Our Microwave Culture
Sometimes seeking the Lord and fighting the good fight takes time. We are commanded to “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord” (2 Peter 3:18), not spontaneously transform. Jesus tells parables to teach us to “pray always and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). Paul instructs us to keep sowing that good seed and not grow weary, because, “in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal 6:9).
For twenty-three years… the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened.”
Jeremiah 25:3
I can cook a potato in eight minutes. (I’m sure you’re very impressed). It’s true. Place the potato in the microwave. Heat for 4 minutes. Turn potato. Heat for another 4 minutes. Voila! It’s ready for you to eat! As a fresh college graduate, this was a game changer. What used to take hours, now took less than ten minutes. Granted, it didn’t have that fresh baked potato taste, but it sure was fast.
And honestly, I’ve never had the patience for a baked potato. I always seem to either cook it too fast and burn it, or lack the thoughtful preparation to start cooking it soon enough. You’re probably wondering why in the world I’m talking so much about baked potatoes. I think this little example is indicative of the culture we’re living in. We live in a microwave culture. Here’s what I mean.
In a culture where you can have a baked potato in eight minutes, a 15-minute potato feels like an eternity. And once we’ve grown accustomed to eight minute expectations, our tolerance for things that take longer lengths of time is diminished. And boy does it show. I can text my wife and be wringing my hands when she doesn’t respond within 5 minutes. (Did you know people used to write letters, send them in the mail, and wait for a response? Barbarians!)
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Stonewall Jackson: Saved by Providence
Written by David T. Crum |
Monday, May 6, 2024
My story on researching Stonewall started in 2013 when I proposed a graduate-level research paper on the Civil War, proposing a paper titled God’s Friend or Foe: The Confederate Army. Being a Yankee, I aimed to prove how wrong the Confederates were. My professor kindly informed me I would be shocked by the Christianity found in the Confederacy and urged me to proceed carefully, though he said I could still proceed. I thought about it and revised my paper to the Confederate Army and God. My professor was right, and I came out shocked—most of what I thought I knew was wrong.Dear Readers:
Hello, my name is David T. Crum. Several of you might have read some of my articles in the past two years on The Aquila Report. I have even received friendly emails and notes from others disagreeing with me on some issues.
I have had the privilege of having many articles on Stonewall Jackson published by The Aquila Report, Log College Press, and the Scottish Reformation Society.
My story on researching Stonewall started in 2013 when I proposed a graduate-level research paper on the Civil War, proposing a paper titled God’s Friend or Foe: The Confederate Army. Being a Yankee, I aimed to prove how wrong the Confederates were. My professor kindly informed me I would be shocked by the Christianity found in the Confederacy and urged me to proceed carefully, though he said I could still proceed. I thought about it and revised my paper to the Confederate Army and God. My professor was right, and I came out shocked—most of what I thought I knew was wrong.
Doctoral work studying George W. Truett actually led me to further studies on Stonewall Jackson. In 2021, I began exploring Jackson and his Christian faith. Jackson was not just a believer but a staunch follower of the Presbyterian faith, a detail that resonates with many readers.
There are several books on Jackson and his beliefs, though I sought to accomplish something different with my book, Stonewall Jackson: Saved By Providence. I aimed to defend his beliefs and prove he was no “fanatic” yet a biblical, born-again Christian. Yes, even in Jackson’s day, biblical Christians had a reputation as fanatics, not much different from today.
Sure, Jackson is a controversial figure today because of his connection to the Confederacy. Though, he should not be. Those acquainted with him know he fought for Virginia and initially aimed for a unified United States.
Researchers have thoroughly examined Stonewall’s military brilliance, bravery, and amazing leadership skills. Once you start studying Jackson, it is apparent that the man correlated all aspects of his life to his faith. He had a tough life and experienced much sorrow and heartache, but his faith never wavered and served as an evangelistic tool for others, most notably the soldiers who fought under him.
His dream was to have a Christian army, a realization he knew was impossible in this fallen world. It, however, did not mean he gave up on Christian standards and principles dictating behavior and actions within his ranks.
Throughout my book, I present Jackson’s life from childhood to his untimely death while corresponding with the Westminster Standards and leading Presbyterians of his day. The aim is simple: Did Stonewall Jackson fall in line with notable voices of his day? Was he a biblical Christian or a fanatic?
