“A New Song for an Old World” (Excerpt 5)

More excerpts from Calvin R. Stapert’s book, A New Song for an Old World. Previous excerpts: One • Two • Three • Four “As I have observed above, the wedding festivities of Christians in Antioch were often more pagan than Christian. Christians were reluctant to abandon objectionable pagan customs at their weddings. These customs included…

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“A New Song for an Old World” (excerpt 4)

More excerpts from Calvin R. Stapert’s book, A New Song for an Old World. Previous excerpts: One • Two • Three “The church fathers recognized music’s power to calm the passions (negative sense). But Evagrius meant something more profound than what ‘easy-listening’ or dentist-office music calls to mind when he said, ‘Psalmody lays the passions…

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“A New Song for an Old World” (excerpt 3)

This week we offer a bit more of Calvin R. Stapert in his book, A New Song for an Old World. Previous excerpts can be found here and here. “Several themes that we have heard somewhat faintly in the second and third centuries become very strong in the fourth. Two of these will be prominent…

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Olde World Baptists: Mihály Kornya, the Peasant Prophet (part 2)

This post is the second in a series concerning the life and ministry of Mihály Kornya, the Peasant Prophet, who preached the Gospel for more than 30 years in Hungary and Romania – (Part 1 here). We know that Kornya’s evangelistic work started early. In the oldest roster of members of the Salonta church, Kornya…

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More from “A New Song for an Old World”

Last week we offered some comments from Clement of Alexandria on music, as quoted by Calvin R. Stapert in A New Song for an Old World. For your Monday morning, we offer a bit more of Stapert, addressing the modern music wars with thoughts from the ancient world.

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Olde World Baptists: Mihály Kornya, Peasant Prophet

David Potter This is the first in a series of posts about the life of Mihály (Michael) Kornya, who, along with his friend and colleague Mihály Toth, were known as the Peasant Prophets. His exploits for God are legendary. Many older people who live in the towns and villages of the areas where Kornya preached…

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Clement on the music wars (an excerpt)

The battle over music in the church is an old, old battle. Calvin R. Stapert writes about it in his book, A New Song for an Old World. We publish an excerpt here: “Clement [of Alexandria] affirms music that he describes as sober, pure, decorous, modest, temperate, grave, and soothing, over against music he describes…

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Bring … the Books: C. H. Spurgeon’s Autobiography

by Mark Minnick Will anyone ever know how many biographies of Charles Haddon Spurgeon have been issued? Lewis Drummond, who authored the massive Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers, lists nearly 40 in his bibliography, including the autobiography that Spurgeon himself started and his wife and secretary, Joseph Harrald, completed. As I write this, the four large…

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