Resources by Topic: Christians, Past and Present

Carl F. H. Henry, founding editor of the magazine Christianity Today and author or editor of more than 40 books, including The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism and God, Revelation & Authority, 6 Volumes, was often considered the most prominent American evangelical thinker of the mid-20th century.  

After seeing my recent post about Francis Schaeffer, my friend Doug Nichols, founder and international director emeritus of Action International Ministries, emailed me this story. To me, given my respect for both men, it's priceless. 

Friday, May 15, is the 25th anniversary of the home-going of Francis Schaeffer, intellectual and Christ-lover. When I was a new believer, I was profoundly influenced by what he wrote.

Five years ago I received an e-mail from our friends Pat and Rakel Thurman, who had been corresponding with a tour group that was going to Egypt. This group had a special request: they hoped to find the humble grave of missionary William Borden, which was mentioned in my book The Treasure Principle.

When I was a young Christian, one of my favorite writers was Joseph Bayly, who then wrote a wonderful column for Eternity Magazine, called “Out of My Mind.”

Quotes concerning prayer, assembled by Randy Alcorn and others.

I have only one Lord, but many spiritual heroes. Here are seven of mine.

Let me tell you about a white man who made his way into black history. Imagine a slave ship captain, a cruel Englishman who acquired slaves from Africa and transported them in horrific slave ships to be sold like animals at auction.

Happy birthday to my favorite president, Abraham Lincoln. While he still held to some racist stereotypes, he managed to rise above the worldview of his era and affirm the wrongness of slavery and the rights of all people.  

In response to the persistent requests of Mrs. Sarah Joseph Hale, President Abraham Lincoln was the first president to establish an annual day of thanksgiving. This was to occur on the last Thursday in November as a day of repentance and humility before God almighty.  

On September 13, 2008 a dear friend of mine, Jim Spinks, Sr., went to be with the Lord. I had the privilege of sharing some thoughts at his memorial, which you can download and listen to as an MP3.

Matthew Henry preached a sermon to young people from Proverbs 23:26: “My son, give me thy heart.” He then added in his diary the following affectionate and devout aspiration, “Lord, take my heart and make it such as it should be.”

Before we get to Bonhoeffer, I want to make some observations. If you want to shorten your read and move to the Bonhoeffer part, skip these first nine paragraphs.  

This photo is of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Tegel prison, prior to his move to the notorious concentration camp of Buchenwald. Though visits weren’t frequent or long, at Tegel his parents and his fiancé Maria were sometimes allowed to bring him books, such as the one in his hand.