This week's syndicated column by Pat Buchanan is a must read:
"I WILL never be able to hold her again, but I forgive you."
So said Nadine Collier, who lost her mother in the massacre at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., offering forgiveness to Dylann Roof, who confessed to the atrocity that took the lives of nine churchgoers at that Wednesday night prayer service and Bible study.
If there is a better recent example of what it means to be a Christian, I am unaware of it. Collier and the families of those slain showed a faithfulness to Christ's gospel of love and forgiveness that many are taught but few are strong enough to follow, especially at times like this.
Their Christian witness testifies to a forgotten truth: If slavery was the worst thing that happened to black folks brought from Africa to America, Christianity was the best. Charleston, too, gave us an example of how a city should behave when faced with horror. Contrast the conduct of those good Southern people who stood outside that church in solidarity with the aggrieved, with the Ferguson mobs that looted and burned and the New York mobs that chanted for the killing of cops when the Eric Garner grand jury declined to indict. Yet, predictably, the cultural Marxists, following Rahm Emanuel's dictum that you never let a crisis go to waste, descended like locusts.
As Roof had filmed himself flaunting a Confederate battle flag, the cry went out to tear that flag down from the war memorial in Columbia, S.C., and remove its vile presence everywhere in America.
Sally Jenkins of The Washington Post appeared front and center on its op-ed page with this call to healing: "The Confederate battle flag is an American swastika, the relic of traitors and totalitarians, symbol of a brutal regime, not a republic. The Confederacy was treason in defense of a still deeper crime against humanity: slavery."
But if Jenkins' hate-filled screed is right, if the Confederacy was Nazi Germany on American soil, then not only the battle flag must go. The Confederate War Memorial on the capitol grounds honors the scores of thousands of South Carolinians who died in the lost cause. And if that was a cause of traitors and totalitarians and about nothing but slavery, ought not that memorial be dynamited?Even as ISIS is desecrating tombs in Palmyra, Syria, the cultural purge of the South has begun. Governors are rushing to remove replicas of the battle flag from license plates, with Virginia's Terry McAuliffe the most vocal. Will McAuliffe also demand that the statues of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson be removed from Monument Avenue in Richmond?
"Take Down a Symbol of Hatred," rails The New York Times. But the battle flag is not so much a symbol of hatred as it is an object of hatred, a target of hatred. It evokes a hatred of the visceral sort that we see manifest in Jenkins' equating of the South of Washington, Jefferson, John Calhoun, Andrew Jackson and Lee with Hitler's Third Reich.
What the flag symbolizes for the millions who revere, cherish or love it, however, is the heroism of those who fought and died under it. That flag flew over battlefields, not over slave quarters. Hence, who are the real haters here? Can the Times really believe that all those coffee cups and baseball caps and T-shirts and sweaters and flag decals on car and truck bumpers are declarations that the owners hate black people? Does the Times believe Southern folks fly the battle flag in their yards because they want slavery back? The Times' editorialists cannot be such fools. Vilification of that battle flag and the Confederacy is part of the cultural revolution in America that flowered half a century ago. Among its goals was the demoralization of the American people by demonizing their past and poisoning their belief in their own history. The world is turned upside down. The new dogma of the cultural Marxists: Columbus was a genocidal racist. Three of our Founding Fathers - Washington, Jefferson, Madison - were slaveowners. The great Confederate generals - Lee, Jackson, Forrest - fought to preserve an evil institution. You have nothing to be proud of and much to be ashamed of if your ancestors fought for the South. And, oh yes, your battle flag is the moral equivalent of a Nazi swastika.
And how is the Republican Party standing up to this cultural lynch mob? Retreating and running as fast as possible. If we are to preserve our republic, future generations are going to need what that battle flag truly stands for: pride in our history and defiance in the face of the arrogance of power.
SPEAKING OF CHRISTIANITY AND THE SOUTH
The Southern Baptist Convention continues this week in its war against all things "southern."
