Christian Heritage News

By J. R. Miller (1904) - Posted at Grace Gems : "O, Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His mercy endures forever!" 1 Chronicles 16:34 "In everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus!" 1 Thessalonians 5:18 The annual Thanksgiving Day in America, has grown to be a national festival. It is a day of rejoicing. It summons all the people to gratitude. It is fitting that a people who have received untold blessings, should set apart one day on which all should recall their mercies, think of God as the Giver of all and express their grateful feelings in words of praise. But it is not intended that the other three hundred and sixty four days shall be empty of thanksgiving, because one is named as an especial day of rejoicing. We cannot crowd into any one day—all the thanks of a year. Indeed, on no one day can we be grateful for another day. No one person can give thanks for a whole company of people. So no one day ca

By Angela Wittman "Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people." ( 1 Chronicles 16:8, KJV ) While preparing for the gathering of family and friends this Thanksgiving season, let’s not forget to also prepare our hearts in humble gratefulness to God for the blessings and grace which He has bestowed upon us as individuals and as a nation. Here is  a bit of history about Thanksgiving which you may not have been taught in school as taken from the website “A Puritan’s Mind” by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon : “The celebration we now popularly regard as the ‘First Thanksgiving’ was the Pilgrims' three-day feast celebrated in early November of 1621 (although a day of thanks in America was observed in Virginia at Cape Henry in 1607)...  “The Pilgrims left Plymouth, England, on September 6, 1620, sailing for a new world that offered the promise of both civil and religious liberty. The Pilgrims had earlier left England in 1608, as the C

George Washington (February 22, 1732– December 14, 1799) Wikipedia [New York, 3 October 1789] By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation. Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we ma

Taken from a compilation of Thanksgiving information posted at A Puritan's Mind: “Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.” (1 Chron. 16:8). “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thess. 5:18). THE FIRST THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION – JUNE 20, 1676:  “The Holy God having by a long and Continual Series of his Afflictive dispensations in and by the present War with the Heathen Natives of this land, written and brought to pass bitter things against his own Covenant people in this wilderness, yet so that we evidently discern that in the midst of his judgments he hath remembered mercy, having remembered his Footstool in the day of his sore displeasure against us for our sins, with many singular Intimations of his Fatherly Compassion, and regard; reserving many of our Towns from Desolation Threatened, and attempted by the Enemy, and giving us especially of late with many of our C

Elias Boudinot:  Tenth President of Congress - November 4, 1782 to November 3, 1783. Christian Heritage Fellowship Posted at Christian Heritage Fellowship : From June 1775 to August 1784, the Continental Congress issued sixteen spiritual proclamations, calling all Thirteen States to fast, pray, and give thanks to God. During this period of time, Congress most commonly issued proclamations in the spring calling upon the states to fast and pray. And, in the fall of the year, Congress issued proclamations of thanksgiving. This alternating pattern was first observed in the New England colonies and later was brought into the Southern colonies. In Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, and several other members of the Virginia House of Burgesses advocated for these observances. [1] Tragically, contemporary attempts to recount the history of America often completely ignore the formative influence the Christian faith exercised upon America’s founding. But as will

The News Building, Athens GA - The End Time By Elizabeth Prata - Posted at The End Time: The Fourth Estate. A phrase coined back in the mid 1700s by British politician Edmund Burke, or by Lord Brougham in 1823, depending on the source. The Three Estates in feudal times were the socio-economic divisions between classes, loosely divided by three Estates of the Clergy (First Estate), Nobility (Second Estate), and Shire Commissioners, knights or burghers (Third Estate). The press as a Fourth Estate was never considered part of the societal structure but is deliberately outside of them all. This is because the role of the media was to be the watchdog of the other three ‘estates’ when one or more of them went awry, and to give voice to the people. It was supposed to be an advocate for the people, particularly the “voiceless.” This fact I’m about to mention might seem strange to younger readers. Younger readers have always had the ability to publish their opinions in a variety of medi

