The Charge Of The Light Brigade

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens, born February 7, 1812, 200th birthday today, also see earlier post, Telescopic Philanthropy.

Chesterton argues that the disappearance of Victorian greatness is mirrored by the disappearance of Christian hope, a virtue that suffused English culture in the early 19th century and was given its voice in Dickens’ novels.1

The Theology of Charles Dickens and On Reading Dickens
Charles Dickens Free Google eBooks

The Patience of Hope

The Patience of Hope
by Christina Rossetti

The flowers that bloom in sun and shade
And glitter in the dew,
The flowers must fade.
The birds that build their nest and sing
When lovely spring is new,
Must soon take wing.

The sun that rises in his strength
To wake and warm the world,
Must set at length.
The sea that overflows the shore
With billows frothed and curled,
Must ebb once more.

All come and go, all wax and wane,
O Lord, save only Thou
Who dost remain
The Same to all eternity.
All things which fail us now
We trust to Thee.

Evening at Home

"Evening at Home" by Sir Edward John Poynter (1836-1919)

Psalm 137

Psalm 137

The culture around us

By Babel's streams we sat and wept...

Thinking about an earlier post on morality and courtship, one can easily grow very discouraged, we now live in virtual modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah. It seems almost impossible to escape the evil and filth which is pushed at us every day. It seems as if fornication and every other kind of perversion has been normalized(see: 1 Corinthians 6:17) and marriage is degraded and destroyed. Sadly one comes to the realization separation is about only path available to those who want to live a decent and moral life in the times in which we live. R. J. Rushdoony said family is trust of "blood, rights, property, name... an inheritance from the past to be preserved and developed for the future." The culture around is at war with all of these things. And sadly most churches seem unwilling to fight to protect any of these things

As the late Paul M. Weyrich said:

While conservatives have won many political victories since the election of Ronald Reagan, the Left has continued to win the culture war. Unfortunately, culture is more powerful than politics. Conservatives have thus won tactically while losing strategically, with the consequence that American society has continued to decline into the abyss that opened before it in the 1960s.1

He also earlier pointed at the need to reject and separate ourselves from the vile culture around:

Cultural Marxism is succeeding in its war against our culture. The question becomes, if we are unable to escape the cultural disintegration that is gripping society, then what hope can we have? ...I am very concerned, as I go around the country and speak and talk to young people, when I find how much of the decadent culture they have absorbed without even understanding that they are a part of it... we need to drop out of this culture, and find places, even if it is where we physically are right now, where we can live godly, righteous and sober lives.2

A sadly all too true point from Miss Liberty:

In the younger generation depraved, perverted men lusting after a woman’s body convince her that they “love” her and they need to be together...The women do all in their power to attract the eyes of men. Flirting, exposing themselves, and aggrassive behavior they use to try to draw the lust of the opposite sex. Hoping to draw “love” they give of their most valuable posession...I gasped at the results. Broken hearted/mental children, unclaimed children, adulterers and adultresses and alas, even suicides.3

'Prettiness' gone the way of goodness:

The fact that standards of beauty have taken a sharp turn away from innocence and prettiness toward a kind of wantonness and sluttiness is evident when we look at pictures from the past compared to today's female celebrities and even average women on the street.

And so we are left living in Babylon, but we must make our homes, cultivate our gardens, and live our lives...

Merry Christmas and Happy New!

"Carol of the Bells" on handbells

Luke, Chapter II 1-20 (King James Version)

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because he was of the house and lineage of David To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.