On Wednesday, I read a column in this week's Biblical Recorder (the State paper for North Carolina) written by Dr. Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in which he was apologizing for the "racism" of the seminary's founder, Dr. John A. Broadus. He accused Dr. Broadus of making racist comments that made him have to "look for a chair." Comments so racist in fact that he would not even cite them. Comments that I dare say Dr. Mohler would not cite because Dr. Broadus never made them. John Broadus was a Christian gentleman, a preacher of the gospel a true role-model and hero. So why did Dr. Mohler choose Dr. Broadus as the target of his attack? My guess is because Dr. Broadus had served as a Chaplain in the Confederate Army.
Here is the deal, nobody, no one, not a person, "red, or yellow, black or white" (as the old song goes) was attacking Dr. Broadus. Yet for some crazy reason, Al Mohler feels the need to invent an accusation of "racism" against Dr. Broadus and then apologize, on behalf of the entire seminary, and on behalf of all Southern Baptists, for the undocumented alleged actions and words (which never actually happened mind you) of a man who had done nothing more than serve his country as a Chaplain in its armed forces and who also by the way helped found the very seminary that Dr. Mohler is employed by.
Hey Al, you are the president of a seminary that was founded by a Chaplain in the Confederate Army. DEAL WITH IT! Better yet, embrace it! Dr. Broadus was a great man of God. The godly man and anointed preacher you should be praying that the students currently enrolled at Southern Seminary will become. According to your own profession of faith, the SAME Holy Spirit that resided in Dr. Broadus resides in you Al. And Dr. Broadus has left a deep and rich legacy of faith. Because of his faithfulness and obedience to the Lord you have a job, and a nice comfortable office to attack his memory from. In any event, the slander of Dr. Broadus and the attacks against all things Southern by the various leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention are NOT being led by the Holy Spirit!
Another thing that is NOT being led by the Holy Spirit is the editorial policy at several of the SBC publications. For many of them the policy is to refuse to print anything (even editorials or letters to the editor) in opposition to the current "party line" of bad-mouthing all things "southern." For others it seems that they will only print articles or editorials if they are written by someone who both claims to be the descendent of Confederates and who is also willing to apologize for it. For example, there was a bit in the North Carolina paper written by some joker who claims to be a descendant of Jefferson Davis. After a few paragraphs telling us what a great man his ancestor was (mainly reciting his accomplishments in the US Military and in the service of the Federal Government of the United States) he then apologizes for the fact that his ancestor agreed to serve as President of the Confederacy, a mistake that he claims Davis recognized later in life. The poor excuse for an "equal time" article is full of comments like:
"All of this history has been replaced to instead focus on his position as president of the Confederacy and its ties to the battle flag."
"The argument of heritage has validity if used in an historical context and placed in the proper perspective and location. Public display has always been an issue."
"It is time that this flag be folded and placed in the right historic perspective and locations... It is time for the Confederate battle flag to be part of historical collections and not a public symbol to any person, group or organization."
I have eMailed the editor of every Southern Baptist publication in the last week asking them why they are not printing "the other side" of this story? Most simply refuse to respond. A few have complained that the page space needs to be given to this week's "Gay marriage" ruling by the Supreme Court. This begs the question, is it altogether possible that at least a few of the would-be defenders of our heritage and history are instead more concerned with the sodomization of our nation? And maybe rightfully so. I know that I have spent as much or more time this week responding to the court ruling as I have responding to the attacks on our history and ancestors.
If you are on this mailing list then you received my eMail on Wednesday when I told of my conversations with members of Congress regarding how to enact legislation that would effectively take the government out of the "marriage" business altogether. Senator Rand Paul has joined the ranks of those in agreement and so now the discussion has gone from the House to the Senate. That's a good thing.
