tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53117992024-03-18T19:39:09.717-04:00Notes from a Byzantine-Rite CalvinistDavid Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.comBlogger3532125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-67733997580242463532024-03-18T06:00:00.001-04:002024-03-18T06:00:00.346-04:00Citizenship Without Illusions now at IVP website<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7FyLoJkAO2hEOQB0rejAHV3EWKYAbOQnSczQeyT7pzWUG7QjaNnVlxSMb5hPAzHyJS6TTY53U6tkc03OEFxssPqiIQIiO7rp4L5SDK1swpAdjMJBH0lk1O02YcJxWT7KUMUOrcHaSOT37aMVJC3_mwuXzKzW-XRUT5GTuMq1WeSLE8JJhl6BHg/s900/Web_Small-Citizens%20Without%20Illusions%20A0862%20front-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7FyLoJkAO2hEOQB0rejAHV3EWKYAbOQnSczQeyT7pzWUG7QjaNnVlxSMb5hPAzHyJS6TTY53U6tkc03OEFxssPqiIQIiO7rp4L5SDK1swpAdjMJBH0lk1O02YcJxWT7KUMUOrcHaSOT37aMVJC3_mwuXzKzW-XRUT5GTuMq1WeSLE8JJhl6BHg/w133-h200/Web_Small-Citizens%20Without%20Illusions%20A0862%20front-cover.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>My next book, due out in November, has now been posted at the IVP website: <i><a href="https://www.ivpress.com/citizenship-without-illusions" target="_blank">Citizenship Without Illusions: A Christian Guide to Political Engagement</a></i>. It can also be found at <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Citizenship-Without-Illusions-Christian-Engagement-ebook/dp/B0CW1CDJ84/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2ZANHJ3SR4NV6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.m85n1WVx8lE_Dj8-C_D4Ub8nOTgFeYkhg7ZJCk0Boor9jv05Dv-TuaG-dJ9a1w8x4_YihyLR-IQsSS_p4TnGX41WNyX_iYpHhLQuusadx3mzgZqzHMp5PF8XeX2O45MOAKfljSeeofH3dUFHlBH3ww9d2R0N4L_1ZzzyznjtUo49vpP_cXoAI0LnphWAWHT07w_3IodgMQBBPFXP6liZFpyhZygJxg2FPUoiw4gp9DBxGZdWroSq4KVQa47Kjluo.6e0JBApgcDlUHtmf9HMKBqDlpya8WZnF7f_ILbRivPM&dib_tag=se&keywords=Koyzis&qid=1710533593&sprefix=koyzis%2Caps%2C116&sr=8-2" target="_blank">Amazon.ca</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Citizenship-Without-Illusions-Christian-Engagement-ebook/dp/B0CW1CDJ84/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1YJ2EFHWWW04S&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.KgY-Br88ZdDZ1HNB9jozdbX0pMSOUxQQmy9txBqmh5C9qKXe9YlW6ed8ZgWVRsZVIji8IX3FsNQojrwRdyISe7AcPGMTLY9hhqtGwEFLbwFhXeLewpD4qiJkIX6xxrfIZjST5dYH9_Jw8yJ7rdk0cFjycYDpd-3rUnTXakrhqLHXh9qj-GoKQcBCN8e1ZFwpP6ypjlHnhS9es26rsv7jDx8qFviuLgMtTblCDXwkPLE.E9ulp3Ia3wspr7Yy3GJHFoXIY1iukUtcRH6a7vYH6es&dib_tag=se&keywords=Koyzis&qid=1710533720&sprefix=koyzis%2Caps%2C86&sr=8-4" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a>, <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/citizenship-without-illusions-david-t-koyzis/1145030210?ean=9781514008621" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a>, and even <a href="https://www.lehmanns.de/shop/sozialwissenschaften/67637925-9781514008621-citizenship-without-illusions" target="_blank">Lehmanns</a> in Germany. It is even being sold by <a href="https://www.amazon.com.br/Citizenship-Without-Illusions-Christian-Engagement-ebook/dp/B0CW1CDJ84/ref=sr_1_6?__mk_pt_BR=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=3JOHOLX034KFF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WZqvmSnkRDvXQjdrKLnqfs8t0mlCc5jxJNvSCrXkZ4oS_qCpZWd0ZB_Mxlm4TObR5UKGy69Bi1gzoaQfUZMguInFb4lX2-Ji0pjvajrR2IFTFGZLihBAf4F1ddjcDWnnHykL-p_hIqU5Uji2sz5QzIYS-ng2odSzOc7HYmvI5XRjmCvf5X0gHBa-aUxlLtqhvsweAkAQxTcwnSS5FbiwagrT-2CLNgnTCHSUHLrYOTsLgVux1MXjjXOELpIT_GVEdS5dvrlJ35RhQwDW1albh2jzVQPyfwAD1yydFHUYmrg.Aij0rku9XrXaxENNOrfjAMrc15XBEbjkD_U1SkTNN1g&dib_tag=se&keywords=Koyzis&qid=1710534073&sprefix=koyzis%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-6" target="_blank">Amazon Brazil</a>, but I hope that it will soon be translated into Portuguese for the benefit of a wider readership in that country.<br /><p></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-33999542662085317842024-03-15T08:15:00.000-04:002024-03-15T08:15:36.193-04:00March newsletter online<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7M2v_jC8D2Zoj0OEgnLDK6ZSNQT4fYxQ_3yMyGrmBUuo-4gBKCDIYGLtyCSWwgb3Jwdwd82k-0vHBmm4k8m1dCFOXsKZ_Iz83vqRymwQ37kV8RnqfTgRskzXzLsHRE_3iDnpaWsRU-KKbUNSOVBnliVzFvBHhmH-5FX8fXqPWYzLp3kYNyGJkg/s566/GSC-Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="566" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7M2v_jC8D2Zoj0OEgnLDK6ZSNQT4fYxQ_3yMyGrmBUuo-4gBKCDIYGLtyCSWwgb3Jwdwd82k-0vHBmm4k8m1dCFOXsKZ_Iz83vqRymwQ37kV8RnqfTgRskzXzLsHRE_3iDnpaWsRU-KKbUNSOVBnliVzFvBHhmH-5FX8fXqPWYzLp3kYNyGJkg/w200-h121/GSC-Logo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I have now posted my <a href="https://byzantinecalvinist.blogspot.com/p/march-2024-newsletter.html" target="_blank">Global Scholars newsletter for March</a>, which includes cover art for my forthcoming book, preparations for travels next month, and educational opportunities relevant to Brazil. Thank you for your support for my work!