By David Qaoud - Posted at Gospel Relevance : How would you describe a false prophet? There are plenty of right responses to this question. Usually, what people think of are people who distort the Christian message for personal gain. If you said this you’d be off to a good start. But there is still one chief distinguishing mark of a false prophet above all else. What is it? The context is Matthew 7:13-23, what one church calls “The Scariest Passage in the Bible.” This is the beginning of the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. After talking about the narrow and wide gates, Jesus then discusses false prophets. Naturally, using basic Bible hermeneutics , we can conclude that there is a connection between X and Y — that is, there is a connection between the gates and the prophets. Jesus encourages his listeners to enter the narrow gate where the road is hard; false prophets do not. Therefore, the chief distinguishing mark of a false prophet is that they do not advocate the narr

By Keith Evans - Posted at Gentle Reformation: Last month, as my aunt crossed from life to the eternal destiny which awaited her, death unwelcomely inserted itself into my family's life. Death has a way of doing that. It barges right in, uninvited, disrupting life. It rudely divides families, and leaves those who remain behind mourning, sorrowful, and diminished from who they were prior to the loss. It never comes at a desirable time, because honestly, there is no desirable time to face the enemy known as death; that final consequence due to all of us for sin. And yet there are some (nay many!) in the church today (not to mention the world!) who seek solace in making death something less than our enemy. “Celebrations of Life” for the deceased in lieu of proper funeral services are requested even of reformed pastors by reformed parishioners in reformed churches. Faithful saints of God seek to conceal their sadness, put on a happy face, and focus solely on the positive: “Th

By Cameron Sperance - Posted at Bisnow: As Chick-fil-A expands globally and into more liberal parts of the U.S., the chicken chain plans to change which charities it donates to after years of bad press and protests from the LGBT community. Beginning next year, Chick-fil-A will move away from its current philanthropic structure, Bisnow has learned. After donating to more than 300 charitable organizations this year, the Atlanta-based fast-food chain will instead focus on three initiatives with one accompanying charity each: education, homelessness and hunger.  “There’s no question we know that, as we go into new markets, we need to be clear about who we are,” Chick-fil-A President and Chief Operating Officer Tim Tassopoulos said in an interview with Bisnow. “There are lots of articles and newscasts about Chick-fil-A, and we thought we needed to be clear about our message.” Continue reading... HT: Sermon Audio See also: Chick-fil-A caves to homosexuals  (The Wo

Photo: Lausanne Movement. By Jeff Haanen - Posted at Evangelical Focus : "A biblical picture of retirement is not one of heroism nor hedonism, but listening to God’s voice and responding in love as elders, intent on sharing wisdom and blessing with the next generation. It is simply a life of service, pointing beyond our self to the Servant in whose image we are made." Greg Haanen recently turned 65 and retired from a career selling print advertising. For over 14 years, he lived in Minneapolis, while his wife Gayle ran Interlachen Inn, a small restaurant in Alexandria, Minnesota.  Having lived apart from her for over a decade, he was ready to say good riddance to the two-hour commute every weekend, to spending nights alone, and to a life of hurry and obligation.  They sold their house in Minneapolis and renovated their cabin with a deluxe fireplace, big screen TV, and farmhouse kitchen. He was eagerly awaiting a new season of rest and relaxation.  Yet his h

Posted at This Day in Presbyterian History : These days, we don’t meet many preachers or politicians who have accomplished as much in the realms of both church and state as the Rev. John Witherspoon did in his seventy-one years of life—and those accomplishments spanned two nations, as well! He was faithful first of all to his Savior and Lord, secondly, to the Lord’s people, and then as well to the average citizens of this great republic. He would go to his eternal reward on November 15, 1794. Born in Scotland and raised to an effective ministry for the kingdom of God there in that “mother country,” Witherspoon answered the call to come to the American colonies. John and Elizabeth Witherspoon, along with their five children, traveled here by ship in 1768. Taking the presidency of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University), he brought stability to that educational facility in their instruction, library, and financial matters. In the twenty-six years in which he was pres

