Reformed Theology and Ragged Schools

For as long as the Gospel’s been preached, it’s always been accompanied by a concern for the education of the poor. It’s heartening to see Christians take a renewed interest in this kind of Gospel-powered social action once again. Just yesterday the Gospel Coalition published an article by J D Grear on Why our church adopted a school.  I don’t know if there is Christian motivation behind this young teacher’s school for black boys, but it’s a great example of what Christians could also be doing to transform the futures, and even the eternities, of the most needy in our society.

Ragged Schools
My friend Andrew Murray (not a relation, though I wouldn’t mind he if was), has been practically involved in social work and Christian social action for many years in some of the toughest communities in Scotland. He’s just started Ragged Theology, a blog dedicated to the inspirational life of Thomas Guthrie, the “Apostle” of the ragged school movement in the 1800′s. You can read Andrew’s brief bio of Guthrie here. He writes:

While Dr Guthrie was one of the finest preachers of the Free Church in the 19th Century, his greatest legacy was surely as a social reformer.  This is summed up on his statue in Edinburgh which declares ‘a friend of the poor and the oppressed’.  Even in his first rural parish in Angus Guthrie was a great friend of the poor.  He established a savings bank and library; ‘The success of the bank and the library I attribute very much to this, that I myself managed them.  They were of great service by bringing me into familiar and frequent and kindly contact with my people’ (Autobiography and Memoir, 1896, p 113).  Guthrie believed that the minister should live and work amongst the people.  Writing while still in Arbirlot he said to a Mr Dunlop; ‘I have discovered from my own experience that the further the people are removed from the manse, the less influence has the minister over them: and if a man won’t live among the scum of the Cowgate [central Edinburgh] I would at once say to him ‘You can’t be my minister’ (Autobiography and Memoir, 1896, p 309).

Empty prisons
I think you’ll be moved by Andrew’s account of how Guthrie inspired a society-transforming, prison-emptying movement of “ragged schools.” He concludes:

Guthrie was an outstanding preacher, a faithful pastor, a winsome evangelist and one of Scotland’s finest social reformers. Guthrie’s legacy lives on in the provision that there is both in terms of welfare and education for rich and poor alike…He died in the early hours of Monday 24th February 1873 with his faithful Highland nurse and his family at his bedside.  It is said that with the exception of Dr Thomas Chalmers and Sir James Simpson, Edinburgh had not seen a funeral like it in a generation.  It was reported that 230 children from the original ragged school attended his funeral and sang a hymn at the grave. One little girl was overheard saying ‘He was all the father I ever knew.’

Amongst Guthrie’s last words he was overheard to say ‘a brand plucked from the burning!’  His legacy was that through his vision and love for his Saviour, the Ragged School movement was established which in turn plucked thousands of little brands from a life of poverty and crime, and brought them to know the ultimate friend of sinners.

From history to vision
But Andrew’s not just a historian, he’s also a visionary. He’s trying to live out Guthrie’s vision in his own day and place.  Guthrie on early intervention is a wonderful speech he gave to a group of Aberdeen businessmen last week on how they could help translate Guthrie’s model and principles into today’s culture and society.

You can read more about Andrew’s “Wilberforce-type” work at Bethany Christian Trust here or view the video below:

Check out

Blogs

10 Things The Right Can Teach The Left About Accepting The Reality Of Trump
Mollie Hemingway is always worth reading.

Couples Who Stay Married Think Differently From Those Who Divorce
“What separates those who choose to stay married from those who don’t is attitude. Your attitude is the single most important determiner of your success in life, be it a job or a relationship. Life will throw you a thousand curve balls. So will marriage. But it isn’t the curve balls that matter—it’s what you do with those curve balls. And what you do stems from how you think.”

Mark Zuckerberg says he’s no longer an atheist, believes ‘religion is very important’
Let’s hope this is not the end of his journey:

Zuckerberg identified himself as an atheist for years, but on Facebook on Christmas he wrote back: “No. I was raised Jewish and then I went through a period where I questioned things, but now I believe religion is very important.”

Reforming a Church
Mortification of Spin podcast with Dr Timothy Witmer on how to lead a congregation to Reformed theology.

How long should I preach?
Brian Croft says that the answer to this question largely depends on the kind of pastor you are, the quality of preacher you are, and the kind of congregation you serve. He offers three guidelines.

You Can Improve Your Default Response to Stress
From a TV journalist writing in the Harvard Business Review:

Rewriting our response to stress can take time, but it is possible, and that effort can have a lasting effect on our success and happiness for the rest of our lives. For me, learning the skill of being cool under pressure helped me better navigate unexpected situations both on TV and off, and that has made all the difference in my life and my career.

The Remarkable Legacy of Charles Hodge
Thomas Kidd says that he finds Hodge’s example particularly useful and encouraging.

No one can really aspire to match the intellectual skills of a Jonathan Edwards, but all Christian thinkers can seek to pass on the historic faith to congregations, students, and readers in their place and time. Charles Hodge, in that sense, is one of the heroes of American Christian history.

The Pastor and Counseling: When to refer
I’d add some more but here are four indicators of when a pastor should refer:

Your congregation is unhealthy, the pastor is maxed out, and there are no other godly leaders willing to lend a hand with discipleship. You are spinning your wheels, and have tried to help the person for months without any perceived effect. There is a need for medical help. Obviously people should always get medical advice from a doctor, but sometimes people’s physiology is deeply disturbed in a way that can only be explained by a medical issue. You have to disclose information to protect people from abuse or deadly harm, such as a person who is threatening suicide, or confessing to abuse (119).

Friends Your Age Are Not Enough
You don’t need to a member of the “Family INtegrated Church” movement to agree that “Age should not build walls. Jesus should tear them down. When we put aside our preference for people just like us, we broadcast the beauty of our shared union with Christ.”

Kindle Books

Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do by Paul Tripp $4.99.

The Pastor’s Kid: Finding Your Own Faith and Identity by Barnabas Piper $2.99.

We Cannot Be Silent: Speaking Truth to a Culture Redefining Sex, Marriage, and the Very Meaning of Right and Wrong by Al Mohler $1.99.

New Book

The Gospel of Jesus Christ by Paul Washer. This is a new evangelistic booklet that you can buy in packs of ten.

Video

Faculty Spotlight: Dr Michael Barrett
Here’s a neat little video profiling my colleague Dr. Michael Barrett. As a staunch non-reader of blogs, it’s a pity he’ll never see this!

Check out

Frustrated teacher ventures to create a school for black boys
Inspiring story about Romeo Preparatory School. This is the kind of thing that conservatives should be investing in. Perhaps even the church?

Do you love controversy or love people?
Jim Hamilton: “Is it love for God and neighbor that gets you into controversy, or is it a proud desire to strut your opinions, flaunt your learning, and see your enemy discomfited? Or, are you just a knucklehead who likes to contradict what others say?”

Growing God’s Way
The Reformed African American Network explains their slow and steady strategy.

New book on John Bunyan
The Very Heart of Prayer: Reclaiming the spirituality of John Bunyan, by Brian Najapfour, pastor of Dutton URC.

Why the fuss over lectures?
Scott Young  questions the effectiveness of the current online boom in video lectures.

Why go to Seminary?
Mark Rogers travels back 200 years to find five answers to this question.