Scottish Presbyterian and John Knox expert Dr. Douglas Somerset stated of Jackson, “He [Jackson] was noted as an eminent Christian and was a supporter of the religious revival in the Confederate Army in 1863.”
While Christians should never idolize any man, we can learn from and appreciate those who walked before us. Was Stonewall Jackson perfect? Of course not, and he would undoubtedly admit so. He is, however, a Christian role model for us today.
As a self-proclaimed patriot, most of my ancestors fought for the Union in the Civil War. Like many of you, I have descendants (several great-grandfathers) who were patriots and fought in the American Revolution. I am even a direct descendant of Pilgrim Father John Robinson (my great-grandfather was a Robinson and adopted as a Crum).
That said, Stonewall Jackson is one of my favorite people to study in history because of his Christian faith. He was not a traitor…
As most know, firm believers existed on both sides of the conflict. My research primarily centers around Jackson’s faith, with few military accounts provided. It is not a theological or military history book, but perhaps best described as a devotional. There is some valuable information for those who want to learn a bit about theology and history.
Stonewall is still a legend, especially in Scotland and the southern part of the United States.
As we know, even in our country, people still frown upon any association with Stonewall. I have experienced this, having articles on Stonewall denied by conservative academic journals and publications. I have even had colleagues and family ask, “Are you sure you want to publish this book in today’s society?” I have been called a Yankee and Lincoln lover by some, and a supporter of the Lost Cause argument by many others.
So, to address the elephant in the room, yes, Stonewall Jackson was associated with the Confederacy and slavery. I make it clear in the book that the slavery practiced in the U.S. was unbiblical and a tragic stain in American history. We can never condone the enslavement of any person. I also recognize that Stonewall is misunderstood here.
In the end, I take the position of Dr. Douglas Somerset, who firmly stated the following about Jackson:
Satan tries to push human cultures from one extreme to another. In one generation, slavery is callously tolerated; in another generation, the condemnation of slavery becomes excessive, as if there were no other sin in the world. Many of those most vehement in their opposition to historic slavery support the destruction of unborn children in the womb. While denouncing the sins of the past, they defile their hands with the equally heinous sins of the present.
I ask my fellow Christians to consider reading my book. Stonewall Jackson’s Christian life offers lessons for all of us to learn.
Stonewall Jackson: Saved by Providence can be ordered here and here.
David Crum holds a Ph.D. in Historical Theology. He serves as an Assistant Professor of History and Dissertation Chair. His research interests include the history of warfare and Christianity. He and his family are members of Christ the King Church, in Easton, Maine.
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Act Like Men: Part II – Truth-Telling
Some men may speak less, but do a better job at this act of truth-telling. In the life of action, there is a deeper wisdom, than in a life of word without this action. It takes a manly courage and a sense of humility before God to persist in this truth-speaking in the home, in the church, in the work-place. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can persist in speaking the truth in love. Act as men. Speak the truth and speak it in love.
In my last blog post, I spoke about facing giants, and acting like men in doing so. I focused on a lot of personal or internal characteristics of a man who acts like a man in battle: prayer before God and the destruction of idols of the heart (selfishness, pride, self-pity). But what does that look like in the real world? It seems that certain visible skills must be cultivated.
I want to focus on what acting like a man looks like in the realm of truth-telling. This is one of the primary battlefields for the modern Christian man.
There are many issues in the culture, in the church and in the modern family. But how can men in the church begin to effect the change that they want to see in the church and the world? The assembly is under attack. A Biblical and creational understanding of man and woman is under attack. Pornographic material saturates the world and weakens men spiritually and morally. The inherent dependence on government weakens men in their responsibility to work hard and provide for their families. We look to the government and to leaders for solutions, rather than accepting this core truth: I must take responsibility to serve God fearlessly and boldly within my own spheres of influence.
That responsibility begins with speaking the truth to myself and then within my environment.
