February 2007 Archives

Today is the 200th Birthday of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the great poet of the American people, Longfellow’s romantic, historical works have fired the imagination of untold thousands of students. Past generations required that Longfellow’s works were memorized by the school children of America. He is best remembered for “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” “A Psalm of Life,” “The Song of Hiawatha” and “Evangeline.” According to the Harvard Crimson “A national campaign called “Longfellow Across America” has been launched to push Americans to remember and revive Longfellow’s memory.

I included the following poem in my book Poems for Patriarchs. It is rich with nuance and meaning pertinent to manhood, family life, faith, and work:

The Village Blacksmith

Under a spreading chestnut-tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.

His hair is crisp, and black, and long,
His face is like the tan;
His brow is wet with honest sweat,
He earns whate’er he can,
And looks the whole world in the face,
For he owes not any man.

Week in, week out, from morn till night,
You can hear his bellows blow;
You can hear him swing his heavy sledge,
With measured beat and slow,
Like a sexton ringing the village bell,
When the evening sun is low.

And children coming home from school
Look in at the open door;
They love to see the flaming forge,
And hear the bellows roar,
And catch the burning sparks that fly
Like chaff from a threshing-floor.

He goes on Sunday to the church,
And sits among his boys;
He hears the parson pray and preach,
He hears his daughter’s voice,
Singing in the village choir,
And it makes his heart rejoice.

It sounds to him like her mother’s voice,
Singing in Paradise!
He needs must think of her once more,
How in the grave she lies;
And with his haul, rough hand he wipes
A tear out of his eyes.

Toiling,—rejoicing,—sorrowing,
Onward through life he goes;
Each morning sees some task begin,
Each evening sees it close
Something attempted, something done,
Has earned a night’s repose.

Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend,
For the lesson thou hast taught!
Thus at the flaming forge of life
Our fortunes must be wrought;
Thus on its sounding anvil shaped
Each burning deed and thought.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 27, 2007 | Permalink

Mark your calendars for a celebration that happens but once in a century. The Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of America’s Providential History is the Christian history event of the year. Come to Virginia’s beautiful Jamestown-Yorktown-Williamsburg colonial Historic Triangle for a joyous family vacation that exalts Christ, celebrates His providential hand in our history, and prepares our sons and daughters to defend the truth and lead our culture as the visionaries of the next one hundred years.

The Providential Meaning of Jamestown

Providence: God, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy. (Westminster Confession)

At a time when many government officials have expressed outright opposition to celebrating the Christian influence of Jamestown, or viewing our country’s birthday as little more than the commemoration of an unjust “invasion,” we believe it is important to defend the truth and thank God for His many providences through our Jamestown forefathers.

And there is much for which we can be thankful.

Jamestown was not only the first permanent English settlement in the New World, it was the spot where Protestant Christian worship was brought to the new land. At Jamestown, we experienced our first Gospel conversion and Christian baptism. In fact, Jamestown is the site of the first “interracial” marriage in our history — the marriage of Englishman John Rolfe with the converted princess Pocahontas.

The Jamestown colony was birthed by Christian visionaries like Richard Hakluyt who desired to see the New World become a place for religious freedom and evangelism. Their dream ultimately became a reality. At Jamestown, Americans got their introduction to Christian common law and republican representative government. In fact, as Dr. Paul Jehle will address in his presentations, without Captain John Smith and Jamestown, there would be no Pilgrims and Plymouth. Though the legacy of Jamestown includes the mistakes of imperfect men, these imperfections only drive us to deeper appreciation for the mercy of the Lord and for His providence in the lives of these persevering forefathers. Learn more about Jamestown’s history.

A Week of Signature Events

When you attend Vision Forum Ministries’ Jamestown Quadricentennial Celebration, you will be able to soar into the sky for a panoramic view of Jamestown in a tethered hot-air balloon. You will be able to catch dramatic presentations that tell the stories of God’s providence, or walk the ancient paths of our forefathers with some of the great Christian history teachers of our day.

You will have opportunities to attend symposia with instructors who will bring you the truth about our providential history and address some of the hottest controversies of early American historical interpretation. You may listen to ballads of bravery and music of the colonial era, or take a providential history boat-tour down the James River. There will be opportunities to learn the proper techniques for handling colonial weaponry, and you will be able to march to the fife and drum.

The Jamestown 400: Our National Treasure Hunt

It is certainly not too late to join the thousands who have participated in the Jamestown 400: Our National Treasure Hunt and to take a crack at unlocking a mystery that leads to real buried treasure. This fascinating mystery involves clues, ciphers, and, most importantly, a unique opportunity to be exposed to some of the more fascinating issues surrounding the providential history of America. In the month of May, the one hundred most successful providential history hunters will win an opportunity to search for the real buried treasure — 400 gold coins — located somewhere in the Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Yorktown, and Williamsburg. Sponsored by Vision Forum, Inc., the Jamestown 400 will culminate during the week of June 11-16, 2007, as part of the Jamestown Quadricentennial Celebration. You won’t want to miss this unforgettable event.

Grand Celebration Finale

Celebrate our birthday in the grand style with six days of orations, games, reenactments, competitions, fireworks, and much more. Join us June 11-16, 2007 in Virginia’s Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Yorktown, and Williamsburg. Exciting events will be held throughout the week, with the grand finale culminating at Fort Pocahontas on Friday the 15th and Saturday the 16th. Read more about it here.

Discover the Generational Legacy of Our Grand Marshal

If you were standing on the hallowed grounds of the James River for the 1807 Jamestown Jubilee, you might have met revolutionary war hero John Tyler and his seventeen-year-old son, John Jr., who was then a student at the College of William and Mary. Fifty years later, John was no longer known as Jr., but as the former President of the United States of America and the keynote speaker for the 250th Jubilee of Jamestown. President John Tyler would remind those in attendance that they must honor their fathers, give thanks to almighty God, and never forget the many kindnesses which He had bestowed upon our land.

Nearly a half century later, the President’s son, Lyon Gardiner Tyler, would be the first to officially propose a Tercentenary celebration. He became the primary historian of the event. Now, for America’s four hundredth birthday, Harrison Tyler — the grandson of the tenth President of the United States and a direct descendant of Pocahontas and John Rolfe — will continue the multi-generational legacy of the Tyler family when he serves as Grand Marshal to the Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of America’s Providential History. Read more about it here.

Featured Speakers

In the tradition of past American jubilees and centennial celebrations, the Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of America’s Providential History will feature some of the great orators, preachers, and teachers of our day. Those joining us for the celebration will be able to hear inspiring, vision-casting messages for the children of this generation and the next. They will also be able to listen to messages that equip them to better defend our providential Christian history against revisionist historiography and political correctness.

Our Mission

Sponsored by the Faith of our Fathers Project, our vision for the Jamestown Quadricentennial is fourfold:

First, we aspire to leave a witness for future generations that a) on her grand birthday celebration, America did not forget the providential hand of God in the life of this nation; and b) we were a thankful people who were willing to honor the faith and perseverance of our forefathers.

Second, we endeavor to create a joyful and exciting event for the entire family that gives them an unforgettable experience that a) cultivates gratitude in the hearts of children by teaching them the tremendous scope of God’s work in American history; and b) prepares them to intelligently and carefully defend our rich providential legacy.

