The Gospel Coalition

Some encouragement from Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson in Give Them Grace:

The disciples couldn’t hinder the children from coming to him even though they tried.

When God calls our children to come to him, even if we haven’t gotten it all right, even if we’ve trained little Pharisees or have a house full of prodigals, nothing is impossible for him. He can break through all our flawed methods and redeem all our frail errors.

The world tells us that their success depends upon our success. The world knows nothing of God’s ability to use our failures as means to bless. “What is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18:27).

So, even though we desire to be the ones who place our children in the lap of God’s mercy and even though we stumble so badly trying to do so, Jesus is strong enough to pick each of us up and carry us all the way.

Parents, too, are weak but Jesus is strong. No one, not even you, can thwart his purpose to bless those who are his (Eph. 1:11).

If you want to to spend a few days soaking in the rays of God’s grace (including the gift of the Florida sun!), you can head to Fort Lauderdale February 23-25 to sit under the teachings of Michael Horton, Paul Tripp, Elyse Fitzpatrick, Scotty Smith, Darrin Patrick, David Zahl, Rod Rosenbladt, and Doug Sauder.

Go here for more info.

A youth rally song they were taught:

We are the happy Hitler Youth;
We have no need for Christian virtue;
For Adolf Hitler is our intercessor
And our redeemer.
No priest, no evil one
Can keep us
From feeling like Hitler’s children.
No Christ do we follow, but Horst Wessel!
Away with incense and holy water pots.

HT: Jonah Goldberg

R.C. Sproul interviews Stephen Meyer, author of Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design, on philosophy, evolution, education, Intelligent Design, and more. The interview is about 45 minutes in length:

Videos below:

One of the things Doug Wilson said tonight at the Desiring God Pastors Conference was the biblical truth that we learn by modeling. But what if  you don’t have a good Christian father to model fatherhood for you? Then read biographies of good fathers.

Here is one recommendation for your consideration: John Piper has said that “the tribute [John] Paton pays to his godly father is, by itself, worth the price the section” in his 1889 Autobiography.

Piper recounts and quotes one moving scene in particular:

* * *

One scene best captures the depth of love between John and his father, and the power of the impact on John’s life of uncompromising courage and purity. The time came for the young Paton to leave home and go to Glasgow to attend divinity school and become a city missionary in his early twenties. From his hometown of Torthorwald to the train station at Kilmarnock was a 40-mile walk. Forty years later, Paton wrote,

My dear father walked with me the first six miles of the way. His counsels and tears and heavenly conversation on that parting journey are fresh in my heart as if it had been but yesterday; and tears are on my cheeks as freely now as then, whenever memory steals me away to the scene.

For the last half mile or so we walked on together in almost unbroken silence—my father, as was often his custom, carrying hat in hand, while his long flowing yellow hair (then yellow, but in later years white as snow) streamed like a girl’s down his shoulders. His lips kept moving in silent prayers for me; and his tears fell fast when our eyes met each other in looks for which all speech was vain!

We halted on reaching the appointed parting place; he grasped my hand firmly for a minute in silence, and then solemnly and affectionately said: “God bless you, my son! Your father’s God prosper you, and keep you from all evil!”

Unable to say more, his lips kept moving in silent prayer; in tears we embraced, and parted.

I ran off as fast as I could; and, when about to turn a corner in the road where he would lose sight of me, I looked back and saw him still standing with head uncovered where I had left him—gazing after me. Waving my hat in adieu, I rounded the corner and out of sight in instant.

But my heart was too full and sore to carry me further, so I darted into the side of the road and wept for time.

Then, rising up cautiously, I climbed the dike to see if he yet stood where I had left him; and just at that moment I caught a glimpse of him climbing the dike and looking out for me! He did not see me, and after he gazed eagerly in my direction for a while he got down, set his face toward home, and began to return—his head still uncovered, and his heart, I felt sure, still rising in prayers for me.

I watched through blinding tears, till his form faded from my gaze; and then, hastening on my way, vowed deeply and oft, by the help of God, to live and act so as never to grieve or dishonor such a father and mother as he had given me. (Autobiography, pp. 25-26)

The impact of his father’s faith and prayer and love and discipline was immeasurable. O fathers, read and be filled with longing.

* * *

You can read Piper’s whole biographical address here.

In his excellent new book The Intolerance of Tolerance (Eerdmans, 2012), D.A. Carson reflects on the popular idea that “citizens with moral values grounded in religious beliefs are forbidden to articulate those beliefs and vote for those values” (p. 105). He draws our attention to a speech by Abraham Lincoln, who critiques this notion with respect to slavery:

But those who say they hate slavery, and are opposed to it, . . . where are they?

Let us apply a few tests.

You say that you think slavery is wrong, but you denounce all attempts to restrain it. Is there anything else that you think wrong that you are not willing to deal with as wrong? Why are you so careful, so tender, of this one wrong and no other? You will not let us do a single thing as if it was wrong; there is no place where you will even allow it to be called wrong! We must not call it wrong in the free States, because it is not there, and we must not call it wrong in the slave States, because it is there; we must not call it wrong in politics because that is bringing morality into politics, and we must not call it wrong in the pulpit because that is bringing politics into religion . . . and there is no single place, according to you, where this wrong thing can properly be called wrong!

—Abraham Lincoln, “Speech at New Haven, Connecticut [1860],” in Lincoln: Speeches and Writings, 1859-1865 (New York: Library of America, 1989), 140-141.