If you missed the offer for my 39-chapter book on Marriage that prompted the whole legislative conversation I will repeat the link (and offer) below:
Marriage Book for Amazon Kindle - $3.99
DVD - THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CONFEDERATE FLAG
I have received several eMails this week asking of the DVD that I published on The Truth About the Confederate Battle Flag is still available. It is. And it will even let you know what I looked like the last time I had a beard. It is all of the material on the book. Some people will watch a DVD before they will read a book. So I'm happy to make the DVD available.
If you would like a copy of the DVD I will mail it, postage paid to anywhere in the US or Canada, for just $10.
If you would like to order the DVDs in packages of 20 to pass out (or to use them as fundraisers) the cost is $46 and again, I will ship them anywhere in the US or Canada on my tab.
JOHN A BROADUS - HERO OF THE FAITH
When I was in High School, College, and in Seminary I read several textbooks on preaching. The two that had the greatest impact were Teaching on Preaching by the late Dr. Jack Hyles, and On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons by Dr. John A. Broadus. For years Dr. Broadus' work was the standard textbook in Baptist seminaries. By the time I entered seminary that was no longer the case. I had to check an old worn out copy from the library. That said, I have since scanned it and supply all of the students who I teach at the School of Biblical & Theological Studies with a copy. As a teacher, it is my textbook of choice, even if the other schools have long abandoned it.
Since Dr. Broadus' successor has come out of nowhere, slandering this great hero of the faith, it is only fitting that we remember the testimony and legacy of one of God's great servants of the past.
During the last half of the 19th century no Baptist preacher enjoyed greater popular fame than John A. Broadus. In discussing Broadus as a preacher, Dr. A. T. Robertson made this helpful comparison:"It has been my fortune to hear Beecher and Phillips Brooks, Maclaren, Joseph Parker and Spurgeon, John Hall and Moody, John Clifford and David Lloyd George. At his best and in a congenial atmosphere Broadus was the equal of any man I have ever heard."
To these evaluations could be added the personal testimonies of thousands who heard John A. Broadus preach.
His fame as a preacher began in his first pastorate at Charlottesville, Virginia, and continued and increased throughout his life. While teaching in the Seminary he was offered some of the leading pastorates in the country. He was also widely sought as a summer supply, preaching in Richmond, New York, Brooklyn, Detroit, St. Louis, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and other cities.
Broadus was born January 24, 1827, in Culpepper County, Virginia, the fourth child of Major Edmund Broadus and Nancy Sims. Although the Broadus home was not financially wealthy, it was rich in the things which count-intelligence, culture, love, and faith.
Since John Albert was the youngest child, his parents and siblings shared in his early training. To their instructions was added the teaching of other tutors. From an uncle, Albert G. Sims, he received a careful and accurate grounding in the rudiments of learning. His "graduation" from his uncle's school was somewhat unusual. He returned home unexpectedly and when Major Broadus inquired the reason, his son replied, "My uncle says he has no further use for me." Unable to induce his son to say more, Major Broadus went at once to see Mr. Sims. However, the boy's uncle assured him that there had been no difficulty, but rather he had taught John "all that he knew."
When he was about sixteen, the young man surrendered himself to Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Though he had been surrounded by religious influences, he had not yet confessed faith in Christ. During a revival meeting at the Mt. Poney Baptist Church, a friend asked him if he would not accept the promise of the preacher's text, "all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." In that moment he yielded his life to Christ.
From 1844 to 1846 he continued his education by teaching in a small school and engaging in disciplined independent study. He became a Sunday school teacher and later superintendent. He gave some consideration to becoming a pastor, but finally chose medicine and began to make general preparation in that area. Plans were now made for him to enter the University of Virginia.
However, before entering the University his vocational plans were completely changed. He attended an associational meeting and heard a powerful and impressive sermon on the parable of the talents by S. M. Poindexter, one of the most famous preachers in the South. Broadus gave this account of the experience. "The preacher spoke of consecrating one's mental gifts and possible attainments to the work of the ministry. He seemed to clear up all difficulties pertaining to the subject; he swept away all the excuses of fancied humility; he held up the thought that the greatest sacrifices and toils possible to the minister's lifetime would be a hundred-fold repaid if he should be the instrument of saving one soul . . . when the intermission came, the young man . . . sought out his pastor, and with choking voice said: 'Brother Grimsley, the question is decided; I must try to be a preacher.'"