Third, we hope to leave a record of poetry, literature, and scholarship that will instruct and inspire generations who follow after us.

Lastly, we purpose to raise rocks of remembrance and Ebenezers of hope that will cast vision for children of today to take the best of their forefathers, to learn from their mistakes, and (in the spirit of Psalm 78) to chart a Christ-honoring vision of victory for the future.

The Jamestown Children’s Memorial

Past generations have recognized the importance of using the occasion of historic anniversaries to raise up rocks of remembrance to the glory of God and His many providential blessings through the lives of our forefathers. One example — the great 103-foot-tall Jamestown Tercentenary Monument — was erected by the United States in 1907. It bears the following inscription:

Lastly and chiefly the way to prosper and achieve good success is to make yourselves all of one mind for the good of your country and your own, and to serve and fear God the giver of all goodness, for every plantation which our heavenly father hath not planted shall be rooted out. Advice of London Council for Virginia to the Colony 1606

Vision Forum Ministries and the Faith of Our Fathers Project are calling upon the grateful children of America to take advantage of an important moment in time. This is our opportunity to offer praise to the Lord for the mighty deeds He has done in the days of our forefathers. We intend to place a monument of honor on the occasion of America’s four hundredth birthday as the event will be celebrated by thousands of families who we trust will be participating in the Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of America’s Providential History.

Paid for by the one-dollar donations of the children of this generation, the Jamestown Children’s Memorial will be a reminder to future generations that we honored our fathers by raising rocks of remembrance on the anniversary of our nation’s birth. It will stand as a testimony to our children’s children, letting them know that we were a thankful people. To read the text on the proposed monument and learn more about this historic effort, click here.

Early-bird Registration Open Now

Early-bird registration is now open and priced to make this event affordable for the entire family. We are pleased to offer a range of ticket options to best suit your needs. Register now with our early-bird offer for significant savings. Please note that some of the events have a limited capacity, therefore, we encourage you to make your reservations soon.

Visit the official site for more information and to sign up.

Evening on the James

Before the sun begins to set, our yacht will transport us into the past as we experience four hundred years of history. As our captain sails us down the James, our historians will direct you to the sites of some of the most remarkable providential events in our nation’s history. You will view the Jamestown Settlement from a unique vantage point, not dissimilar to the viewpoint of Captain John Smith, Sir Christopher Newport, and the other forefather explorers. You will see the magnificent plantation homes of the seventeenth century which adorn the James River and establish it as one of the best-preserved and most historic river locations in our nation.

Join us for an unforgettable quadricentennial VIP dinner and history cruise down the James River on the Spirit of Norfolk, a state-of-the-art yacht featuring three decks, huge panoramic windows, outdoor strolling decks at bow and stern, and an upper observation deck perfect for viewing the shoreline and catching the sunset. This event is in addition to our other festivities of the week. Vision Forum Ministries and the Faith of Our Fathers Project are offering this “Evening on the James” for those individuals, businesses, and organizations who wish to support the Quadricentennial Celebration efforts and the ongoing mission to defend, preserve, and promote our rich providential legacy of liberty. Learn more about it here.

Visit Our New Quad Blog

In the next few weeks, Vision Forum will offer practical suggestions for how moms and dads can take advantage of America’s 400th birthday to teach history to their children. In addition to the rich diversity of helpful reading and audio/visual material available, we recommend that you consider joining the Jamestown 400: Our National Treasure Hunt and using it as a teaching tool for learning more about our nation’s providential history. You might also enjoy keeping up with our Jamestown Quad Blog — a blog celebrating the providences of God associated with America’s 400th birthday. Visit the blog to learn about the role of great Americans in honoring Jamestown’s Christian legacy of law, life, and liberty.

Come to Jamestown

Here amid the graves of our ancestors, we renew our pledges to those principles of self-government, which have been consecrated by their examples through two-hundred and fifty years; and implore that great Being who so often and signally preserved them through trials and difficulties, to continue to our country His protecting guardianship and care (President John Tyler, 1857 Jamestown Jubilee Speech)

Come to Jamestown. Gather your children and show them the legacy of the Lord so that “the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments” (Psalm 78:6-7).

Come to Jamestown. Help us leave a testimony of honor for the generations who follow us. Stand with other Christian families from across the nation as we raise rocks of remembrance and Ebenezers of gratitude on this historic occasion. Join us for a unique moment in American history, in which we not only recall the mighty deeds of God in the past, but we charge our sons and daughters to advance as men and women of vision in the twenty-first century.

This year, mark your calendars for a family vacation and celebration filled with joy, purpose, and adventure. Join us for the Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of America’s Providential Heritage.

Visit the official site for more information and to sign up.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 26, 2007 | Permalink

Two hundred years ago today, the unbiblical and perverse practice of trafficking in humanity was dealt a serious blow thanks to the efforts of an indefatigable reformer named William Wilberforce. As we reflect on the anniversary of the great accomplishments of William Wilberforce, The Slave’s Champion is recommended as an inspiring little biography on the life and efforts of the great Evangelical parliamentarian who almost singlehandedly ended the evil practice in Great Britain.

First published in 1861, this historical reprint reveals helpful insights into the customs, culture, and perspectives of people living in the 19th century. The Slaves’ Champion also includes the reflections of those who knew him and reveals the story of Wilberforce’s efforts to wipe out the brutal slave trade. The Slaves’ Champion is a must-read, not only for those students interested in the life of Wilberforce, but for Christians who want a better understanding of the long battle for liberty.

During the 19th century there was a large body of people in England, as well as in both the South and the North of America, who opposed slavery and the slave trade. But this opposition took different forms and expressions, and the forms and expressions were often rooted in unique theological presuppositions. In the American context, opponents of slavery divded into numerous different groups. One of the many groups who opposed slavery was the Abolitionists. Those opponents of slavery who identified themselves as “abolitionists” were largely led by transcendentalists, some of whom endorsed, subsidized, and encouraged violence and even bloodshed to accomplish their goals. Their leadership was largely anti-Trinitarian. Wilberforce, on the other hand, was driven by distinctively Christian presuppositions, and resorted to tactics which sprung from those presuppositions. His legacy stands as a testimony to perseverance and principle in pursuit of a righteous cause.

The noxious practice of chattel slavery is at least as old as the post-Flood world.. Traffic in humanity continues to this present day, the most notorious and evil form of which is the sexual trade of women and children. It is estimated that there are millions of poor victims of this diabolical practice.

The enigmatic and conflicted record of our own nation on ths subject of slavery remains shrouded in controversy and emotion. Christian students of history must reconcile the challenges of interpreting a complex past which can not be reduced to simple slogans. They must answer the appropriate inquiries of those who desire to better interpret the lives of popular American heroes from George Washington to Stonewall Jackson to Ulysees S. Grant — all of whom were slave owners. They must handle history honestly, which means acknowledging warts and bumps, and strengths and weaknesses, with iconic American heroes of all stripes. This means they must aspire not only to understand the motivations and philosophy of honorable opponents of slavery in the South, like Robert E. Lee, but they must try to understand the theology of Abraham Lincoln, who once actively advocated the removal of blacks from America, and who chose to restrict the legal boundaries of the Emancipation Proclamation to slave holding in the Southern States.