<br /><p></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-14521383302574680262024-03-04T16:18:00.000-05:002024-03-04T16:18:17.677-05:00The midnight office<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlLf339cFeWMD5dxIKxAhkbfc1xGWzJyhRjl4-WFeVyyWMDY9D8-ZythxXmSuYEi2-lSgVMcNohaIIXpRMXHhSjM01vftANTQRcZ5zhVPLD-hFNvQvVxQ5gc6KMGtP20z20IH_we0gvBk22vF8T4aq6aXTqe0sLxOfiqJZCTBwBUufs-aLY-m-g/s1920/midnight%20office.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlLf339cFeWMD5dxIKxAhkbfc1xGWzJyhRjl4-WFeVyyWMDY9D8-ZythxXmSuYEi2-lSgVMcNohaIIXpRMXHhSjM01vftANTQRcZ5zhVPLD-hFNvQvVxQ5gc6KMGtP20z20IH_we0gvBk22vF8T4aq6aXTqe0sLxOfiqJZCTBwBUufs-aLY-m-g/s320/midnight%20office.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The March issue of <i>Christian Courier</i> carries my most recent column, <a href="https://www.christiancourier.ca/the-midnight-office/" target="_blank">The Midnight Office</a>, continuing from last month's piece on <a href="https://www.christiancourier.ca/daily-prayer/" target="_blank">daily prayer</a>. An excerpt:<p></p><p data-block-type="core"></p><blockquote><p data-block-type="core">Last month I recounted my youthful discovery
of the discipline of daily prayer, also known as the daily office.
According to this pattern, whose origins almost certainly extend back to
God’s people of the old covenant, the entire day is divided up into
approximately three-hour intervals punctuated by the several prayer
offices. The number varies between five and seven, and sometimes more.</p>
<p data-block-type="core">However, one of these offices puzzled me,
because it occurred in the middle of the night when I assumed most
normal people would be sleeping. If we are sleeping an average of eight
hours per night, wouldn’t rising to pray in the middle of this period be
a huge disruption? Perhaps that’s why the daily office was relegated to
the monks, who were accustomed to cultivating heroic disciplines for
the sake of their Saviour.</p><p data-block-type="core">More than ten years ago, I learned something that solved the puzzle.</p></blockquote><p data-block-type="core"></p><p data-block-type="core"><a href="https://www.christiancourier.ca/the-midnight-office/" target="_blank">Read the entire article here</a>. <br /></p><p></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-24470780962863832862024-02-29T12:46:00.007-05:002024-03-01T12:08:44.688-05:00The Heidelberg Catechism in the RCUS<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAesd_O6HLl0JHo1RWPsyMBWRljQ4-_xBGA_-uyGGnqpi4tqgiBJw2UWfNZf1ZqNSDYe5-9lq91GlJ-_9LU0AzDg8cgSWQlyfrFcrLPxGqVQgGPCljJyyisk8XEXmNmt4rXCoTa-T9m9ZLwHumRbl9tDtKgh-0eJjYytNN4XAVeI_AbotCxpDgsA/s3264/Good%20Heidelberg.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAesd_O6HLl0JHo1RWPsyMBWRljQ4-_xBGA_-uyGGnqpi4tqgiBJw2UWfNZf1ZqNSDYe5-9lq91GlJ-_9LU0AzDg8cgSWQlyfrFcrLPxGqVQgGPCljJyyisk8XEXmNmt4rXCoTa-T9m9ZLwHumRbl9tDtKgh-0eJjYytNN4XAVeI_AbotCxpDgsA/s320/Good%20Heidelberg.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>More than four decades ago, I purchased a little-remembered but significant book at an antiquarian bookshop in or near South Bend, Indiana: <i>The Heidelberg Catechism in its Newest Light</i>, by the Rev. Prof. James I. Good, and published by the Publication and Sunday School Board of the [German] Reformed Church in the United States in 1914. Good taught at the denomination's Central Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. As I noted in a <a href="https://kuyperian.com/liturgical-standards-and-living-faith-the-case-of-the-evangelical-and-reformed-church/?fbclid=IwAR1g1gn2tCb1yApE5-6RjwSXwoP_Gi_7OAXDNr6y1Oj23jjH3CEtObPVJ4E" target="_blank">previous post about the Evangelical and Reformed Church</a>, the RCUS eventually united with the Evangelical Synod in North America in 1934 and later with the Congregational and Christian Churches in 1957 to form the United Church of Christ. However, one group within the old RCUS remained outside the merged body in 1934 and retained the denominational name. Originally the Eureka Classis within the larger body, today it is simply called the <a href="https://rcus.org/" target="_blank">Reformed Church in the United States</a>, a highly confessional body holding to the <a href="https://rcus.