The Scriptorium Daily

Month: March 2009

  • Today H. P. Lovecraft Died (1937)

    —

    by

    Fred Sanders
    in , , ,

    I know this day is most famous for the death of Julius Caesar, but I did not come to bury Caesar or to praise him. Instead, I want to point out a writer for whom every day was the Ides of March. Howard Phillips Lovecraft (born 1890, died this day, March 15, 1937) was one…

  • Today Henry Barclay Swete was Born (1835)

    —

    by

    Fred Sanders
    in ,

    Henry Barclay Swete (March 14, 1835 -1917) was an Anglican theologian whose long career took place during the decades when the waters of destructive liberal criticism were rising all around traditional Christianity, and seemed to be coming in right up to the soul of the church. Liberalism was advancing, and the epochal reactions against it…

  • Today is Charles Cowman’s Birthday (1868)

    —

    by

    Fred Sanders
    in ,

    Charles E. Cowman was the founder of an important missions organization, originally under the name Cowman-Kilbourne mission around 1902, then under the name Oriential Mission Society, and still thriving as OMS International. He was a whirlwind of a man, organizing a plan to take the gospel to every person in Japan. His life story was…

  • Gregory’s New Decalogue

    —

    by

    Fred Sanders
    in

    Gregory of Nazianzus, in his sermon on Baptism (Oration 40:65), stumbles into an interesting comparison and makes the most of it for his preaching. He is thinking of how the Christians he is about to baptize are being introduced into the great mystery that is life in Christ, and it makes him think of the…

  • Today is Paul Gerhardt’s Birthday (1607)

    Today is Paul Gerhardt’s Birthday (1607)

    —

    by

    Fred Sanders
    in ,

    Paul Gerhardt (12 March 1607-1676) is widely considered the greatest German hymn-writer. Some people reserve that title for Martin Luther, but Gerhardt is famous primarily for hymns, while Luther had some other accomplishments that boost his fame. As one scholar has argued, “Every Protestant hymn writer must undergo comparison with the great father of German…

  • Today John Toland Died: Pantheisticon!

    Today John Toland Died: Pantheisticon!

    —

    by

    Fred Sanders
    in , ,

    John Toland (born 1670, died March 11, 1722) was a philosopher most famous for his book Christianity Not Mysterious (1696). In that book, Toland scores some good points against obscurantism and mystery-mongering, but he gets greedy about it, puts God into his Locke-box, and demands that the Deity can’t reveal anything but what will submit…

  • Today Balthasar Hubmaier was Martyred

    —

    by

    Fred Sanders
    in ,

    Balthasar Hubmaier (born around 1480) was martyred on March 10, 1528. Hubmaier was trained in Roman Catholic theology on the eve of the Reformation, earning a doctorate with the Johann Eck who would later be on the front line of attacking Luther. He became convinced of Protestant doctrines and allied himself with the Zwinglians at…

  • So You Missed God’s Will For Your Life

    —

    by

    R.A. Torrey
    in

    I recently received a letter from one who is evidently an earnest Christian woman but who was in a condition of great depression because some years ago, when in college, she felt that perhaps she was called to go to China but did not want to go but became engaged to a Christian man, whom…

  • Fasting from Facebook II

    —

    by

    Matt Jenson
    in ,

    One other thing has surprised me as I’ve unplugged from Facebook, and that is the unsolicited accountability people have offered, at times nearing the neighborhood of righteous indignation. Let me explain. I borrowed a friend’s big, mean black sign that says ‘Off Facebook for Lent’ and put it where my profile picture normally goes. I…

  • While It Is Called Today

    —

    by

    Fred Sanders
    in

    So far in 2009, I’ve been publishing one post each day on an event from the history of the church. Every day is the anniversary of something, and even when the events aren’t exactly worth celebrating for their own sakes, all I’m looking for is an excuse to get some of this great tradition back…

  • Today is Gregory of Nyssa’s Day

    Today is Gregory of Nyssa’s Day

    —

    by

    Fred Sanders
    in ,

    The theologian as kid brother: Gregory of Nyssa (circa 335-394) was the younger brother of Basil of Caesarea, and since we traditionally call Basil “the Great,” that leaves Gregory somewhat in the shadows. With a big brother like Basil the Great, you’d have to get used to being in the shadows. A typical scholarly assessment…

  • Fasting from Facebook

    —

    by

    Matt Jenson
    in ,

    I’m not yet two weeks into my Lenten fast from Facebook (or, FB to those in the know). I suppose I should tell you that I really like FB. Most days, most of the day it sits on the alert, standing post next to Gmail and my Biola email account in case I should need…