For an interesting and informative overview of “The Bible, Slavery and America’s Founders,” visit David Barton’s Wallbuilder’s site for an article by Stephen McDowell which draws extensively from Holy Scripture, the writings of Dr. R.J. Rushdoony, and the quotes of the Founding Fathers themselves to offer one perspective on the issue.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 23, 2007 | Permalink

Praises to the Lord!

MSNBC is reporting today that:

“A premature baby that doctors say spent less time in the womb than any other surviving infant is to be released from a Florida hospital Tuesday. Amillia Sonja Taylor was just 9½ inches long and weighed less than 10 ounces when she was born Oct. 24. She was delivered 21 weeks and six days after conception. Full-term births come after 37 to 40 weeks.

“We weren’t too optimistic,” Dr. William Smalling said Monday. “But she proved us all wrong.”

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 22, 2007 | Permalink

Mark your calendars for a celebration that happens but once in a century. The Jamestown Quadracentennial: A Celebration of America’s Providential History is the Christian history event of the year. Come to the beautiful Jamestown-Yorktown-Williamsburg colonial historic triangle for a joyous family vacation that exalts Christ, celebrates His providential hand in our history, and prepares our sons and daughters to defend the truth and lead our culture as the visionaries of the next one hundred years. Early Bird Registration now available. Stay tuned for more exciting announcements.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 21, 2007 | Permalink

God blessed Stephen Kendrick because he committed to do God’s work, God’s way. This independent Christian filmmaker is part of the great work of hope which the Lord is birthing. Students attending this year’s Christian Filmmakers Academy October 22-24 will be able to interact and learn from Stephen and a faculty of visionaries in the area of filmmaking. Sign up now

(To view this video clip, you must have QuickTime 7 installed — available as a free download.)

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 20, 2007 | Permalink

It is worth noting in the tragic Utah shooting incident that because one man was prepared, he saved the lives of untold people. Ken Hammond was having dinner with his wife when he heard gun shots. He jumped to his feet, and stopped the killer. We don’t know what would have happened had Ken Hammond not been there and prepared to defend the innocent. What we do know is that out of a mall full of people one man displayed the indispensable quality of being always ready and stopped the killer in his tracks. Hammond, an off duty police officer saw it as his duty to defend. Every father in America should take their role as protectors just as seriously.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 19, 2007 | Permalink

If you have accepted the premise that it is acceptable to send women off to die as soldiers in Iraq, then you should have no problem with the rise of coed wrestling in high school competition. On the other hand, if you still believe that men should put “women and children first, ” or that that boys and girls are different (and that means different roles and responsibilities), then you might be disturbed to see the real world implications of feminism’s war on patriarchy and the biblical family.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 19, 2007 | Permalink

The trend to blame everyone but one’s self for problems has become big business. This is the story of a pornography junkie who is suing his former employer for not giving him sympathy and professional treatment for immoral behavior on office hours resulting from his sin addiction.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 19, 2007 | Permalink

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing a case this week where lawyers are arguing whether the words “natural family, marriage and family values” constitute “hate speech.”

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 19, 2007 | Permalink

Are our feelings the basis of the “Rule of Law?” It appears so according the United States Supreme Court these days. However, former Chief Justice Roy Moore writes in his Worldnetdaily.com article today that:

Valentine’s Day is a special occasion when we express our feelings for those we love. But imagine that we lived in a world governed only by our “feelings,” a world where the law provided recourse to sue whenever someone else’s manner of speech, mode of dress, or anything else offended us. Of course, that would most certainly be a very litigious society with everyone suing everyone else just to avoid being “offended,” a chaotic system governed by the sentiments of that old love song: “Feelings, nothing more than feelings.” Obviously, our emotions should never - and could never - be a “rule of law” to govern our behavior....

In 1984, former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor introduced a new rule in the case of Lynch v. Donnelly: that a person made to “feel” like a political “outsider” by another’s acknowledgment of God could suffer an actionable injury under the First Amendment. Today those buzzwords, “political outsider,” are frequently thrown around by the ACLU and other liberal organizations to justify suits against state and federal entities that recognize the sovereignty of the Judeo-Christian God....

When God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai, “there were thunders and lightnings” so that all the people “in the camp trembled.” (Exodus 19:16) While there was no thunder or lightning when Dixie County placed that Law on public display at their courthouse, it obviously still caused the ACLU fear. They may be offended, but that does not mean they can misuse the law just to soothe their hurt feelings.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 17, 2007 | Permalink

For an amazing story about a woman that awakens encased in ice after going higher than Mount Everest click here.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 17, 2007 | Permalink

I found this!

And this.

This too.

And very definitively this.

But, most importantly, I found this.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 16, 2007 | Permalink

I recently enjoyed a delightful, unexpected, but providential meeting with Ken Ham of Answers In Genesis during an airport layover. We visited on a number of timely issues and briefly discussed strategy for the future. During our meeting, I was reminded that Ken’s Answers In Genesis Creation Museum will be opening in just a few months. From my perspective, this will be one of the most significant and hope-inspiring events of the year for the body of Christ. Christians owe a debt of gratitude to Ken and his staff for fearlessly advancing the enormously important creation agenda. I expect that the museum will be one of their crowning achievements and that it will bring the highest standards of excellence to the creation message.

As one might guess, both Ken and I are deeply indebted to men like Dr. Henry Morris and Dr. John Whitcomb—the two defenders of God’s Word who launched the modern creation movement with the publication of the Genesis Flood nearly a half a century ago. We discussed this point and I shared with Ken the blessing that Vision Forum Ministries had received when we gave Dr. Morris our “Man of the Century Award” last year. Dr. Whitcomb delivered the keynote for the occasion. I was gratified to learn that the new AIG musuem would be honoring Dr. Whitcomb with a special bust.

The impact of ministries like the Institute for Creation Research and Answers in Genesis is ultimately measured not only in terms of the spiritual encouragement, apologetic witness and Gospel defense they bring to millions, but also by the amount of work they create for the Enemy. By defining the agenda, these organizations have forced evolutionists to dedicate a tremendous amount of resources to counter the goodwork of these Christians. It is simply stunning to consider the hundreds of millions of dollars—perhaps billions—that the NEA, PBS, and numerous other institutions have devoted to shutting up and shutting down creationists.

Note, for example the recent, utterly absurd effort by enemies of the Gospel (including Unitarians and various oher Trinity-denying denominations and organizations) to rally American churches to devote an entire Sunday to the memory of Charles Darwin.

We should not be surprised that the basic tactic of those behind this effort is a strawman. And after all, isn’t that almost always the tactic? Those who seek to trouble the body of Christ with division and confusion inevitably resort to half-truths and strawmen to make their case for them. This is true whether the issue is creation science, biblical patriarchy, or home education.

Here, the straw man is this: “There is no conflict between science and faith.”

“On 11 February 2007 hundreds of congregations from all portions of the country and a host of denominations will come together to discuss the compatibility of religion and science. For far too long, strident voices, in the name of Christianity, have been claiming that people must choose between religion and modern science. More than 10,000 Christian clergy have already signed The Clergy Letter demonstrating that this is a false dichotomy. Now, on the 198th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, many of these leaders will bring this message to their congregations through sermons and/or discussion groups. Together, participating religious leaders will be making the statement that religion and science are not adversaries. And, together, they will be elevating the quality of the national debate on this topic.” Click here for the rest of the article.