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Three-Forms-of-Unity-2011-edition.pdf" target="_blank">Three Forms of Unity</a>.<p></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Good's treatment of the Catechism, at the time the denomination's sole confessional standard, is wide ranging, touching on its authors, its history, and its global influence. Included are illustrations of the frontispiece of the Catechism in several languages, such as German, Latin, French, Greek, Lithuanian, Bohemian (i.e., Czech), and even Tamil, Amharic, and Arabic. Towards the end of the book, Good offers this observation about the relevance of the Catechism for the then current efforts towards greater Protestant church unity:<br /></p><p></p><blockquote>The Heidelberg catechism has . . . always been looked upon as an
irenical catechism; that is, one making for peace and intended to bring
about church union. It is true, it does not seem to be altogether
irenic, and its irenical character has often been pressed too far, we
think. For it boldly declares itself, especially against three
opponents,—against Unitarians and Pelagians in answers 33, 35, 62, 63
and 114; against Romanism in answers 30, 57, 62, 63, 64, 80, 95 and 98,
and against the high-Lutherans, with their new doctrine of ubiquity in
answers 47, 48, 76 and 78. But true irenics will never give up
fundamentals and the catechism is right there. Present-day irenics often
goes [sic] too far, so far as to imperil the whole cause of church-union,
because it blurs out all differences and gives a composite creed as
meaningless as a composite picture. Much irenics now is only syllabub
and gives us a creed of the jelly-fish variety. The Heidelberg catechism
is truly irenic, for it holds to fundamentals, and yet is favorable to
union.
It gives us a solid foundation on which to base our union (286-287).</blockquote><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCe66FRccOnMHLX3kw0HJorsw0EUag4Q1q6qlxqKS5vAJdN-5_-BJTzxPYtLYiRDdCrhbP36YU4wTRRd0vEim0vSVbVgiiBvbbj9jzoEZybIH8kHRuVFIUTeJKMpc7-LNCsLPpT_eL6vv2SNBak8417zutGqeGWgEBJi0pAP-veKZc2WRsFs9y9Q/s320/RCUS.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="320" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCe66FRccOnMHLX3kw0HJorsw0EUag4Q1q6qlxqKS5vAJdN-5_-BJTzxPYtLYiRDdCrhbP36YU4wTRRd0vEim0vSVbVgiiBvbbj9jzoEZybIH8kHRuVFIUTeJKMpc7-LNCsLPpT_eL6vv2SNBak8417zutGqeGWgEBJi0pAP-veKZc2WRsFs9y9Q/w200-h194/RCUS.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Good, it seems, was one of the more confessional members of the former RCUS. He was not averse to church union, but he wanted to see it take place on as firm as possible a foundation, and he believed that the Catechism provided such. Sad to say, in the successor bodies, the emphasis on any creedal foundation considerably softened in the ensuing decades, leaving a very much diminished denomination in its wake. Yet its members' cousins in the continuing RCUS carry on, if on a small scale, across the United States, but especially in the Great Plains states.<br /><p></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-14376034082588452012024-02-27T15:41:00.000-05:002024-02-27T15:41:17.866-05:00Shaw on democracy<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_nWcrWII5D8XyJRYRhJYSjgUbGPZrxnY9Kt_vXjYB0MT3YrvCiE-IH1ddoof0_tbR-_XWluyc2CZqzuSWPZhgNG6P-LW4etttIMyropzwtbrSiNVhxvZmMstJP5R8H3_229BlItj-WvYHU67q4OK2w2fRouzq_v0vWkRkzJZh_mgLH7ZiNHfsg/s2300/Shaw2-LoC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1876" data-original-width="2300" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_nWcrWII5D8XyJRYRhJYSjgUbGPZrxnY9Kt_vXjYB0MT3YrvCiE-IH1ddoof0_tbR-_XWluyc2CZqzuSWPZhgNG6P-LW4etttIMyropzwtbrSiNVhxvZmMstJP5R8H3_229BlItj-WvYHU67q4OK2w2fRouzq_v0vWkRkzJZh_mgLH7ZiNHfsg/w280-h228/Shaw2-LoC.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>George Bernard Shaw</b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b> </b></td></tr></tbody></table>The internet is filled with websites listing famous quotes by famous people, but few of them bother to provide the actual sources for these quotes. In some cases, the quotes are falsely attributed to their supposed authors, but because the world wide web is effectively a planetary-scale rumour mill, the connection between a particular author and a particular saying multiplies endlessly until everyone believes it.