In the fall of 1846, young Broadus entered the University of Virginia as he had planned. His early education had been somewhat irregular; consequently, he spent four years in diligent, disciplined study. He received the M.A. degree in 1850 and later came to be considered the University of Virginia's most famous alumnus. At the close of his University course, Broadus declined various offers because he desired to pursue theological studies. During the next year he taught in a private school in Fluvanna County, Virginia, preached in small country churches, and diligently studied church history, theology, sermons, and above all the Bible. During this year two notable events occurred-his ordination August 12, 1850, and his marriage to Miss Maria Harrison, November 13, 1850.
Calls of various kinds came to the young teacher, and he finally accepted the one to be tutor in Latin and Greek at his alma mater and pastor of the Baptist Church at Charlottesville. After one year he resigned his teaching position in order to devote his full time to his pastorate, which he did with the exception of two years when he was given a leave of absence to serve as chaplain at the University of Virginia.
In 1858 he was asked to become a member of the first faculty of the new Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Though Broadus had had a part in the planning of the institution, he at first declined the offer because of his attachment to preaching and pastoral work. But there ensued months of struggle with himself over the decision, and he finally agreed to become a member of the first faculty of the Seminary when it opened in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1859. For the next thirty-six years, he was Professor of New Testament Interpretation and Homiletics, and his life was inextricably bound to the school.
During the first two years, the Seminary showed real promise, but then came the invasion of South Carolina by Abraham Lincoln's army and the school was forced to close. Broadus accepted a commission as chaplain in the Army of Northern Virginia.
When the Seminary reopened in 1865, its small endowment was gone, the students few, and the prospect one of struggle and sacrifice. During the darkest days in Greenville, Broadus revealed his spirit when he said to the other professors, "Perhaps the Seminary may die, but let us resolve to die first." However, it was in this period of stress and strain, that Broadus did some of his best and most painstaking work, once carefully reworking his lectures on homiletics for a blind student.
In 1870 he published A Treatise on the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons, a book which was to become and remain a classic in its field.
The Seminary was moved to Louisville in 1877. Though conditions were somewhat better, Broadus and James P. Boyce, the Seminary's first president, were to give their lives trying to establish the Seminary on a firm financial foundation. Broadus was offered many influential pastorates in the North and South, many professorships and other positions, but he had cast his lot with the school and with it he chose to remain.
Broadus had struggled with ill health since his college days. By extreme care he had continued his work in spite of pain and suffering. However, years of poor health and struggle had taken their toll, and Broadus died March 16, 1895. His had been a life of quiet but intense dedication to a great task.
THIS WEEK IN THE WBTS
Word spread throughout the country that Edmund Ruffin, the person who fired the first shot at Fort Sumter, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina in April 1861, had committed suicide on June 17 declaring that he "preferred death to living under the United States Government."
The U.S. Secret Service was officially established in Washington, D.C. to suppress counterfeit currency. Chief William P. Wood was sworn in by Secretary of the Treasury Hugh McCulloch.
What some believe began with the hanging of abolitionist John Brown on December 2, 1859; ended with the hanging of four conspirators in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The War claimed the lives of over 623,000 Americans, both Union and Confederate. It transformed the united States of America from a republic of sovereign States into ushered the United States into a federal oligarchy with questions between the rights of States and the "Federal government" that have remained for 150 years.
FREE SUTTLERY TENT
And I still have the suttlery wall tent. Still waiting for a taker. Free to a good home if you can pick it up in Ocala, Florida. eMail me if you are interested!
VISIT OUR WEBSITE:
www.dixieheritage.weebly.com
Until next week,
Deo Vindice!
Chaplain Ed
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