The Hobbit: Celebrating Its 75th Anniversary
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit,” begins J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, or There and Back Again—the enchanting prelude to The Lord of the Rings. Today, The Hobbit celebrates its 75th anniversary. Originally published on 21 September 1937, only 1,500 copies were printed. Today, it is one of the most popular fantasy books of all time, with some estimates of more than 100 million copies sold [1]. Numerous critics have noted...
Is History “Bunk”? A Biblical Theology of History
Henry Ford famously commented, “History is bunk” [1]. What is more, he believed it irrelevant, useless, and paramount to “myth” [2]. High school and college students express similar sentiments. Their cries are all-too-familiar: “History is boring and pointless. Who cares?” As Christians, we too may wonder, “Is history really that important?” In fact it is. When compared against Scripture, Ford’s comments border on...
America’s Founding and Christianity (Part II): Fundamentalism, Neo-evangelicalism, and Today
In last week’s essay, I explored the Protestant Reformation’s impact upon America’s founding. Articulating his two-kingdoms doctrine, Martin Luther paved the way for religious liberty, or the separation of church and state. The Puritans paved the way for constitutionalism, democracy, limited government, rule of law, and the separation of powers. In this essay, I will examine why some still question Christianity’s role in America’s...
Chuck Colson: A Life Remembered
A Message from Helwys Society Forum Evangelicalism in America experienced a great loss just one week ago. Born on October 16, 1931, Charles “Chuck” W. Colson passed away at the age of 80 on April 21, 2012. Many Christians in America know Colson for his years of educating and equipping believers to confront the moral decay growing within many intellectual, social, and cultural institutions. Yet it was Colson’s own pre-conversion life...
Christianity and Creation Care: An Interview with Matthew Bracey
The Scriptures call believers to be stewards, not only of money and talents, but of the earth too. Christians through history have affirmed this: Just consider St. Francis of Assisi’s celebrated hymn, “All Creatures of Our God and King.” Yet today we typically associate such concern with the political left. Nevertheless, in recent years Christian thinkers have called our attention to a biblical theology of creation. The Helwys Society...
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