<br /></p><p>A case in point is an <a href="https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/george_bernard_shaw_137447" target="_blank">observation widely attributed to the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw</a> (1856-1950): "Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve." Clever indeed and boasting more than a measure of truth. We might well include it in our standard undergraduate political science textbooks as an easily verifiable principle.</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Except that Shaw almost certainly didn't write it. At least not in these exact words. This pithy adage appears to be a summary of a paragraph in the preface to Shaw's 1919 play, <i><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3543/3543-h/3543-h.htm" target="_blank">Heartbreak House: A Fantasia in the Russian Manner on English Themes</a></i>. Here's the relevant passage:</p><p></p><blockquote>From what is called Democracy no corrective to this state of things could
be hoped. It is said that every people has the Government it deserves. It
is more to the point that every Government has the electorate it deserves;
for the orators of the front bench can edify or debauch an ignorant
electorate at will. Thus our democracy moves in a vicious circle of
reciprocal worthiness and unworthiness.</blockquote><p></p><p>However, <a href="https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/george_bernard_shaw_126666" target="_blank">the following quotable quote</a> really did originate with Shaw: "He knows nothing and thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career." I heard it years ago on the stage at our nearby <a href="https://www.shawfest.com/2024-Season/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiArfauBhApEiwAeoB7qEiO2R3qzAJSByRWA0d71nJXKX5r_cqvFrk1esuJlO4E8nDeoUD4GBoCNFAQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">Shaw Festival</a> in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. It was uttered by the character Andrew Undershaft from <i><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3790/3790-h/3790-h.htm" target="_blank">Major Barbara</a></i> (1905) and elicited laughter from the audience, including yours truly.<br /></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-18174574710253968162024-02-20T16:16:00.003-05:002024-02-20T16:16:31.687-05:00Daily prayer<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2saO8W2XcQie4sDWFTj7Yb20WIcmsoqH52rcIwYaE6TZg1h67QOynS8i9-hBkMVFnBzfXBKhIs0IL_cFcetN12WtaxYOBdxNM72lOQbHerzc6YldKxUlGafJtaVuvtPTbaKXc-EwvmK2raX09_qeokdg_e6JnY52ZmQ61I-zWWPpZPXTM3MH3g/s3264/Daily%20Office.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2saO8W2XcQie4sDWFTj7Yb20WIcmsoqH52rcIwYaE6TZg1h67QOynS8i9-hBkMVFnBzfXBKhIs0IL_cFcetN12WtaxYOBdxNM72lOQbHerzc6YldKxUlGafJtaVuvtPTbaKXc-EwvmK2raX09_qeokdg_e6JnY52ZmQ61I-zWWPpZPXTM3MH3g/s320/Daily%20Office.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>My latest contribution to <i>Christian Courier</i> is titled, <a href="https://www.christiancourier.ca/daily-prayer/" target="_blank">Daily Prayer</a>, subtitled, "Devotions as daily practice taken from ancient patterns." Here is an excerpt:<p></p><p></p><blockquote>When I was in my early twenties, I visited the bookstore of Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, and purchased a copy of <i>The Daily Office</i>,
edited by Herbert Lindemann and published by Concordia in 1965. A small
volume, it nevertheless runs to nearly 700 pages and includes liturgies
for morning and evening prayer organized according to the church
calendar. This ancient practice, usually associated with monastic
communities, was unfamiliar to me, but it transformed my prayer life. </blockquote><p></p><p><a href="https://www.christiancourier.ca/daily-prayer/" target="_blank">Read the rest of the article here</a>.<br /></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-64639010717826960302024-02-15T09:34:00.001-05:002024-02-15T09:34:23.575-05:00February newsletter online<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1fvJHMI9lmg-8YJ7WUFy82ixgYN08DMkGS9BROhDOSkrrVJAIPrvI5131AK1N7SLlQKfEAxedKvlGs9Kx6p9eN6KJ_r-bXvGX18keVzxK2ttujuOuXDSNv5fDbowdam8qhFi_ACRzQlWLS_7Tq9SHrC7LOXiBFqhJonK2P0hMKSRBMWKDXQwXsQ/s566/GSC-Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="566" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1fvJHMI9lmg-8YJ7WUFy82ixgYN08DMkGS9BROhDOSkrrVJAIPrvI5131AK1N7SLlQKfEAxedKvlGs9Kx6p9eN6KJ_r-bXvGX18keVzxK2ttujuOuXDSNv5fDbowdam8qhFi_ACRzQlWLS_7Tq9SHrC7LOXiBFqhJonK2P0hMKSRBMWKDXQwXsQ/w200-h121/GSC-Logo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>My <a href="https://byzantinecalvinist.blogspot.com/p/february-2024-newsletter.html" target="_blank">Global Scholars newsletter for February</a> has now been posted. Included is news about my forthcoming book, two recent podcast interviews, future opportunities in the US and Brazil, and a largely forgotten metrical psalter from the 16th century.