1995 Issue 11
The collapse of the Christian West may very well be past history. It is in vogue to speak of our "post-Christian culture." Isolated voices are raised in protest, but the clamor of relativism, existentialism, and antinomianism seek to silence them at every opportunity. This is not to say that Christendom is defeated. Hardly. The West's hard heart may shift the focus and growth of Christendom elsewhere for a time, but it will eventually return with all the glory and power of its Head, our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the midst of this crisis, there are a growing number of Christians who believe that we must return to God's law as the foundation of our society. While this view has prevailed in many Reformed churches since the Reformation, it remains one of the controversies among the conservative Christian forces left on this continent. Those who advocate a renewed ethical emphasis on the law of God in the public arena believe that the Christian West was founded upon God's law and can be restored to her former greatness only through saving faith in Jesus Christ accompanied by personal and national commitment to God's law.
The similarities between the parallel passages of Luke 5:12-6:16 and Mark 1:40-3:19 are: (1). The inclusion of the same incidents in the narrative: the healing of the leper and the paralytic, the call of Levi and the dinner with Jesus and the tax-collectors, the question about fasting, the Sabbath disputes and the healing of the withered hand; and (2). The relative indifference of both narratives to the geographical and temporal setting and the chronological order. It is unusual for Mark not to give some signs of time and place, but Luke shows his usual lack of interest in fixing the time and place of the incidents.
For the Temple: A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem by G.A. Henty.
G.A. Henty was a renowned writer of adventure fiction for boys in Victorian England. Yet, his name is unknown today in a large number of families who would otherwise be introducing themselves to large helpings of historical fiction that the author penned.
A Dispute Against the English Popish Ceremonies Obtruded on the Church of Scotland by George Gillespie.
Our day has seen the inclusion of new and varied activities within the worship services of many Reformed churches. This inclusion has resulted in denominations debating anew what constitutes the elements of Biblical worship. This discussion is not a new one in church history. The mid 17th century witnessed a similar debate.
The Micah Mandate by George Grant.
In previous works, George Grant has established himself as an articulate writer who is worthwhile to read. This book continues this reputation.
II. The Secular Context: Materialistic Secular Humanism. We have already indicated in our introduction something of our secular context and attitude toward the Gospel and Christianity. "Secular" means referring to worldly things, things not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred. "Secularism" means viewing life without reference to God. Secularism moves away from theistic religion.
The Records of the New Haven Colony (1641-1644):
"The judicial law of God given by Moses and expounded in other parts of scripture, so far as it is a hedge and a fence to the moral laws, and neither ceremonial nor typical nor had any reference to Canaan, hath an everlasting equity and should be the rule of our proceedings." "It was ordered that the judicial laws of God, as they were delivered by Moses...be a rule to all the courts in this jurisdiction in their proceedings against offenders."