By Thomas Littleton - Posted at Thirty Pieces of Silver: THE CHURCH IN AMERICA IS BEYOND THE TIPPING POINT AND WE HAVE LITTLE TIME TO RESPOND IF IT IS TO RECOVER. GETTING PERSONAL I am a Southern baptist and a “street ” evangelist for the last 42 years . This simply means that most of my time in ministry has been focused outward and not on the day to day happenings inside the church structures like the denominations and seminaries . However 2009-2010 brought a disturbing awareness of compromises deep within those structures and among popular leaders as a drastic shift was taking place .This shift became a painful and personal reality to me. The church in America is in DEEP trouble . Many no longer hear the true Gospel from our pulpits. Social change has replaced transformed lives . Equity and Justice echo from our pulpits like false prophets at Jezebels alters of BAAL .The house of God is scheduled to become nothing more than a hub of community development, dispensing s

Dictionary.com By Suzanne Venker - Posted at The Federalist: Too many women map out their lives with work at the center and eventually wish they hadn’t. My inbox is loaded with women’s emails saying they wish someone had told them this sooner. Twenty years ago, I wrote my first book about why women can’t “have it all,” or at least all at once, despite what the culture tells them. (Hint: It’s because no one, male or female, can perform two full-time jobs simultaneously without the bottom falling out.) At the time, the so-called Mommy Wars were raging. Women everywhere who’d been sold a bill of goods by their feminist mothers and mentors were either lamenting the futility of being able to successfully work full-time outside the home while maintaining a healthy marriage and family life, or they were defending their choice to work full-time by insisting children do fine in round-the-clock substitute care. Since then, the messages to women about how to have a happy life—as it rel

By Jeffrey Stivason Posted at The Place for Truth: According to the Westminster Confession of Faith, “The moral law doth for ever bind all, as well justified persons as others, to the obedience thereof….neither doth Christ, in the Gospel, any way dissolve, but much strengthen this obligation” (WCF, 19.5) Obviously, the Westminster Divines were not claiming that one’s obedience merits anything before God. They knew their Bible. The Jews had sought to establish their own righteousness on the basis of their law keeping and failed. The Jew’s failure was unbelief. They did not receive the teaching that “everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.” Of course, “believes” in that verse is a reference to belief in Christ. Yet, freedom in Christ means freedom from the bondage of sin that we might offer obedience to Christ. That obedience is described for us in the Ten Commandments. So, this article is an attempt to give

By Ted Van Raalte - Posted at Reformed Perspective: EXAMINING TIM KELLER’S WHITE PAPER CREATION, EVOLUTION, AND CHRISTIAN LAYPEOPLE Tim Keller’s trusted place among Reformed and Presbyterian folk is well-earned, but not when it comes to his views on evolution. In a discussion paper of some years ago for the Biologos Foundation he provided Reformed scientists with a theologian’s suggestions about how one might apparently help others keep the faith and accept evolution. His 13-page white paper, entitled Creation, Evolution, and Christian Laypeople, has been referenced favorably by scientists and theologians in conservative Reformed churches.(1,2) In his paper, Keller explores the critical questions of concerned Christians and deals with them head-on. While his forthrightness is commendable, most of his answers are not. What this debate is not about It’s important to situate accurately our debate with Keller. The debate between us is not whether the Christian faith and current sci

Armenian civilians, escorted by Ottoman soldiers, marching through the ancient town of Harput in Turkey to prison, in April 1915. Many of those pictured were among the 1.5 million killed in the Armenian genocide of 1915-1918 ( BarnabasFund ) Posted at BarnabasFund: The US House of Representatives has voted 405-11 in favour of recognising the mass killings of Armenians during World War One as genocide. This was the first time in 35 years that legislation on the issue was considered in the full House, and comes at a time of deteriorating US-Turkey relations. To become official policy, the resolution also needs to be approved by the Senate and ratified by the president. Continue reading...