<br /><p></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-54498522039631772002024-02-12T10:20:00.003-05:002024-02-12T10:32:30.533-05:00Rhapsody in Blue<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtP0UwoHY7kN5zTJo2230yAynIOBMhfPAt6Q_wZBdUg3l1K7QQzMcjpw78vok_9lMCtje-75PnnQupqgQdWui7L2U85_GXmPySq7GPAgLvBCsVEOxFkcHnuhXxW8WYXZdfgm9i9tU6hnRCFV3rI9b2kIPBqj3muI-h5zLyro4fSBvnYdwHzznAuQ/s403/gershwin.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtP0UwoHY7kN5zTJo2230yAynIOBMhfPAt6Q_wZBdUg3l1K7QQzMcjpw78vok_9lMCtje-75PnnQupqgQdWui7L2U85_GXmPySq7GPAgLvBCsVEOxFkcHnuhXxW8WYXZdfgm9i9tU6hnRCFV3rI9b2kIPBqj3muI-h5zLyro4fSBvnYdwHzznAuQ/s320/gershwin.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><p>I don't usually write about music in this blog, but I cannot allow this significant anniversary to pass without comment. Exactly one-hundred years ago tonight, George Gershwin's classic piano and orchestral work, <i>Rhapsody in Blue</i>, premiered at the Aeolian Hall in New York City. The composer was all of 25 years old, and his audience included the likes of <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/02/12/1230433015/rhapsody-in-blue-gershwin-centennial-jazz-classical" target="_blank">Sergei Rachmaninov, John Philip Sousa, Jascha Heifetz, Leopold Stokowski, and actress Gertrude Lawrence</a>. The occasion was a concert by Paul Whiteman's orchestra, titled, "An Experiment in Modern Music." Whiteman had invited Gershwin to compose a piece for this event, and Gershwin thought he had declined the offer. But Whiteman went ahead and included him in the lineup anyway, inducing something of a panic in George when he learned about it only weeks in advance. <a href="https://www.classicfm.com/composers/gershwin/guides/story-behind-gershwins-rhapsody-blue/" target="_blank">Here's the rest of the story</a>:</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p><p></p><p></p><blockquote><p>Late at night on 3 January 1924, George Gershwin, his brother Ira and
lyricist Buddy DeSylva were having a game in the Ambassador Billiard
Parlor at 52nd Street on Broadway, when an item in the amusement section
of the <i>New York Tribune</i> caught Ira’s attention. It was about a concert
of new American music to be given by Paul Whiteman and his Palais Royal
Band at Aeolian Hall on 12 February—Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. </p><div id="Teads_ad1"></div>
<p>“George Gershwin is at work on a jazz concerto,” ran the article, “Irving Berlin is writing a syncopated tone poem…”</p>
<p>It was all news to George. His musical comedy, <i>Sweet Little Devil</i>, was set to open in just three weeks. And now he had to write a concerto by 12 February as well?</p>
<p>Paul Whiteman was the most popular bandleader of the 1920s and
enjoyed the title “King of Jazz”—although this was no jazz band;
rather it was a large dance orchestra that used jazz musicians from time
to time.</p>
<p>But Whiteman twisted Gershwin's arm that all he had to do was supply a
piano score. Ferde Grofé, Whiteman’s brilliant in-house arranger, would
be able to orchestrate the work tailored to the band’s line-up.</p>
<p>While he was on the train to Boston for rehearsals of his musical,
Gershwin sketched out a framework for the new piece, which he began
writing on 7 January. Over the next few days, while he also made
last-minute changes to ready <i>Sweet Little Devil</i> for its New York opening on 24 January, the genius completed a two-piano score.</p>
<p>What Gershwin produced was not a “jazz concerto” but a rhapsodic work
for “piano and jazz band” incorporating elements of European symphonic
music and American jazz with his inimitable melodic gift and keyboard
facility.</p>
<p>Gershwin’s original title for it was <i>American Rhapsody</i>. But, by chance, Ira had been to an exhibition of Whistler’s paintings and saw the painter's <i>Nocturne In Blue And Green</i> of the Thames at Chelsea. Why not call the new piece <i>Rhapsody In Blue</i>
instead, he suggested. The title would reflect the European and
American influences. Also at Ira’s suggestion, George contrasted the
syncopated character that dominates the tune with an expressive romantic