Of course, the strident voices that these “pastors” oppose are men like Henry Morris, John Whitcomb, and Ken Ham. The fact that these men have built their entire ministries proclaiming the harmony between science and faith is irrelevant. The fact that one can not cite a single example of a credible creation scientist or preacher who believes that tension exists between science and faith is irrelevant.

On a personal note: For the better part of a decade I have been honored with numerous opportunities to co-teach with Dr. John Morris at ICR “Back To Genesis” conferences. This principle—the harmony of science and faith—has always been one of the bedrock propositions of the conferences which often begin with an explanation of the harmony between science and faith, on the one hand, and the theological and intellectual dishonesty of fideism, agnosticism, etc., on the other. Of course, the harmony of science and faith has always been the position of the faculty of ICR, AIG, and every other legitimate creationist organization or ministry in the world. No exceptions.

Someone might say: “Yes, but I just feel in my heart that Creation scientists hold to a science/faith dichotomy.” Perhaps another might say: “A Creation scientist looked at me funny once, therefore the movement lacks love, and I am inclined to believe their opponents caricaturization of them and of the facts.” Perhaps another might say: “Well, there are no “true” scientists who hold to biblcial creationism, therefore the Creation movement is anti-scientific.”

The fact that these arguments are illogical, false, and sometimes even circular appears to make no difference. Even worse, I have seen otherwise fine men and women ensnared by such nonsense. Incredibly, I have witnessed Evangelical Christians who hold to various evolutionary compromises unwittingly borrow these arguments from the Enemy and use them in public debates and in their writings. (I once received a letter from the wife of such a man praising the Vision Forum catalog, but then asking why we did not believe in science. Didn’t we know that “God is the God of science?”)

Caricature, emotional manipulation, playing fast and loose with the facts and, of course, strawmen are never an acceptable form of argumentation. True, in a television-trained society where men and women become Pavlovian experiments in emotions and illogic, anything goes. Consequently, such nonsense can be effective. But it is effective, like any other lie. At first it seems to carry the day. In the end, however, it is exposed for the fraud that it is. And the false prophets of these frauds are defeated along with their false arguments.

For some refreshing biblical antithesis, read the late Dr. Henry Morris’ account of “The Long War Against God”.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 15, 2007 | Permalink

Anna Sofia Botkin is a member of the local church where I serve as one of the elders. She is also the co-author of the book: So Much More: The Remarkable Influence of Visionary Daughters on the Kingdom of God. An articulate defender of Biblical patriarchy, Anna Sofia has presented messages of tremendous encouragement concerning femininity, multi-generational vision, honor and noble Christian womanhood to hundreds of young ladies from around the nation. She and her sister Elizabeth are featured speakers at this year’s Vision Forum Father and Daughter Retreat at the Callaway Gardens in Georgia. If you have not yet done so, I recommend that you listen to the message which Anna Sofia and Elizabeth presented at least year’s Father and Daughter Retreat titled Strength and Dignity for Daughters. Many of the young ladies with whom I spoke indicated that this was the most life-changing and encouraging message for daughters they had ever heard.

The following message entitled The Thirteenth Year, was delivered last week at a beautiful, private event presented by one of our San Antonio fathers in whose heart a multi-generational vision has been birthed. The entire evening was dedicated to bless and honor his daughter on her thirteenth birthday. The evening celebration was not so much a “party” as it was a time of holy consecration before the Lord and of vision-casting. Three of the elder young ladies spoke at the event, two of whom were Anna Sofia and Elizabeth, respectively. The evening was not only singular for the tremendous vision which was communicated to the young ladies present, but it was lovely and inspiring in every respect.

Regretfully, reading the meaningful text below does not do justice to the experience of watching Anna Sofia deliver the message, as Beall and I both did. Her poise, inflection, graciousness, and sturdy womanhood was every bit part of the message that the Lord was giving to those young ladies that evening. May God use this Fifth Commandment honoring, Christ-exalting, hope-generating message, and many more, to bless our Christian daughters with a vision of womanhood which is used of God to overcome the poison they are widely receiving today, and to equip them for lives of nobility and virtuous womanhood.

Above: Anna Sofia and Liberty share a special birthday together last year. The two girls wore matching dresses and invited their friends for an afternoon of celebration, speeches and honor for their mothers—the women who most inspired them, loved them and who introduced them to life.

The Thirteenth Year

By Anna Sofia Botkin

Most of you girls are embarking on a monumental season in your life: the season of transition from beautiful girlhood to noble womanhood. This is also the season that brings new knowledge of good and evil. It brings a stronger awareness of our “crooked and perverse generation.”

As John Adams put it in a letter to his daughter Abigail when she was approaching her 13th birthday, it is “a time when the understanding opens, and the youth begin to look abroad into the world among whom they are to live.”

Of all the generations you could have been born into, of all the centuries, God chose for you to live in this one. Let me tell you a little bit about the generation that God placed you in.

“There is a generation that curseth their father and doth not bless their mother. There is a generation, oh, how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.”

This generation is arrogant; it has no respect for its parents, for its heritage, for authority. They are blinded by their pride.

Isaiah 3:12 says, “As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them.”

The fact that we have women ruling in the civil and judicial spheres, and are possibly on the verge of facing the dictates of a female chief executive, shows that America is in an advanced state of apostasy and judgment. And rebellious, out-of-control children are a scourge and a shame to the nation.

The women of our generation have forgotten how to be women, and how to be mothers. Some of the most important lessons we learned about womanhood this year, Sarah, we learned together on the Faith and Freedom tour of Plymouth this Fall. I learned that the current women of America are not just lesser women than their pilgrim mothers they are the perfect opposites of their pilgrim mothers.

Where they used to be strong, now they are weak. Where they used to be models of sturdy virtue, they now are examples of flimsy immorality. Where they used to understand the importance of children and selflessly sacrifice for them, now they murder them in the womb as a sacrifice to their own selfishness. And the majority of Christians nod their heads in approval. This is your generation, and mine.

As evil as this generation is, many 13-year old girls feel an uncanny attraction to it, and a desire to be approved of by it. I know I did. Our generation is out to get us, with their glossy magazines, TV shows - every medium of communication they have - they have used to ensnare 13-year-old girls.

This year you will see a lot of evil. Your parents will continue to protect you, but there are things and facts that you will become aware of just by living in this generation. We’re all tempted to get used to evil, the more we see of it, and be desensitized to it. We can’t hide from evil, and pretend it isn’t there, but when we do see it, we have to see it with the Lord’s eyes This is one of the most important things that my father taught me . Every time we see it, it should be even more despicable to us.

In this stormy generation which will try to shipwreck you, God has given you two wonderful gifts. Two things will help you keep your heart pure and enable you to see evil with the Lord’s eyes:

• Intimacy with God and His Word and His Law. Immerse yourself in the Scriptures and pray that God will give you purity and wisdom.

• Intimacy with your parents. A spirit of gratitude and honor for your parents will guard your heart, and could preserve your life. I cannot stress this enough.

