Also, this old timey hymn is the theme song of the fictional New Testament Fundamentalist Temple in my latest historical novel in The Sam Matijevic Series.
Bring Them In! : College, Churches, Cults
It’s the 1970s: Vietnam. Watergate. Energy crisis. War in the Middle East. Comet Kohoutek—the Comet of the Century. Doomsday prophets.
During these times, Pastor Bill Renfrew returns to his hometown of Colter, Montana. Fresh from Bible college, he’s confident that he knows more than anyone else, he’s smarter than anyone else, and he’s better than anyone else. And this college town is a target rich recruiting ground to build his Bible believing, Bible preaching, Bible teaching, fundamental, evangelical, pre-millennial, New Testament church.
Bring Them In!
After Samantha Matijevic enters Colter College, Pastor Renfrew snares this disoriented girl from a small town as well as vulnerable and naïve souls. Will Sam wise up and extract herself from this cult of pastor without destroying her faith?
The novel is available at amazon.com as paperback, Kindle, Kindle Unlimited:
Back to the future, 50 years later, these still are troubled times.
As we finish the year 2018, words from a hymn, This is My Father's World come to mind. And the last verse, not always included in other renditions, gives the reason we celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world:
This is my Father’s world:
Oh, let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world,
The battle is not done:
Jesus who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and Heav’n be one.
And in the closing words of astronaut Frank Borman:
This relatively recent federal holiday celebrates the achievements of its namesake, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , as an influential American civil rights leader. And rightly so. Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech given at the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963 is one the top speeches in America's story.
And I can still remember, as a young school girl, that terrible day in April of 1968 when Dr. King was assassinated and the nation went into mourning.
In the tumultuous 1960s, We Shall Overcome was the anthem of the southern civil rights anthem. Yet, Amazing Grace, one of the most beloved songs in American history, was also used by Civil Rights marchers at that time.
In the clip below, Pastor Wintley Phipps gives the moving story behind Amazing Grace. The lyrics were written by a former slave ship captain, John Newton. The composer of the melody is unknown, but bears the fingerprints of a West African sorrow chant.
For history of the song Amazing Grace, here is the timeline.
In the 18th century, the United States of America declared her independence from Great Britain, fought a long war for freedom, and won. Among the founding documents, Thomas Jefferson wrote these words, often quoted in the cause of civil rights:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
If we had only learned from England ... at least on this issue ... we may have averted the Civil War and the deep wounds that have divided our nation. Yet, in our history (as well as others), Amazing Grace speaks to our souls as shown in the clip -
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me.... I once was lost and now am found, Was blind, but now, I see.
* It was sung for comfort after September 11 (2001)
And the song will endure for ages to come ....
In the world of science fiction, Amazing Grace made it to the 23rd century, such as in this scene from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), after Captain Kirk delivers his eulogy for Mr. Spock:
The impact of Amazing Grace and the struggle for Civil Rights ... to right the wrongs ... are part of America's Story, which is