theme the composer had previously improvised at a party.</p></blockquote><p>I fell in love with this unusual piece of music during my last years in high school, when the piece was not yet 50 years old. It wasn't my first introduction to so-called classical music. My parents had phonograph records of classical music, and I had already learnt to love, for example, Bedřich Smetana's <i><a href="https://youtu.be/3ZJwlDPWEkg?si=Nx-L7KhKWH0NC8_J" target="_blank">Moldau</a></i> and Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov's <i><a href="https://youtu.be/-HiWdZIX39Y?si=z_8mHUlZH-RPe9Ik" target="_blank">Capriccio Espagnol</a></i>, among many others. But there was something about the energy and sheer daring of Gershwin's <i>Rhapsody</i> that I found appealing. I quickly picked up on the jazz influence, but much later I came to recognize as well the Yiddish <a href="https://www.klezmerband.com/what-is-klezmer-music" target="_blank">klezme</a>r influence, especially in the memorable wailing clarinet opening to the piece. This is more evident in the early recordings than in the later orchestral arrangements. It recalls a time in American popular music when the Yiddish influence was huge, only to be overshadowed after the Second World War by black and hispanic contributions.</p><p>Here is possibly the earliest recording of the <i>Rhapsody</i> from 1924:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VGvuUOtHGkk" width="320" youtube-src-id="VGvuUOtHGkk"></iframe></div><br /><p>And here is the expanded orchestral version more familiar to us. Note the scoring of the opening clarinet solo.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3o3poOlGgx0" width="320" youtube-src-id="3o3poOlGgx0"></iframe></div><br /><p>I have sometimes wondered what American music would have been like if George Gershwin hadn't died at so young an age in 1937. What if he had lived to 95 and died in 1993? Would his music have changed with the times? Would he have steered popular music in a different direction from where it eventually went? Incidentally, George's brother and lyricist Ira Gershwin died in 1983 at the age of 86.<br /></p><p></p><p></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-49342941481385263462024-02-05T10:42:00.001-05:002024-02-05T16:52:34.454-05:00The Christian Underground Podcast<p>At the weekend I was interviewed by Joseph Shehan for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVagxVOju0Z6RoSAyC_QviQ" target="_blank">The Christian Underground Podcast</a>, and the interview has now been posted. This is the description from the YouTube channel: "Does <span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">Political Ideology offer a false salvation? Can Christians fall prey to this form of idolatry? Our interview with Dr. David T. Koyzis, political philosopher, and author of <i><a href="https://www.ivpress.com/political-visions-illusions" target="_blank">Political Visions and Illusions</a></i>, seeks answers [to] these questions and more."</span></p><p></p><p><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap" role="text"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yZM2bp_3N3g" width="320" youtube-src-id="yZM2bp_3N3g"></iframe></div><p>Despite some technical glitches, we had a great conversation. I anticipate more such conversations with Shehan in the coming months, including after the publication of my <a href="http://byzantinecalvinist.blogspot.com/2024/02/citizenship-without-illusions-updated.html" target="_blank">next book</a>.<br /></p><p></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-35853518729210623082024-02-01T11:08:00.002-05:002024-02-23T09:39:37.787-05:00Citizenship Without Illusions: updated table of contents<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2eabicFdiNCEG5G4n4T9WvMuLPSVtbzZjB_yqFOGtA4O4mp8g0Es0nVAT0hYg077UIKKLwdDk0UqqKIsetDU286wAV70qS-OTchrIiEJJXlh-vqUl5wqZzxjPvOJs7nU2CMO-UvTyDjYlO4Xn9Ur5h53DQVBCLjBPr1YqptkUsRm-3VGefIR1Yw/s900/Web_Small-Citizens%20Without%20Illusions%20A0862%20front-cover.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2eabicFdiNCEG5G4n4T9WvMuLPSVtbzZjB_yqFOGtA4O4mp8g0Es0nVAT0hYg077UIKKLwdDk0UqqKIsetDU286wAV70qS-OTchrIiEJJXlh-vqUl5wqZzxjPvOJs7nU2CMO-UvTyDjYlO4Xn9Ur5h53DQVBCLjBPr1YqptkUsRm-3VGefIR1Yw/w148-h223/Web_Small-Citizens%20Without%20Illusions%20A0862%20front-cover.jpg" width="148" /></a></div>Here is an updated table of contents for my new book, <i>Citizenship Without Illusions: A Christian Guide to Political Engagement</i>, forthcoming in November. The manuscript is currently with the copy editors at InterVarsity Press.