Ephesians 6:1 says, Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

“Well with you” doesn’t mean you have will everything you want. It means you will have everything you need. It means having complete inner peace, joy, happiness, and the enjoyment of God’s support in whatever you do. It means even when things seem to be going badly, God comforts you and gives you grace. It means being spiritually happy.

Here are some other blessings the Lord promises to send, which are listed throughout the Bible: length of days and long life, spiritual peace, prosperity, happiness, wisdom and knowledge, honor and glory, spiritual safety, spiritual eyesight, and success.

You’ve probably heard many times that you need to “give your heart to your parents” What does it actually mean to give your parents your heart?

The heart, called “the seat of the affections,” is the source of all passions, desires, loves, interests, likes and dislikes, convictions and opinions. Proverbs 23:26 says, “Give me your heart, my son, and let your eyes delight in my ways.”

God wants our hearts and all that they contain to be surrendered to our parents-and ultimately to God - to be molded and directed.

This is not possible unless you talk to your parents and let them know your heart and tell them about everything that you hold dear. This is that year that you need to purpose to communicate more and better with your parents than ever before. Tell them everything. Be an open book.

Making yourself vulnerable in this way requires Trust. You must trust your parents, that they ultimately desire what is best for you, and that they are qualified to lead you and guide you simply because they are your parents chosen by God to raise you.

It also requires Faith Faith that God will lead you through your parents, imperfect though they are. And faith in God’s promised blessings for your obedience.

When your parents have your heart you will truly “delight in their ways” You will love what they love, hate what they hate, and desire their approval and company and even “think their thoughts after them.”

You can learn a lot about seeking God’s will and God’s mind by doing this with your parents in your 13th year.

This is called “seeking after the hearts of your parents” just as King David was “a man after God’s own heart.”

Similarly, your parents hearts should be able to trust in you, as it says in Proverbs 31, “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her...” This means that they will have confidence in your obedience, when they are watching and when they’re not, that you will demonstrate loyalty to them and to every thing they have taught you, in what you speak and do, in public and in private.

“My son, keep your father’s command, and do not forsake the law of your mother. Bind them continually upon your heart; tie them around your neck. When you roam, they will lead you; when you sleep, they will keep you; and when you awake, they will speak with you. For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life...” Proverbs 6:20-23

It’s especially important that daughters radiate devotion to their parents when they are with their friends. And when it comes to choosing friends, the best advice that I can give you is to gravitate towards the girls that have respectful attitudes towards authority and even reverent attitudes towards their parents and your parents.

In my lifetime I have spoken to a lot of young ladies, and it amazes me how quickly one can tell, sometimes just in one conversation, how much or how little a girl reverences her parents. Some girls drop “innocent” or “affectionate” comments that betray a belittling and dismissive spirit. They might refer to their dad as if he were a ridiculous little brother or speak disparagingly of their mothers’ restrictions.

This is not honor! This is dishonor. Feel free to lovingly correct girls who do this, but please don’t choose them as role models or intimate friends. Attitudes are the quickest things to rub off onto us.

I realize that I am putting a lot of emphasis on the relationship between children and parents. I don’t believe it’s possible to put too much emphasis on a relationship that is ultimately an earthly reflection of the relationship between The Eternal Father and the Eternal Son. The goal of our relationship with our parents is a better relationship with God.

The virtues we learn by being good daughters to our fathers on earth help us in being good daughters to the King, and prepare us for this life and the life to come. Learning to be good ambassadors, to be faithful, to be trusting, and to have a yielded heart with our earthly fathers, will teach us to relate this way to our Heavenly Father.

We need to make the God of our parents our God as well. We can’t forget the purpose, or we’ll start thinking the whole reason we obey our parents and behave ourselves is to impress our parent’s friends and to be “the best kids.” This is one of the dangers of being a second-generation Christian... which I am and you are. The examples in the Bible show that it’s easy for second-generation Christians to lose the vision.

When I was young, I often felt there was nothing left for the second generation to do, except “keep Christianity in the family.” I felt like my parents had already done all the pioneer work. They were both saved out of non-Christian homes, and had to figure out how to build a Christian family from scratch. All the excitement and adventure and discovery was theirs; our job was just to keep from dropping the ball, and keep our children from going back into the world.

Then when I was 13 years old, my family moved to New Zealand, and the seven years I spent there taught me that our family’s Christian warfare has only just begun. Our parents had to fight for the right to raise their children to be soldiers. Now it’s our duty as soldiers to win the war, ours and our descendants’ Everything our parents have done doesn’t give us less to do it gives us more to do. Luke 12:48 says, “.. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”

My father believes that the 21st century will be the Asian century. In your 13th year, you are being given the opportunity to wage war in a leading Asian nation. Korea can be pivotal in God’s plan and you have the rare opportunity to learn about God’s elect in that nation and to bless them by your example as a kingdom-oriented Christian daughter. Please keep in mind your ambassadorial role as these needy people watch your life. You represent America’s providential history, her Western legacy, her home schooling pioneers, your important family, and Jesus Christ himself.

The duty of all second-generation Christians is to stand on their parents’ shoulders and succeed them; to go further and conquer new ground. To make new biblical discoveries, to reach greater heights of theological precision, to root out even more worldliness of thinking and living, to have more obedient Christian families, and to extend Christ’s dominion into every nation. And this will leave plenty for our children to do, and even our great-great-grandchildren.

In the beginning of my speech, I talked about our generation. It is perverse. It is odious to God. He is grieved and offended by it. But God had a purpose in putting us into it. Abigail Adams wrote to her son John Quincy:

These are times in which a genius would wish to live. It is not in the still calm of life, or in the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues.

As you learn more about our evil world, it’s right that you should be repulsed by it, but it would be wrong for you to be afraid of it. Because one day, Lord willing, your thousands of millions of descendants will possess its gates.

Anna Sofia in Boston, studying the lives of great men and women of the past through whom the Lord brought millions of descendants and birthed a great nation. 2006 Faith and Freedom Tour.

This copyrighted message was posted on Doug’s Blog with permission of the Botkin family.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 14, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 13, 2007 | Permalink

“The stories of the Crusades are incredibly relevant to our own time. The arguments waged on all sides are arguments that sound eerily familiar, because the issues are the same...” from Dr. George Grant’s talk on The Crusades at the History of the World Mega-Conference.

(To view this video clip, you must have QuickTime 7 installed.)

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 13, 2007 | Permalink

I wanted to thank you and your ministry for hosting the Jamestown 400 Treasure Hunt. It got me interested in taking a closer look at your organization and I am very glad that I have.

Your ministry has served as a great encouragement to me in these past months. As a Christian and homeschooler my husband and I are trying to raise our children to have a firm, Godly foundation. It gets tough though sometimes when our views seem so countercultural, even to the majority of the Christians I am around. I have been so burdened to see the lies Christians are accepting from the media and changing the course of their lives based on these lies. The verse from Jeremiah 6:16 keeps coming to mind “This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it, that you may have rest for your souls.’” Thank you for conitinuing steadfast in the faith and encouraging others to “ask for the ancient paths.” I have been wanting to write and thank you but decided today because of your blog on Margaret Sanger. I am a pharmacist and have chosen to not dispense birth control. What has been most difficult is when I mention that in Christian circles I do not receive encouragement but rather I usually get looks of disagreement. My co-workers on the other hand do not argue with me that it is an abortifacient. I praise God that my director is a Catholic and supported me in the decision. Thanks for being a voice to promote the sanctity of human life and the value of the family. May God continue to bless you richly. I am praying for you and your beautiful family.

