TUNE IN
Bruce’s Beat 9-19-20
My son Vince is determined to drag me into the 21st century! This past week we began a podcast titled “The Persistence of Christian Memory.” If you’re like me, you might be saying, “What is a podcast?” It’s like a radio program, but you can listen to it and access it at the convenience of your schedule, not a set broadcast time. It is a digitally recorded conversation on the internet that can be downloaded to a computer, cell phone, or other device. Our series of recordings will deal with topics of conversation drawn from Church history and Restoration history studies. We hope to produce one episode per week.
Why should people listen to a program talking about Christian history? I believe God values history and wants mankind to value it. (See the home page on this website). Think of the memorials God gave to His people for remembering. An important part of Christian worship is the partaking of the Lord’s supper which looks back to God’s saving work in sending His Son to the Cross – 1 Corinthians 11:24-26. Think of the appeal of the Apostle Peter as he anticipated his death: “For this reason, I will not be negligent to remind you always concerning these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. Yes I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.” – 2 Peter 1:12-15. Three times in four verses Peter uses forms of the word “remind” to help his readers.
One of my instructors in Restoration history, William Woodson, once gave a lecture offering the following considerations for making a study of one’s spiritual heritage.
- Roots – How have we arrived where we are today spiritually? How have interpretive guidelines for handling Scripture been established?
- Resources – There is a vast amount of material that has been produced by the people seeking a return to New Testament Christianity. The writings of previous generations can inform the present generation.
- Realism – In any fellowship, there is a tendency to put our heroes on pedestals. But we need to be careful, lest those heroes come crashing down on us. An honest study of people reveals their flaws as well as their admirable qualities. However great an individual might be, they are not Christ!
- Reminders – As we face troubling issues today, we are reminded that God’s people have been through difficult times in the past. We can keep faith when we are tried, just like they did.
The podcast can be accessed at https://anchor.fm/vince_daugherty. I hope to have a link to it set up on our website and some other places soon to ease your access to it. I hope you will tune in and tell others about it. May God help us to use every avenue for sharing Christ with others.