<br /><p></p><p>Acknowledgements<br /><br />1 Introduction<br /></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">Belonging: benefits and responsibilities<br />A Clash of Ideologies<br />Plan of the book</p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>2 Understanding Citizenship<br /><br /> Growing into Citizenship: A Personal Journey<br /> The Office of Citizen<br /> Citizenship: the Backstory<br /> A World of Independent States<br /> Dual Citizenship<br /><br />3 How to Be a Citizen<br /><br /> Seeking justice<br /> Obeying the Law<br /> Keeping Informed<br /> Thinking Local<br /> Responding When Called<br /> Citizenship Under Less-Than-Ideal Circumstances<br /><br />4 When Kingdoms Collide<br /><br /> Obeying God Rather than Mere Human Beings<br /> Resisting Injustice: Civil Disobedience<br /> Avoiding Political Illusions<br /><br />5 How to Vote<br /><br /> The Right to Vote<br /> On Not Wasting Votes<br /> Making Every Vote Count<br /> Faith-Based Parties?<br /> Holding Our Noses<br /><br />6 Mobilizing for Political Action<br /><br /> Starting Local<br /> The Virtual Illusion<br /> Getting Involved<br /> Living Out the Kingdom in Politics<br /><br />7 Progressives and Conservatives<br /><br /> Understanding Progress and Conservation<br /> Pluriformity as Norm: Urban Renewal and Marriage<br /> Progress, Progressivism, Conservatism<br /> Affirming Norms but Living with Pluralism<br /><br />8 Global Citizenship<br /><br /> To Nation and World<br /> Our Global Neighbourhood<br /><br />9 Prayer, Politics, and Church<br /><br /> Hearing the Word, Confessing the Faith<br /> Letting the Church Be the Church<br /></p><p>Discussion Questions <br /></p><p></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-27888574485233899492024-01-25T20:30:00.001-05:002024-01-25T20:30:07.707-05:00Disarming Leviathan Podcast: part 2<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8-iYChc0xqsTO2-FRKyqPSdCbSZhDQX4NTFXR-hfSPlwRbWWF3xfiF7O8O6Yorkg9eW9o4_bw3ApV_iI-pnGtXSXT6qjgJGWub2OwT6phypni6ny39EYmpIEym9G5l-H0sI0vtRyqrLfyak2rWsRbOVk7-S72d5uwQjBm9DQzvzw3PnQx0KRGg/s2011/dasarmingleviathan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1157" data-original-width="2011" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8-iYChc0xqsTO2-FRKyqPSdCbSZhDQX4NTFXR-hfSPlwRbWWF3xfiF7O8O6Yorkg9eW9o4_bw3ApV_iI-pnGtXSXT6qjgJGWub2OwT6phypni6ny39EYmpIEym9G5l-H0sI0vtRyqrLfyak2rWsRbOVk7-S72d5uwQjBm9DQzvzw3PnQx0KRGg/s320/dasarmingleviathan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Caleb Campbell has now posted the second part of his interview with me: <a href="https://disarmingleviathan.com/podcast/the-political-visions-illusions-of-christian-nationalism-part-2/" target="_blank">The Political Visions & Illusions of Christian Nationalism (part 2)</a>. Campbell's book, <i><a href="https://www.ivpress.com/disarming-leviathan" target="_blank">Disarming Leviathan</a></i>, is due out in July. I look forward to reading it.<br /><p></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-35353548796958133342024-01-19T09:23:00.002-05:002024-01-25T20:23:46.005-05:00Disarming Leviathan Podcast: part 1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SMKL4l85zevv6TPDA_BfQK0l3_o-hAUniQgpQ9KYRW3b0Z8YyYZY4n7H50It_yIjVXtbE4rd7Vwum3v8yED5GxkY_cRSp_I-i1sdaLJmVLFoL3zOuglDJ3tSI7QmUDdWCDsIboAUR1eQFWyICkfHLn2cJOnVQFj7K6yKNZ6Y692NCLrQH3OM1Q/s2011/dasarmingleviathan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1157" data-original-width="2011" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SMKL4l85zevv6TPDA_BfQK0l3_o-hAUniQgpQ9KYRW3b0Z8YyYZY4n7H50It_yIjVXtbE4rd7Vwum3v8yED5GxkY_cRSp_I-i1sdaLJmVLFoL3zOuglDJ3tSI7QmUDdWCDsIboAUR1eQFWyICkfHLn2cJOnVQFj7K6yKNZ6Y692NCLrQH3OM1Q/s320/dasarmingleviathan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Last month Caleb Campbell, author of the forthcoming book <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/disarming-leviathan" target="_blank"><i>Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor</i></a>, interviewed me for his Disarming Leviathan Podcast: <a href="https://disarmingleviathan.com/podcast/the-political-visions-illusions-of-christian-nationalism-part-1/" target="_blank">The Political Visions & Illusions of Christian Nationalism (Part 1)</a>. From his website:<p></p><div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis: 66.66%;">
<p></p><blockquote><p>Pastor Campbell graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Masters of Arts in
Ministry from Phoenix Seminary in 2015 and is currently a doctoral
student at Fuller Theological Seminary. </p>
<p>He has served at Desert Springs Bible Church, in Phoenix, AZ since 2006, serving as Lead Pastor since 2015.</p>