In Christ, K.P.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 13, 2007 | Permalink

During the closing panel of the 2006 History of the World Mega-Conference, the faculty was asked the question: Who are the five most dangerous men of the 20th Century?

The unanimous opinion was this: Margaret Sanger was the single most dangerous woman and one of the five most dangerous individuals of the 20th century. The founder of Planned Parenthood and the architect of the birth control movement, Sanger’s vision was viewed as radical when it first appeared, but today many of the basic theses advocated by Sanger have been accepted by nations, courts, mainstream America, and even by professing Christians. Though it would be irresponsible to pin the culpability for the death of the unborn (through abortion and birth control) on one person, Sanger’s influence was so significant that she probably carries more personal responsibility for the death of untold billions than any other individual.

To her general followers, Sanger was a winsome proponent of reasonable freedom for women. She was the woman who would deliver them from the bondage of childbirth, Christianity, and patriarchy. She sought to present herself as an advocate of science, enlightenment, and liberation. In point of fact, she was a virulent bigot, and the mastermind of a movement to advance the agenda of feminism, racism, and eugenics. Her efforts to advance the goal of sexual freedom from the bondage of traditional morality became a reality during the 1960s, at about the same time that “the Pill” was introduced and widely distributed through society.

Sanger Believed that Birth Control Would Create a New “Race.”

“When motherhood becomes the fruit of a deep yearning, not the result of ignorance or accident, its children will become the foundation of a new race.” Margaret Sanger

Sanger Was At War With Life

“The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.” Margaret Sanger (editor) “The Woman Rebel,” Volume I, Number 1. Reprinted in Woman and the New Race. New York: Brentanos Publishers, 1922.

Sanger Attempted to Use Christianity to Manipulate the Very Black Americans She Hoped to Ultimately Eliminate Through Modern Eugenics

“We should hire three or four colored ministers, preferably with social-service backgrounds, and with engaging personalities. The most successful educational approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal. We don’t want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population. and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members.” Margaret Sanger’s December 19, 1939 letter to Dr. Clarence Gamble, 255 Adams Street, Milton, Massachusetts. Original source: Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, North Hampton, Massachusetts. Also described in Linda Gordon’s Woman’s Body, Woman’s Right: A Social History of Birth Control in America. New York: Grossman Publishers, 1976.

Sanger Opposed Charity Because It Kept Undesireables Alive

“Organized charity itself is the symptom of a malignant social disease. Those vast, complex, interrelated organizations aiming to control and to diminish the spread of misery and destitution and all the menacing evils that spring of this sinisterly fertile soil are the surest sign that our civilization has bred, is breeding and is perpetuating constantly increasing numbers of defectives, delinquents, and dependents. My criticism is not directed at the failure of philanthropy, but rather at its success. The most serious charge that can be brought against modern benevolence is that it encourages the perpetuation of defectives, delinquents, and dependents. These are the most dangerous elements in the world community, the most devastating curse on human progress and expression.” Margaret Sanger, The Pivot of Civilization, 1922

Ironically, Margaret Sanger’s vision continues through her own “genetically acceptable” line, precisely because she did have a child of her own. That child had a child and that child is Alexander C. Sanger, the author of Beyond Choice: Reproductive Freedom in the 21st Century. Mr. Sanger is Chair of the International Planned Parenthood Council and has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund. You can see him despairing about Christianity and patriarchy in his blog entry entitled South Dakota Mon Amour.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 12, 2007 | Permalink

The fellas on my staff forwarded to me today these encouraging comments on our evangelical creation outreach —The Jonathan Park Creation Radio Adventure series. Here are some of the notes:

I absolutely love the Jonathan Park Series! And I am a 16 year old teenage girl. My brother has the name of Jonathan too, and he also is one of the biggest Jonathan Park fans ever. We have got all of the CDs of the series, and really enjoy listening to them on long trips. I highly recommend the Jonathan Park CDs for anyone! Parents, teens and children alike will all immediately fall in love with the story, and be challenged by the facts. Kara

Hi! I think your adventures are great... and they are working!! I invited my friend to listen to one-and he turned to Christ because of the overwhelming evidence! Thanks for producing a super audio series. Sincerely, Christian

I am your 1# FAN!!!!! I listen to Jonathan and the rest of the crew all the time! I am a Christian teenager who adores creation. I am always sharing the cool facts from your stories to my parents and my four siblings. I am always reading the study guides. My favorite proof of creation is Information Theory. I like how Jonathan’s Granddad showed us how evolution couldn’t be true because the fact of science goes towards Creation and God. After listening to your shows I decided I want to be a Creation Scientist just like Dr. Park. Keep up the AWESOME work!! - Sincerely, Kelsey Joelle H.

P.S. What happens next to the Park and Brenan families? You guys can’t make ‘em faster than I listen!!! :P

Hi, I am nine years old. I really like listening to the Jonathan Park adventures. Please think of some more. Everyone in my family enjoys them. They are neat. My favorite character in them is Jesse. I like Jamal, too. Thank you and God bless you! Danielle N.

Our family received Volumes I-IV for Christmas, and my what a blessing they have been! These realistically written, yet action-packed adventures have us all hanging onto to our seats (literally, we listen in the car) as we have followed the Park and Brenan families down God’s path for their lives. It has been much like our own family testimony to track their growth in the Lord. We appreciate these top-notch productions that make powerful witnessing tools from a true Biblical worldview. We say ‘twenty two thumbs up; make that way up!’ Keep it up! The C’s

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 12, 2007 | Permalink

“Freedom is not simply the right to choose. True freedom is the result of making right choices.” from Col. John Eidsmoe’s talk titled Vikings: Their Law, Culture, and Conquests at the History of the World Mega-Conference.

(To view this video clip, you must have QuickTime 7 installed — available as a free download.)

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 12, 2007 | Permalink

...so take time for the boys.

(Image of Providence, Valor, and Honor.)

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 10, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 9, 2007 | Permalink

First, I want you to imagine what would happen if the pastor of the evangelical church down the street simply recommended that the women of his congregation combat the androgynous spirit of the age by making efforts to dress in a distinctively feminine manner. Now ponder the warfare, spiritual name-calling, and websites which would launch if he merely suggested that one possible means for achieving this goal would be to have the husbands and fathers encourage their ladies, perhaps on just a few occasions, to wear skirts and dresses.

Next, I want you to read this Reuters press statement in which world-famous fashion designer Versace offers counsel to presidential candidiate Hillary Clinton on why she needs to be more feminine and wear skirts that “reach the knee” and avoid “emulat[ing] masculinity....” Reuters reports:

U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton should tap into her feminine side and wear dresses and skirts instead of trousers, fashion designer Donatella Versace was quoted as saying on Thursday.

“I can understand (trousers) are comfortable but she’s a woman and she is allowed to show that,” Versace told Germany’s weekly newspaper Die Zeit in an interview.