In I Corinthians 16:13-14, a man is commanded to let all that he does be done in love. The truth is under attack in our culture and in our homes, just as when Satan crept up on Adam and Eve in the Garden: did God really say? Adam as the head of the home bought into the lie, when he should have laid down his life for his wife. Of course, even this truth-speaking must be done in love: “Rather, speaking the truth in love.” (Eph. 4:15)
This is one of the hardest parts of learning to be a man. It is easy to veer into one of two ditches. Either we promote a spineless love that is unmoored from the truth. Or we present the truth in ways that are less than upbuilding. For example, a man must tell his wife the truth and lead his family in truth, but he does so recognizing that she is the weaker vessel, and having patience with the immaturity in his children. He does so to build her up. It is done in selfless love.
I have seen an issue in the “manosphere” that at times when men want to “tell the truth” so to speak, they do it with filthy language and insults. Somehow dropping crass language makes it more courageous. I am not saying that there is no place for strong language. For example, Paul tells the Judaizers in Galatia essentially that they should castrate themselves (Gal. 5:12). But it was well aimed along the lines of their beliefs that that they could only fellowship with those who were circumcised. And so Paul is telling them to just circumcise themselves from the Church if they want to got that far in their practice. But the vast majority of what is arising in our culture is simply filthy language that does not build up but tears down. Much of it does not make sense within context and so it is not truth-telling, but simply filthy language.
Back to the ditches. Fear of consequences, can make a man harsh in telling the truth on one hand, or make him compromise in telling the truth on the other hand. Both responses are a symptom of fear. It takes courage to speak truth in love in a culture where, the consequences might put you in a place where you are without a job.
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Is Christianity Oppressive?
Regrettably, professing Christians do not have a perfect track record when it comes to oppression. That fact, however, does not make Christianity oppressive. Biblical Christianity provides the only coherent way to define oppression in the first place, and those who have practiced the faith have been a force for good in the world. May we as Christians continually aim to know and practice biblical truth, knowing that it is the only way that we will ever find true freedom (John 8:32).
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Although this decision did not make abortion on demand illegal in the United States, it returned the issue of abortion regulations to state legislatures, meaning that each state can now regulate or restrict abortion as it chooses. Immediately, people began protesting. Men and women gathered in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere across the country, yelling and carrying signs with typical pro-abortion sentiments expressing outrage that the Supreme Court had made it legal to “oppress” women by giving the states power to severely curtail or even outlaw the “right” to kill an unborn child. In many of these protests, vehement anti-Christian language could be found. Protesters recognized the role that Christians had played in the Dobbs decision because of their decades of anti-abortion work, and they insisted that Christianity is an oppressive religion.
This was not the first time that Christians were accused of being oppressors, and it surely will not be the last. Christianity has been blamed for everything from practicing chattel slavery to destroying indigenous cultures to trampling on the rights of women to causing homosexuals to commit suicide. In sum, the claim has been made that Christianity is inherently oppressive. Is this claim true?
To evaluate the charge, we first need to have a clear understanding of oppression. Yet that is not often what we find from those who charge that Christianity is an oppressive religion. Often, at least in the West, people cry “oppression” when they are told that they cannot do something they want to do. Tell a woman who wants to terminate her pregnancy for any reason whatsoever that she cannot do so, and you might be called an oppressor. Reject the notion that two men can get married, and somebody will accuse you of oppressing people who engage in homosexual acts.
But is it oppression simply to be restricted from doing something that you really want to do? Of course not. Laws are made all the time that restrict us from being able to do what we want to do. Are speed limits oppressive? What about laws against murder?
Oppression cannot be conceived of merely as a restriction on something we might want to do. It is, rather, an offense against justice and the humane treatment of others, but who gets to define justice and humane treatment? Ultimately, it is God, who defines justice and kindness in His moral law, which is revealed in the conscience and given to us in Scripture. Restricting abortion on demand or aberrant definitions of marriage is not oppressive, and the reason is that God’s law says that it is cruel and unjust to take an innocent life and harmful to children and others to allow for the expression of sexual immorality. Those who make accusations of oppression but do not heed the law of God have no real grounds on which to make the charge. When people accuse Christians of oppression, it is right for us to demand that they define oppression and then to point them to the law of God as the only thing that can define oppression for all people.As we look at charges that Christianity is oppressive, we will find that many of them are wholly illegitimate, based on definitions of oppression not sanctioned by God’s Word. Sadly, however, if we are honest with history, we will find that some accusations of oppression have more force. It is true that some people who profess the Christian faith have been guilty of what is rightly called oppression.
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