out and touch faith, Reach out and touch faith, Reach out and touch faith.
Like one reads books by authors in aiding their pursuit of holiness, Cash’s purpose seems as if the same. Johnny Cash makes Christ clear in his music and showed his hearers that Christ was real, and if one repented and believed on the name of Jesus Christ they would fall in love with Him, like Johnny did and be forever changed by the Gospel.
For those that are interested in reading about Johnny Cash, his life, work, career and his conversion – here are some books that you may want to buy.
Cash: The Autobiography, by Johnny Cash
Man in White: A Novel About the Apostle Paul, by Johnny Cash
The Man Comes Around: The Spiritual Journey of Johnny Cash, by Dave Urbanski
I Walked the Line: My Life with Johnny, by Vivian Cash
Johnny Cash: The Biography, by Michael Streissguth
Up Close: Johnny Cash, by Anne E. Neimark
Biography – Johnny Cash (A&E DVD Archives)
Gospel-Centered Musings 