“She should treat femininity as an opportunity and not try to emulate masculinity in politics,” Versace said.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 9, 2007 | Permalink

For more than thirty minutes Juaquim Periera fought a sixteen foot anaconda for the life of his eight-year-old grandson Mateus.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 9, 2007 | Permalink

This in yesterday from Miss Elizabeth J.:

Dear Vision Forum:

I recently saved up and purchased one of your Liberty dolls. I have been wanting a doll since I was 6 or 7, about five years ago. I was first interested in the American Girl dolls, and then in the Life of Faith Millie doll.

I never was able to purchase either, not having enough money. Then I saw your dolls, and I instantly fell in love with your Liberty doll, and started saving up to buy her.

In November, I saw your sale and bought one.

I have had my Liberty doll for almost three months, and she is still in mint condition.

Just about three weeks ago, I learned that a younger girl at church had gotten a promise of an American Girl doll for her birthday present. I talked to her mother and advised her to look into getting one of your much better quality dolls instead. I told her how I knew of a girl who very recently ordered an American Girl doll, and found it to be very poor quality.

I was very happy to later be informed that they have ordered a Liberty doll. I am certain they made an excellent choice.

I want to thank you for making such wonderful quality toys, tools and books available. I appreciate your company very much. Thank you!

Very Sincerely,

Elizabeth J.

P. S. I also like all your beautiful doll dresses, and am currently saving up to buy the Sacagawea and Regina dresses.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 9, 2007 | Permalink

Dear Mr. Philips,

Thank you for all the work you have put into the Jamestown 400 hunt. We are among the many enjoying the experience. As history lovers it has been wonderful to delve into subjects we have not studied before....We receive the Colonial Williamsburg magazine. This month it was supposed to be about Jamestown. Two of the lengthy articles, with many illustrations, dealt with cannabalism in the colony, one addressed the destruction of the ecology... and another spoke of Pocahontas as having been “forcibly converted by an Anglican minister.” Thank you for helping preserve the truth and pointing us to the more noble acts of these colonists.”

The Consiglios in Oregon

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 8, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 8, 2007 | Permalink

This month, ENN hits and surpasses our one hundredth episode. Many thanks to the boys and girls of America for making the Everyday News Network so successful. Thanks also to the many families who have sent in precious letters of thanks like this one that I received this morning:

I am a former home-school mom (my sons are all grown). I LOVE the Everyday News Network, especially the donut boy! ... Thanks so much for the work you are doing to encourage Godly men. Sincerely, Mrs. Regina C.

(Thank you, Mrs. C. I love the Donut Boy as well because the ENN reporter is very dear to me. You may see some more episodes from him in 2007.)

This year, there are great things happening at ENN. If you have not tuned in for awhile, make sure to watch “Adoption” from January 12. It is simply wonderful — and inspiring. Also, check out “Great Grandmother’s Rifle” and “The Old Musket,” “The Giant Snowman,” “Dog Tricks,” and my own son’s “The Fantastic Balloon Adventure,” parts I, II, and III.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 8, 2007 | Permalink

“Our purpose in life ... is to mirror and to reflect the glory of God. To display what God is like....” From R.C. Sproul, Sr.’s talk, “Adam’s Father,” at the 2006 Generations Conference, sponsored by The Highlands Study Center. This message can be found on Vision Forum’s DVD album Fathers & Sons: Living the Fifth Commandment.

(To view this video clip, you must have QuickTime 7 installed.)

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 8, 2007 | Permalink

Thank God for publishers and authors who are presenting the glory of God’s creation free of evolutionary claptrap. Today, I received this encouraging note from one of our publishers who has done just this. The Lifestyles of Butterflies is featured in the Vision Forum catalogue not only because it is an excellent, beautiful portrayal of the story of this remarkable creature, but because of the interesting parallels which can be drawn between the generational cycles of the Monarch, and the multi-generational vision of fathers and daughters, a subject I address in The Journey of Daughterhood.

Dear Mr. Phillips,

I consider it to be a blessing that you have choosen to include our book “The Life Cycles of Butterflies” in your wonderful collection of products. My brother and I worked very hard on this book to showcase one of God’s most beautiful creations, the butterfly. We just won Learning Magazine’s Teachers’ Choice Award for Children’s Books for 2007. As you must have noticed, we are probably the only butterfly book on the market that does not endorse or make any reference to the secular idea of evolution (monkeys-to-man, etc). We long to see our book in the hands of home-schoolers so children can fully appreciate the marvels of the creation. Thank you for seeing the value in our book.

Many blessings, Judy Burris

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 8, 2007 | Permalink

The following comments were forwarded to me by filmmaker Ron Maxwell with permission to reprint on Doug’s Blog. (Readers of Doug’s Blog recall that Ron was the genius behind the epic motion picture Gods and Generals.) It was a delight to hear Ron deliver this message this last weekend. Those who attended the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival in 2004 heard similar wise sentiments from Ron concerning the complex issue of historiography and the Civil War.

In his insightful essay, “The Legacy of the Civil War,” Robert Penn Warren posits the notions of two great myths persisting in the American consciousness - for the South “the Great Alibi” and for the North “the Treasury of Virtue.” “Once the War was over,” says Warren, “the Confederacy became a City of the Soul... only at the moment when Lee handed Grant his sword was the Confederacy born; or to state matters another way, in the moment of death the Confederacy entered upon its immortality.” In the Great Alibi, in the attempt to recall and enshrine the best motives for Southern Independence, the enslavement of fellow humans is often overlooked or de-emphasized.

“If the Southerner, with his Great Alibi, feels trapped by history, the Northerner, with his Treasury of Virtue, feels redeemed by history, automatically redeemed,” Warren continues. “He has in his pocket, not a Papal indulgence peddled by some wandering pardoner in the Middle Ages, but a plenary indulgence, for all sins past, present, and future, freely given by the hand of history.”

Or, as Brook Adams once noted, “The Yankees went to war animated by the highest ideals of the nineteenth century middle classes. But what the Yankees achieved - for their generation at least - was a triumph not of middle-class ideals - but of middle-class vices. The most striking products of their crusade were the shoddy aristocracy of the North and the ragged children of the South. Among the masses of Americans there were no victors, only the vanquished.”

More than a few film critics were outraged that Gods and Generals did not perpetuate the victor’s myth of a war waged against an evil Confederacy. They cling to their simplistic received wisdom as if it were holy writ. In Hermanos, William Herrick’s novel of the Spanish Civil War, a character responds to the conforming pressures of the political commissars by saying, “They will hurt you the first time you tell them a truth they don’t want to hear.”

The following observations from Ron should be carefully considered by the new wave of Independent Christian Filmmakers.

It is not the job of the filmmaker to reinforce the prejudices and tastes of the critics, the prevailing elites or even the general public. The filmmaker must resist, in advance, the pressure to say the right thing, utter the expected phrase. It may be a good career move and it may seduce a critic or two, but it will only invite contempt in the long run. One only has to look back over the last hundred years of filmmaking to separate the panderers from the iconoclasts, to separate those who offered up the easy answers from those who posed the hard questions. Warren offers a cautionary note to future novelists, historians and yes, even filmmakers.

“Moral narcissism is a peculiarly unlovely and un-loveable trait even when the narcissist happens to possess the virtues which he devotes his time congratulating himself upon.”