One hundred years ago this day (January 30, 1912), Francis August Schaeffer IV was born. Though not as well known as he was when he died from lymphoma in 1984, Schaeffer’s influence is still being felt in evangelicalism.

A wonderful overview of Schaeffer’s unique characteristics can be found in J. I. Packer’s tribute, “No Little Person.” See also Don Sweeting’s recent post on what he learned from Schaeffer.

Several of Schaeffer’s books—along with the best biography of his life—are available for $3.99 as eBooks:

• Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life
• Truth with Love: The Apologetics of Francis Schaeffer
• Death in the City
• The Finished Work of Christ: The Truth of Romans 1-8
• Pollution and the Death of Man
• No Little People

Next year Crossway will publish a book entitled Schaeffer on the Christian Life by William Edgar, professor of apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary. In the book  Edgar recounts how his instructor at Harvard, Harold O.J. Brown, encouraged him to visit l’Abri during a summer vacation to Europe in 1964. At the time, Edgar was an unbeliever, holding to the existential philosophy of Camus. But the visit to l’Abri turned out to be life-changing. Here’s his conversion account, after the first night of listening to a lecture and interacting with the community:

I made my way upstairs to the little chamber outside the bedrooms where Francis Schaeffer liked to counsel people. With that same profound face, its warm grin, and the clear sense that he really cared about me as well as the issues we needed to discuss, he asked whether I had thought of my question.

I spouted out my question about relevance, and he came back with an extensive, thoughtful reply. His answer included the “free-will defense” for the problem of evil, and the importance of human significance, owing to our being made after God’s image. We went back and forth.

After a couple of hours, I just knew this was all true. If it is possible to feel the Holy Spirit come into one’s heart, I could, and I did. I was a Christian!

Fran then directed me to pray, which I had never done, at least in any sort of personal manner. What should I say, I asked? Just “thank you” will do very nicely, he replied. So, my face bathed in tears, I thanked the good Lord for leading me into his family. Fran frequently accompanied my phrases with groans of agreement, which I would later learn is a standard evangelical way of praying together. He then prayed for me, and we prayed together for Joe [= Harold O.J. Brown] and for many other things we seemed to care about mutually.

Less than twenty four hours after my arrival at l’Abri my life was completely turned upside down. Or was it right side up?

As David Weigel at Slate and Jon Ward at the Huffington Post report, this morning Newt Gingrich listened to Russell Moore preach on abortion, adoption, and the sanctity of human life—from Exodus 1:1-21—at Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Florida.

You can download the half-hour sermon, or listen to it below:

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Those of you familiar with Dr. Moore’s ministry will already know that he is one of our generation’s most eloquent voices on behalf of life. His book, Adopted for Life, may not end up as the most important book ever written. But I think it will be the most important book outside of the Bible for many moms and dads, and for many children who need to be adopted.

Mark Bertrand of the Bible Design Blog interviews the Crossway production department on the new Single Column Legacy ESV Bible, which is currently available in four bindings and colors:

• TruTone / Brown/Saddle
• TruTone / Burgundy
• Genuine Leather / Black
• Top-Grain Leather / Brown (coming soon)

Mark also has a helpful FAQ on Bible buying and why to consider high-end Bibles.

Not by a long shot:

HT: Joe Carter

Trip Lee teaching at a Campus Outreach conference on the joy and privilege of evangelism, from 2 Corinthians 5:18-21:

Trip’s new blog can be found here.

John Newton, the blasphemous slave-trader turned tenderhearted pastor, knew what it was like to live in a state of constant interruption:

I have seldom one-hour free from interruption. Letters, that must be answered, visitants that must be received, business that must be attended to. I have a good many sheep and lambs to look after, sick and afflicted souls dear to the Lord; and therefore, whatever stands still, these must not be neglected.

And he also knew that interruptions are not threats to peace but opportunities for ministry:

When I hear a knock at my study door, I hear a message from God. It may be a lesson of instruction; perhaps a lesson of patience: but, since it is his message, it must be interesting.

Quoted in Richard Cecil, John Newton, ed. by Marylynn Rousse (Christian Focus, 2000), p. 139 (first quote), p. 76 (second quote).

HT: JP

Congratulations to Tim Crummett, who won the Horton Library grand prize in the random drawing of comments.

And congratulations to the following who won a free one-year subscription to Modern Reformation:

• Daniel Kim
• Todd B
• Michael Brinker
• Cory Wilson
• Matthew
• Alicia
• Heather Dreith
• Bin Xia
• Alex Leung
• Will Robinson

The White Horse Inn folks will email you with further details.

If you didn’t win here but entered at the WHI site, check their blog later today for a list of their winners.

For those who didn’t win, remember that on this 20th anniversary year they are offering one-year subscriptions for just $20. Go here to subscribe.

MR does offer digital-only subscriptions, but the anniversary special (print + digital) is actually cheaper. And note that print subscribers receive complete access to the 20-year digital archive.

Here’s how they describe the benefits of their print subscription:

• Digital access on your smart phone and tablet devices, or download as a PDF.
• Online access to 20 years of archived articles—searchable by author, chronology, or subject matter.
• License to print up to 500 copies of any article for your church members, Bible study leaders, friends, and family.
• Satisfaction knowing that your subscription support enables others to discover the great truths of Scripture.

After his viral video hit almost 17 million views in 2 weeks, Jefferson Bethke follows up with a spoken-word poem on sex, marriage, and fairytales: