“Gospel preaching always requires great courage, both to execute and to tolerate, for it must ever needs be a running toward a lion’s roar. And, we run together.” Thomas Chalmers
America’s First Constitution
The first American constitution was ratified by the colony of New Haven on this day in 1639. The entire community assembled in a newly erected barn where the eminent Puritan pastor John Davenport (1597-1670) preached and prayed earnestly—and then proposed fundamental articles for the governance of the colony. His four articles were simple: First, they were to affirm that the Holy Scriptures …
More on Chesterton
“The most important fact about the subject of education is that there is no such thing. Education is not a subject, and it does not deal in subjects. It is instead the transfer of a way of life.” “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.” “You can …
Chesterton’s Birthday
English author, essayist, novelist, poet, artist, philosopher, humorist, and journalist Gilbert Keith Chesterton was born in London on this day in 1874. His witty style and mastery of the paradox made him an apt defender of the Christian faith by warmly engaging readers and then turning their world upside down–or rather, right side up. Although popularly known for his Father …
The Renaissance Relapse
Dante Alighieri’s world was fraught with dissention, confusion, and disarray. Caught between two worldviews—the glorious worldview of fading Christendom and the deleterious worldview of emerging Renaissance—Dante (1265-1290) was in a very real sense a man out of time. The remarkable explosion of wealth, knowledge, and technology that occurred during the late Medieval period leading up to the Renaissance completely reshaped human society. No …
An Engine of Freedom
On this day in 1787 a constitutional convention convened in Philadelphia with representatives from seven states. Though the meeting was not authorized by Congress, they were among the most eminent men in the young American republic—and several were actually members of Congress. Their purpose was to draft amendments to the Articles of Confederation. Under other circumstances, the meeting might have been considered a coup …
Extracting Hope
“It is not from the secret counsels of Heaven, of which all are ignorant, but the open communications of Heaven, to which all have access, that we extract hope.” Thomas Chalmers
The Nicene Council
The first Ecumenical Council was convened in the Byzantine city of Nicea on this day in 325 by the recently converted Roman emperor, Constantine. It was a momentous occasion—the first time the church had convened a universal synodical meeting since the time of Peter, James, John, Barnabas, and Paul at Jerusalem to discuss the initial outreach of the largely Jewish …
Penman of the Revolution
Widely known as the “Penman of the Revolution,” John Dickinson (1732-1808), wrote many of the most influential documents of the period—from the Declaration of Rights in 1765 and the Articles of Confederation in 1776 to the Fabius Letter in 1787 which helped win over the first States to ratify the Constitution: Delaware and Pennsylvania. Having studied law in England, Dickinson was devoted to the English common law …
Birth of a Nation
The independent state of Israel was proclaimed in Tel Aviv as British rule in Palestine came to an end on this day in 1948. Immediately, all of its Arab neighbors declared war and vowed to destroy the nation altogether. Arab troops greatly outnumbered the entire Jewish population, but of the 85,000 Jews in Palestine, 30,000 took up arms to defend …
The Panama Canal
President Theodore Roosevelt authorized the start of construction on the Panama Canal on this day in 1904. The fifty mile canal crossed the Isthmus of Panama and enabled ships to travel from the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans without having to undertake the long voyage around South America. The construction–which continued for just over a decade–involved many innovative engineering and medical advances, employed …
Kuyper Online
Princeton Seminary has begun digitally archiving their massive theological library–including the complete works of Abraham Kuyper. The free library is now available online. Amazingly, only about one-sixteenth of the Kuyper canon has ever been translated into English–so, here is a great opportunity for some Masters and Doctoral projects or theses. Kudos to my bibliophile friend, Ben House, for this heads-up find. by …
Poetry: A Guide on Where to Start
G.K. Chesterton–start with the “Ballad of the White Horse” and “Lepanto” but don’t miss his short, humorous verse and his Christmas poems. Hilaire Belloc–almost all of his poetry is worth reading, but especially his traveling verses. Sir Walter Scott–nothing beats his great epics like “The Lady of the Lake.” Arthur Quiller-Couch–again, almost everything from Q is worth careful reading, but …
A Dreadful Anniversary
On this day in 1923, the legalization of an infanticide procedure called “abortion” first occurred in the United States when Governor John Love signed a Colorado bill into law.
St. George’s Day
The Patron Saint of England, Lybia, Lebanon, and Greece, George was a Syrian Christian soldier who quickly rose through the ranks of the Roman the army into the Imperial Guard by virtue of his valor and vision. However, he had the temerity to confront the Emperor Dioclesian concerning his harsh, unjust, and bloodthirsty decrees. For his candor and courage, George …