The Scriptorium Daily

Author: Fred Sanders

  • Striving Toward Being: Milosz Writes to Merton from Berkeley

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    Fred Sanders
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    In 1958, Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk, wrote a fan letter to Czeslaw Milosz, the Polish poet. Milosz knew some of Merton’s writings, and replied to the letter. The two struck up a correspondence that lasted for a decade, until Merton’s death in 1968. Those letters, fascinating for anyone who likes either or both of…

  • Berkeley: Frowners and Scolders, Neurotic Geniuses and Rapt Madwomen

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    Fred Sanders
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    This week my family is visiting friends in Berkeley, California; returning to that strange little city where we lived for four years in the late 90’s and have visited with students every summer since. Berkeley’s easy to make fun of, but also easy to love. Everybody there cares passionately about what they care about, even…

  • Let God Speak in Evangelism: A Lesson from Wesley and Torrey

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    Fred Sanders
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    There are many lines of connection between John Wesley (1703-1791) and R. A. Torrey (1856-1928), but when I was asked recently to speak to an evangelism class about lessons from these two great evangelists, I knew immediately what they had in common. They both understood that the most important thing an evangelist can do is…

  • Most Helpful Books on Hebrews

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    Fred Sanders
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    Last semester I got to study and teach the book of Hebrews. As I clean off my desk in these days between semesters, I’m returning Hebrews commentaries to my shelves and to the library. I used and consulted about 30 books, but here are the six that proved themselves to be the most helpful week…

  • "That Great Antecedent to Bethlehem"

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    Fred Sanders
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    Though it’s slightly unseasonal in the sense that we’re now two days after Christmas, this Christmas sermon by H.C.G. Moule is about the great thing that lies behind Christmas: the Son’s self-consecration to carry out the Father’s will for saving us. It is always the right time to ponder that. This sermon is from about…

  • Happy Birthday, Charles Hodge

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    Fred Sanders
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    Today (December 27) is the birthday of Charles Hodge (1797-1878), who deserves a place on the short list of greatest American theologians. His reputation precedes him, making it hard to know what to write about him: Backbone of Princeton orthodoxy, pillar of Reformed theology, icon of Protestant principle, author of the influential 3-volume Systematic Theology,…

  • Happy Birthday, Friedrich Myconius

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    Fred Sanders
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    Too many people think of the Reformation as a one-man show, with Martin Luther starting everything by himself. But even if you stick to the first generation of the Reformation, and confine yourself to Germany, there were still a lot of faithful and creative people involved at all levels of reforming the church. Consider Friedrich…

  • Happy Birthday, Christmas Evans

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    Fred Sanders
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    He was born on December 25, 1766, so his parents named him Christmas. He was a tough kid (a farm worker who remained illiterate well into his teenage years), but he became a Christian at age 17, and grew up to become famous as “the one-eyed preacher of Wales.” The Encyclopedia Brittanica entry on him…

  • Christmas Presence

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    Fred Sanders
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    Christmas is a big deal, and Christians know that they should celebrate it in a big way. In fact, there is something strange about how big a deal we are supposed to make of it. The most important things Jesus Christ did for our salvation, after all, did not happen at the beginning of his…

  • Barnes and His Notes

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    Fred Sanders
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    Today (December 24) is the anniversary of the death of Albert Barnes (1798-1870), the American pastor remembered for his popular commentary on the Bible, Barnes’ Notes. Barnes pastored for over 40 years at the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, and generated thousand of pages of commentaries. He has been called “the most prolific commentator of…

  • Happy Birthday, Handley Moule

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    Fred Sanders
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    H. C. G. (that’s Handley Carr Glyn) Moule was born on this day (December 23) in 1841 and died in 1920. Laurels? Moule had them aplenty. A Cambridge man (Trinity College 1864, where he was also fellow from 1865 to 1881 and dean from 1873-1877), he was the first principal of Ridley Hall (1881-1899) and…

  • “Moody My Servant is Dead”

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    Fred Sanders
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    Today (December 22) is the day in 1899 when Dwight L. Moody died. The Christian world was devastated by the passing of this evangelical giant. Moody had been the figurehead for the aggressive, revivalist evangelicalism of the nineteenth century, and when he died just ten days from the end of the century, it seemed symbolic.…