Skip to main content

Looks like some things don't change.

This warning from J. C. Ryle from 150 years ago seems like he's talking about the situation in 2011! We call it Post-Modernism or Relativism, but it's the same devilish scheme. Seemingly reasonable "let's all just get along" principles, all designed to make the  truths of the bible  appear quite "unkind" and "closed-minded." What is "unkind" is knowing that many of the people around us are going to be judged by a holy and righteous God and then keeping to ourselves the truth about the only way to avoid eternal punishment. It's not at all unkind to see a person about to be hit by a bus and run over and shove that person out of the way with all possible force. Or to see a distracted person about to walk off a cliff, and shout with all rudeness, "STOP!" Shouldn't we show "kindness" by warning people of the wrath to come in whatever way is necessary to grab their attention?



Deliver Us From Pantheism
I feel it a duty to bear my solemn testimony against the spirit of the day we live in, to warn men against its infection. It is not Atheism I fear so much, in the present times, as Pantheism. It is not the system which says nothing is true, so much as the system which says everything is true. It is not the system which says there is no Savior, so much as the system which says there are many saviors, and many ways to peace! It is the system which is so liberal, that it dares not say anything is false. It is the system which is so charitable, that it will allow everything to be true. It is the system which seems ready to honor others as well as our Lord Jesus Christ, to class them all together, and to think well of all.  It is the system which is so careful about the feelings of others, that we are never to say they are wrong. It is the system which is so liberal that it calls a man a bigot, if he dares to say, “I know my views are right.” This is the system, this is the tone of feeling which I fear in this day, and this is the system which I desire emphatically to testify against and denounce. From the liberality which says everybody is right, from the charity which forbids us to say anybody is wrong, from the peace which is bought at the expense of truth – may the good Lord deliver us!

 ~ J.C. Ryle

Knots Untied, “Only One Way of Salvation” [Cambridge, England: James Clarke & Co., 1977], 30, 31.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards In Plain English. (#1-10)

Jonathan Edwards is known as one of the greatest and most profound of American theologians. His writings have benefited many Christians throughout the years. I was impressed with these resolutions and so I have attempted to translate them into the language of the day. I understand that I may have missed Edward’s full meaning at some level, but I made every attempt to capture the essence of the original author and summarize in such a way as to benefit the modern reader. There are 70 resolutions in all. I have summarized the first ten here. I hope you enjoy these. ________________________________ 1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriad's of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I mee...
4 comments
Read entire article

The Resoultions of Jonathan Edwards in Plain English (#11-20)

Here is a link to the first ten resolutions The part in blue is my best shot at a plain English paraphrase of these resolutions. Enjoy! ___________________________________ 11. Resolved, when I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances don't hinder. If I ever have a thought on a perplexing theological issue, I vow to always do whatever I can, as far as circumstances permit, to attempt to solve that issue. 12. Resolved, if I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by. I vow, that if I find myself taking prideful pleasure in the contemplating or solving of theological mysteries, that I will immediatly stop and think about something else.
1 comment
Read entire article

Being Saved From The Ways of Wicked Men - Part 1 - Proverbs 2:12-15

Proverbs 2:12-15 ESV Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. There are two main ideas presented here. One is that there are wicked men . The other is that they have bad ways that we need to be saved from. Wisdom , in these proverbs, is the personification of God. But more specifically, I would say that wisdom is a person's conscience that has been filled up with the truth of God, so that when temptations come along, decisions can be made that will keep us from falling into the traps of Satan. Since wicked men are often the tools Satan uses to try to tempt us, these verses tell us how to identify these men. Of course, this doesn't exclude women. In this post, I'm just going to take a close look at the first bit of advice we ...
4 comments
Read entire article