By Michael Horton - Posted at Core Christianity: Why do we need a new Reformation? What was so special about the Reformation in the first place that makes a second one so worthwhile? Through the middle ages, Christianity became entangled with the vines of superstition, ignorance and spiritual lethargy that same thing we see all around us today. When Luther uncovered the theological scandal, the fragile Roman scaffolding began to creak. The essentials of the Reformation were doctrinal. It was part of the Renaissance to call for a return to the original sources, so it made sense that Christian scholars returned not only to the great classics of Western civilization and to the early fathers, but to the biblical text itself. So, the Reformation was the greatest back to the Bible movement in the history of the church since the death of the apostles. But they went back to the Bible not simply as an end in itself, but in order to recover the essential truths that the Bible proclaime

Morning Star News - Posted at Voice of the Persecuted : ( Morning Star News ) – In another sign that Islamist elements hostile to Christianity in Sudan could be reined in, the minister of religious affairs has reiterated that Christian properties confiscated under the previous regime would be returned. Acknowledging that Christians were persecuted and endured “very bad practices” under the regime of former President Omar al-Bashir, Minister of Religious Affairs Nasr al-Din Mufreh on Sunday (Nov. 3) was quoted in International Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat as saying property stolen from Sudanese Christians would be returned through court proceedings. Mufreh also had told media in September that confiscated church properties should be returned. In Sunday’s article in which he invited expelled Jews to return to Sudan – as he had in September, drawing criticism from Muslim hardliners – Mufreh said that Christians and people of other beliefs are free to practice their faith

Rev. Donald Caskie (1902 - 1983) Source: ChurchLeaders.com By Stephanie Martin - Posted at ChurchLeaders.com : The Rev. Dr. Donald Caskie , a Church of Scotland minister who saved more than 2,000 people during World War II, was recently honored at a ceremony in France. The organization Le Devoir du Memoire (“Duty to Remember”) installed a plaque at Fort de la Revere near Nice, where Caskie, nicknamed the Tartan Pimpernel, helped Resistance fighters escape through a sewer system. “These men were heroes of the shadows who did not seek reward and only thought about whether or not they had done their duty,” said Le Devoir du Memoire secretary Nicole Pinon while presenting a commemorative medal to Caskie’s nephews on October 19. “Our goal is to never forget.” Nephew Tom Caskie said he was “bursting with pride” at the well-deserved tribute. “He was a hero of the Second World War,” he said of his uncle, “and is still remembered with affection for his time as the minister of the S

Posted at Reformation Scotland: We are drowning in personal debt. It’s recognised as a crisis. With growing insecurity one small change can often send individuals and families into tragic unsustainable debt. Overall debt in the UK is expected to reach £2 trillion by 2020. How should we think about debt? When the Apostle Paul says that we are not to owe anyone anything it seems unmistakably clear (Romans 13:8). But then he goes on immediately to make an exception. In fact, he urges us to take on the biggest possible debt: “to love one another”. What are we doing about this personal debt? In explaining this verse, John Brown of Wamphray emphasises that it is important for Christians to fulfil their obligations. They should be faithful in relation to the agreements and debts they contract. They should not give anyone legitimate reason complain about them. They should seek to manage the little money they receive from God in a wise and careful way so that they can pay off their debts

By Ryan Somerville - Posted at A Standard for Living : Spend enough time with members of an older generation and you’re bound to hear the phrase “back in the good old days”, or some derivation of it. The phrase is so common that it’s worked its way into our stable of stereotypical jokes. Perhaps one of the most common ways in which the phrase is employed refers to the nostalgic fun and safety of the “good old neighborhoods”. You know, the ones where no one so much as locked a door, children ran feral in the streets and walked unaccompanied to their friend’s house, and everybody knew everybody else on an intimate, personal level. Of course, the reason the phrase and the memories it evokes are being employed is to lament the fact that the current neighborhoods don’t look like those “good old neighborhoods”. In today’s neighborhoods, doors need to be locked and dead bolted and iron bars installed over the windows. Children need to be driven next door by both parents and dropped off