December 2007 New Horizons

Fear Not: A Meditation on Luke 2:8-14

by Matthew W. Kingsbury

In many ways, I envy those who grew up in faithful churches, but I think I have one advantage over them. By virtue of having been exposed to the worst sermons imaginable from liberal ministers, I have an appreciation for the preached Word that my more advantaged brethren do not have. If one expects a pastor to exposit Scripture faithfully, one can afford to be critical of the manner in which he handles the text. But if one is pleasantly surprised when there is actually a text for the sermon, one tends to be perpetually grateful for the dullest of homilies. This is why I love Christmas Eve services: traditionally, they do not include a sermon. Consisting of set readings and hymns, the service cannot be bent to man's whims because it includes only the Bible and the most orthodox songs in Christendom. At least, this was the case during my childhood, when the ministers were older than my father and took seriously their obligation to carry on the church's traditions, no matter what their own theological ... Read more

Christ's Miraculous Birth

by Clifford L. Blair

While some doctrines are known almost exclusively by the faithful, others have broken through the confines of the church and taken root in the popular mind. The miraculous birth of Jesus is such a tenet. A 2003 Harris poll found that not only do 79 percent of all Americans believe this doctrine, but so do 27 percent of those who identify themselves as non-Christians. This is a popular doctrine indeed. What accounts for this? No doubt part of this popularity rests on the annual retelling of Christ's birth in virtually every imaginable format from the simple gospel reading around the family hearth to the extravagant productions of popular culture. (New Line Cinema spent $65 million to make and market The Nativity Story last year.) [1] Apparently believers and unbelievers alike are ever moved in contemplating the singular event of God entering humanity by being born of a woman. Yet there is more at work here than sentimentality. The doctrine that Christ was conceived in the Virgin Mary by the power of ... Read more

The Glory and Empire of Christ

by David C. Innes

The sixteenth-century political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli turned the world upside down when he introduced the notion that man, through an astute understanding of his world, could rise above the vicissitudes of life and actually overcome fortune. In chapter 25 of The Prince , the infamous author states that though people had previously thought that fortune and God govern the affairs of men, it is rather that fortune governs half and men the other half. (Machiavelli was no Calvinist.) In saying this, he implicitly identifies God with mere fortune. As his argument continues, he reduces the role of fortune to those circumstances in which men have not taken prudent measures to resist her. When "wise" princes heed this advice, they secure their power and glory. Machiavelli was not the first to think like this, but he was the first to state these principles openly and shamelessly with a view to making them respectable. In the book of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar is one such prince who is ambitious to ... Read more

Helps for Worship #24: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper

by William Shishko

"And they continued steadfastly in ... the breaking of bread." (Acts 2:42) As a result of the Protestant Reformation, worship was "reformed" according to the Scriptures. In the process, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper (which could too easily be confused with "the Mass") was separated from regular worship and celebrated less frequently. In some Protestant churches, the Lord's Supper was observed only once a year! The Lord's Supper then became a "special" event in the life of the church. In the Presbyterian tradition, "communion seasons" developed. Some of the Reformers, like John Calvin, believed that the Lord's Supper should be a part of worship each Sunday. He was overruled in this desire by the governing authorities in Geneva, so the Lord's Supper was observed there on a quarterly basis. That became the common practice in Reformed and Presbyterian churches for generations. In recent years, many Presbyterian churches have been rethinking the issue of the frequency of the Lord's Supper. It has ... Read more

Off to College

by "Uncle Glen"

Dear James, It is with avuncular pride and a sense of middle age that I write to you as you embark upon your college education. You learned to call me "uncle" when you were a small child. It seemed artificial, but also reflected my friendship with your father, a friendship that extends back to college and through almost two decades of service on our session. During that time, I have come to think of you as if you were literally kin. I am impressed that you chose your father's alma mater, because I know that you have not always wanted to be seen as a mimic of your dad. I believe your time there will prove to be as beneficial to you as it was to me and your father thirty years ago. Please accept the enclosed as a late graduation gift and apply it to the many incidental expenses that will accompany your transition. I hope you don't mind my writing to you from time to time. Not only does our correspondence allow me officially to discharge my duties as your elder, but I am genuinely eager to hear about ... Read more