Amy Carmichael was one of the most famous Christian missionaries in history, serving 55 years in India. Raised in Belfast in Northern Ireland, Amy studied music, singing and painting and found the Savior while in boarding school. Following her conversion she had a longing to learn how to live a holy life, pleasing to God. […]
“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” is a Christmas carol based on the 1863 poem “Christmas Bells” written by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Written during the Civil War it tells of the narrator hearing Christmas bells but despairing that “hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to […]
One of my favorite stores is “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. It tells the story of the redemption of Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge, someone who was enslaved by his desire for money and profits and who had distain for virtually everything and everyone else. He was visited by three spirits from the past, present and […]
I was recently reflecting on my most memorable Christmas at 13 years old, from a standpoint of the gifts I received, almost a half century ago now. My folks were fairly frugal and Christmas was my greatest opportunity for games/toys for the year. Mom would generally get me two or three “fun” gifts I could […]
“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the Lord. On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. For seven days you shall present food offerings to the Lord. On the eighth […]
“Franco” by Stanley Payne and Jesus Palacios is a biography of Francisco Franco the dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975. Although a right-wing dictator who supported Hitler in his war against Communism, Franco survived World War II in power and, after a long reign, bequeathed Spain an increasingly prosperous society that would transform into […]
Nimrod is an interesting character mentioned in the Bible. We know from the Bible that he was the grandson of Noah and son of Ham whose people settled primarily in Africa. He built the cities of Babel (later known as Babylon), Erech, and Accad in Shinar and then went on to build Nineveh and Caluah […]
Thomas Paine was one of the Founding Fathers of the American Revolution. A philosopher, political theorist and revolutionary Paine authored the two most influential pamphlets at the start of the Revolution, “Common Sense” and “The American Crisis”. His ideals reflected Enlightenment-era Humanistic ideals including believing in the ability of people to govern themselves. A total […]
It is interesting to learn how the books of the Bible, The Cannon, were determined. Sometime between AD 156 and 172 a man named Montanus appeared in Asia Minor. He and his two prophetesses, Prisca and Maximilla, went about prophesying in the name of the Spirit, and foretelling the speedy second coming of Christ. These […]
After Jesus’s death and resurrection, the first company of believers included Mary, Jesus’ Mother, and other kinsman, along with the apostles. Since the whole company was Jewish they remained loyal for a time to the Jewish law and continued to worship in the synagogue and temple. Despite this they began facing some persecution over their […]
Many people do not know that the first victims of the Nazi Holocaust were not the Jews (which started primarily in 1942) but the mentally and physically handicapped. It started with the decision to kill physically deformed newborns and small children in 1939. A group of “experts” were formed, operating under the name of “Reich […]
One of the most cherished Christmas songs we sing each year is “O Holy Night”. It has an interesting history. In 1847, in a French village, the local priest asked the local wine commissioner, Placide Cappeau, a not-very-religious man, to write a poem for Christmas mass. It has been lost to history why the priest […]
The twenty-eighth President was the son of a Presbyterian Minister and was a Calvinist himself. He had a deep faith in God and His direction of the Elect, God’s children. His Christian world view of love, charity, and justice impacted his life and Presidency. He was a Southern child during the end of the Civil […]
Well over 50 million babies have been killed through abortion in the United States since the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision. Many of these abortions are now performed by Planned Parenthood, an organization formed by Margaret Sanger. Her early days saw her as the publisher of the liberal newspaper, “The Women Rebel”, which boasted […]
This simple man became an celebrated hero, awarded the Medal of Honor, for his action in WWI. He was born in 1887, in the mountains of Tennessee’s Cumberland plateau. He was poor and lived a rough and tough life until he was dramatically saved in a revival meeting. He became a devout believer. When he […]
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Galatians 6:7. I recently returned from a cruise to the Southern Caribbean and visited the island of Martinique. I took a tour of the island which included a stop at the ruins of the former capital of St […]
The Christmas Carol, Silent Night, was first sung on Christmas Eve of 1818. The assistant priest at the newly established parish of St. Nicholas in Oberndorf Salzburg Austria was Joseph Mohr. Earlier in the day he had handed over to the organist Franz Gruber a poem he had written in 1816 with the request to write […]
Each year we see the familiar nativity scene during the Christmas season. It is a reminder of the “reason for the season” which is the birth of our Savior. I have fond memories as a child of being involved in my Christmas church play about Christ’s birth in the manger (always cast as one of […]
Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667) was a cleric in the Church of England who achieved fame as an author during the rule of Oliver Cromwell. He is frequently cited as one of the greatest prose writers in the English language. He was chaplain to King Charles I but later served time in prison after the Puritan parliament […]
Historically, American Indians (Native Americans) have been held in high honor among the majority of American society. Beginning with the first settlers to the “New World”, Indians are depicted as honorable Peoples. The distinctively American holiday, Thanksgiving, includes the story of the Indians sharing food with the Pilgrims. The early westward explorers and settlers encountered […]
The Conservative Christian Apologist 