Evangelical History | TLG Christian News

Southern Honor and Evangelical History: An Interview with Robert Elder

07/07/2016 0 Comment

Robert Elder

I recently had a chance to interview Robert Elder, assistant professor of history at Valparaiso University, about his excellent new book, The Sacred Mirror: Evangelicalism, Honor, and Identity in the Deep South, 1790-1860 (UNC Press). You can follow Robert on Twitter at @southernphd.

1. How did you get interested in the topic of evangelical Christianity and “honor” in the antebellum South? What did “honor” mean to Southerners?

Honor is a slippery concept, but one way to define an..

How Did Jonathan Edwards Preach on Melchizedek, King of Salem?

05/07/2016 0 Comment

One of the most intriguing sections in the Book of Hebrews is its discussion of Melchizedek and his priesthood. Hebrews 7:1-3 says that “Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, having n..

“Ask Jesus into Your Heart”: A History of the Sinner’s Prayer

30/06/2016 0 Comment

With the recent dust-up over whether Donald Trump prayed for salvation with prosperity gospel preacher Paula White, it is a good time to revisit the history of the “sinner’s prayer.”

Many an evangelical pastor has concluded a sermon by asking non-Christians to “ask [or receive, or invite] Jesus into their heart,” or to pray a version of what some call the “sinner’s prayer.” But some evangelicals, including Baptist pastor David Platt (president of the SBC’s International Mission Board), have in ..

A 1947 Film Starring George Beverley Shea on the Impact of Fanny Crosby’s Hymns

28/06/2016 0 Comment

Frances Jane van Alstyne (better known to the world as Fanny Crosby) lived from 1820 to 1915. She became physically blind shortly after birth but used spiritual insight to become one of the most beloved and influential hymn writers in American evangelical history, writing the lyrics for over 8,000 hymns and gospel songs, many of them with Robert Lowry, her pastor at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church in Brooklyn. Her best-known hymns include Blessed Assurance (1873) and To God Be the Glory (1875). For ..