It would be taking the easy path, seeking the approbation of those who guard the Treasury of Virtue, to present the Civil War as a contest between good and evil. Conversely, it would be all too tempting to strike the pose of the outrageous provocateur - to indulge in the perpetuation of the Great Alibi.

In Gettysburg and Gods and Generals, the concept of “patriotism” metamorphoses from a philosophical abstraction to an organic life force. For many nineteenth-century Southern whites patriotism expressed a love of state and locality that seems strange if not incomprehensible to inhabitants of the new global community. For nineteenth-century Unionists, who let us remember, found themselves on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line, patriotism constituted a love of the entire country, from Penobscot Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. For African-Americans patriotism could mean all this, further leavened with the group identity and group allegiance fostered by slavery in the South and prejudice in the North.

Some critics have objected to the absence of scenes depicting the most violent excesses of slavery. Such scenes are not in the movies for two reasons. First, the film’s main Southern characters, Jackson and Lee, were opposed to slavery, and although products of their time, saw blacks as fellow humans in the eyes of God. For them the War was not about the defense of slavery. Secondly, the films, perhaps for the first time, capture the perniciousness of the institution of slavery. That is to say, that slavery was not perpetuated by and did not depend on sadists. It persisted in America, as in other countries in the 19th century, because of economics. In a word cheap labor - very cheap labor. The economic exploitation of cheap labor lead to slavery in the 17th and 18th centuries as sure as the economic exploitation of cheap labor leads to sweat shops and illegal immigration today.

In the Gulag Archipelago Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote, “If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.”

Historians write about the forces of history, about ideology and determinism. Whatever truth there is in such analysis, it is not the place where individuals live out their lives. Ordinary people like you and me and the characters who inhabit Gods and Generals, Gettysburg or Amazing Grace live their lives day by day, hoping to make the best of it with dignity, trying to lift the suffering from the lives of others - one person at a time, sometimes hoping just to survive. They in their time, like we today, have bonds of affection across racial, religious, sexual, and political divides.

“Historians and readers of history too, should look twice at themselves when the (Civil War) is mentioned. It means that we should seek to end the obscene gratifications of history, and try to learn what the contemplation of the past, conducted with psychological depth and humane breadth, can do for us. What happens if, by the act of historical imagination - the historian’s and our own - we are transported into the documented, re-created moment of the past and, in a double vision, see the problems and values of that moment and those of our own, set against each other in mutual criticism and clarification? What happens if, in innocence, we can accept this process without trying to justify the present by the past or the past by the present?”

“There is a discipline of the mind and heart, a discipline both humbling and enlarging, in the imaginative consideration of possibilities in the face of the unique facts of the irrevocable past” History cannot give us a program for the future, but it can give us a fuller understanding of ourselves, and of our common humanity, so that we can better face the future.”

“To experience the full imaginative appeal of the Civil War,” says Robert Penn Warren, “...may be, in fact, the very ritual of being American.”

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 8, 2007 | Permalink

What an amazing find. Skip the problematic dating issues in the article and go straight for the remarkable picture of this Romeo and Juliet locked in an eternal fossilized embrace. If only fossils could talk.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 7, 2007 | Permalink

Beall and I are extremely grateful for midwifery and home birth. We thank the Lord for the skills of physicians and for the presence of hospitals, but our first choice is always a home birth. We appreciate many of the philosophical assumptions behind midwifery home births including the emphasis on natural birth and individualized and personalized attention to the mother. We delight in the fact that after giving birth, Mom can relax in her own bed and soon be joined by the rest of her family. These are just a few of the blessings of midwifery home births.

We recognize that there are ten thousand factors which could influence a family’s choice of birthing options, and we encourage each parent to make spiritually- and fact-influenced evaluations of the wisest option for them. In the final analysis, however, though we are vocal advocates of midwifery and home birth, we reject as improper the misplaced notion of some that the location or method of birth is a test of orthodoxy.

Now some UK government officials are catching the home birth vision. This Maternity Chief is urging more British women to have home births.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 7, 2007 | Permalink

Dishonor brings sanctions on individuals and on cultures. I doubt that we will ever know the full extent of the implications of dishonor within our own culture. Every once in a while clues appear. Take, for example, this new study which indicates that grandparents who are largely abandoned by their families are prone to Alzheimers and dementia.

For an encouraging perspective on multigenerational honor, check out my messages The Promise, and The Role of Grandfathers in the Local Church.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 7, 2007 | Permalink

“Easy, Mr. Pendleton. Easy. Good to have your dander up, but it’s discipline that wins the day.”

Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, from the film Gods and Generals

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 6, 2007 | Permalink

Christian economist Dr. Gary North lost his twenty-four year old son Caleb sometime in the last two weeks to natural causes. Caleb’s body was found on Sunday the 4th. The pain of such a loss must be unimaginable.

In his February 5th Reality Check, Dr. North makes the following comments which I think are worthy of careful consideration:

If anyone ever asks you “What’s so good about capitalism,” tell him this: Capitalism has made it possible for most of our children to survive the killer diseases and accidents that two centuries ago killed 30% or more of all children before they reached adulthood.

Our children bury us. Most of us do not bury our children. I know of no greater blessing in the modern world. It is a blessing not known throughout most of man’s history. Be grateful for it. We take it for granted.

My former pastor, novelist Henry Coray, who died in his nineties a few years ago, over 40 years ago said this in a sermon. “Until the day that God has pre-ordained before history began that we are to die, we are immortal. On that special day, we are inescapably dead.” He said this to increase our courage under fire. It also helps cut off that inevitable but unanswerable question: “Why?” The correct answer is: “That’s My exclusive business.”

The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law (Deuteronomy 29:29).

He concluded with the following observations:

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Paul’s epistle to the Romans, chapter 5, verse 8). For the wages of sin [are] death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)

(Instead of sending an email of condolence to me, call your kids and tell them you think they are terrific. Be specific as to why. It will help them work on their good points. The older they are, the less you can do about their bad points. Put your effort where it counts.)

POSTSCRTIPT:

My staff informed me that Dr. North added the following poignent comment on his website:

I named him Caleb because in the book of Joshua, Caleb lived to a ripe old age and remained on the job. Such was not to be in his life.

On my 25th birthday, my grandmother told me, “You’ll be 30 before you know it.” I knew this was true even then. I will turn 65 on Sunday. On his 25th birthday, I had planned to tell Caleb what my grandmother told me. Such was not to be in his life.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 6, 2007 | Permalink

The fascinating story of the cavity magnetron is told here.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 5, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 5, 2007 | Permalink

Tired of traffic jams, X-Hawk inventors believe they have the solution.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 5, 2007 | Permalink

The United Nations is now employing all-female units of peacekeepers. More than 100 female warriors from India recently arrived in Liberia to enforce the peace in this war-torn country. For an alternative perspective which presents the biblical view that men should be defenders of women and children, visit Vision Forum Ministries’ commentaries on women in the military.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 5, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 3, 2007 | Permalink

A favorite faculty member of the Witherspoon School of Law and Public Policy, Dr. John Eidsmoe, here explains the folly of believing that any legislation can be divorced from morality. Dr. Eidsmoe will be teaching at this year’s Witherspoon School to be held at the Bavarian Inn July 10-14.

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 2, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on February 1, 2007 | Permalink