<p>He also serves on the board of United Pastors of Arizona and as the
state-wide regional director of the Surge Network. He has spoken at
events hosted by Acts 29, African American Christian Clergy Coalition,
the Surge Network, Grand Canyon University, Converge Arizona, Young Life
and Phoenix Seminary.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>I will link to part 2 once he has posted it. <br /></p>
</div><p></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-20779368040790366292024-01-17T14:10:00.004-05:002024-01-17T14:10:54.805-05:00January newsletter online<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOA3XpvRTUjVbFnpX4FhmnCnlunlgWyIorv1rQV4r-U5Ha-V1LBzHbqnOJBVlZhRFWlIQHoEYt1o5mIGGne-2uXBRw6NRpPkgrKzLKYhAOMpzmiJwQ1oMgDKm-x5sQWCywP0KMvyIeRFrM8o2m4proebcY4iEjbFzX3hxvsmK4s4DodcwgnVfLrA/s566/GSC-Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="566" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOA3XpvRTUjVbFnpX4FhmnCnlunlgWyIorv1rQV4r-U5Ha-V1LBzHbqnOJBVlZhRFWlIQHoEYt1o5mIGGne-2uXBRw6NRpPkgrKzLKYhAOMpzmiJwQ1oMgDKm-x5sQWCywP0KMvyIeRFrM8o2m4proebcY4iEjbFzX3hxvsmK4s4DodcwgnVfLrA/w200-h121/GSC-Logo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I have now posted my <a href="https://byzantinecalvinist.blogspot.com/p/january-2024-newsletter.html" target="_blank">Global Scholars newsletter for January</a> on this blog. Included are <span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">news
about my forthcoming book, a visit to an Indonesian church in Toronto,
and three posts on matters liturgical. Thanks for your support for my
work.</span><p></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-40892522759805066602024-01-16T11:50:00.004-05:002024-01-16T11:58:18.219-05:00Seeking our roots<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJq19ZfCrmeD_4ZdJOlJ_-kZsynfeIj14k1TSlTxUFL80uSyI2ll9aKHHb3SoWyGa1nuhLxho5_8e3KqAUENGM-Tw0E1zUwKx82FyC5kjJY9th2RsYlFHUESe-rFGeZBE0fG0U3ci65r20INSl6CGvc7a7x4OCfbq8_jl9jpGc30FLcVYB7fQCA/s1831/Hyders.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1619" data-original-width="1831" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJq19ZfCrmeD_4ZdJOlJ_-kZsynfeIj14k1TSlTxUFL80uSyI2ll9aKHHb3SoWyGa1nuhLxho5_8e3KqAUENGM-Tw0E1zUwKx82FyC5kjJY9th2RsYlFHUESe-rFGeZBE0fG0U3ci65r20INSl6CGvc7a7x4OCfbq8_jl9jpGc30FLcVYB7fQCA/w305-h269/Hyders.jpg" width="305" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Lucy Jane with three of her children</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>My January column for <i>Christian Courier</i> has just been posted online: <a href="https://www.christiancourier.ca/seeking-our-roots/" target="_blank">Seeking our roots</a>, with the following subtitle: "Each life found on a genealogy is a miracle that shows God's goodness." An excerpt:<p></p><p data-block-type="core"></p><blockquote><p data-block-type="core">Since childhood I have wanted to know who my
ancestors were and where I came from. This flowed out of a general
interest in history. I knew the major milestones such as the Roman
Empire, the Middle Ages and the exploration and settlement of the
Americas. But where did my own family enter the picture?</p>
<p data-block-type="core">Fortunately, my maternal great-grandmother,
Lucy Jane Bentley Hyder (1875-1948), had the foresight to record two
reminiscences of her own forebears extending back to the late 18th
century. These included her grandfather David Wells (born c 1815), of
Big Stone Gap, Virginia, who, on the day the American Civil War ended,
was murdered by “the Raiders or Ku Klux Klan as they were sometimes
called.”</p></blockquote><p data-block-type="core"></p><p data-block-type="core">Incidentally, I discovered through my genealogical research that I am distantly related to Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer, Abraham Kuyper's 19th-century mentor in the anti-revolutionary movement in the Netherlands.<br /></p><p></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-24045253122139040962024-01-12T13:19:00.000-05:002024-01-12T13:19:09.798-05:00Liturgical standards and living faith: the case of the Evangelical and Reformed Church<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPIpMMCDsltt1okBPS4tZaz4-yeDIMGqP9y6odcevN0XytALJB1WlWKQpmvyQiUd8LYhGUxu6UdvE5eS8J6jSTBJNtIv67HeXQboAo_wP1p5ND5FbrxX2TLx9_jISDTKuCk069wd4g9Nsz8HjuaVUWvq2Sn6Bff_M-YB6mdbfgBbXTe5A_PpPYQ/s178/E&R%20Church.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="178" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPIpMMCDsltt1okBPS4tZaz4-yeDIMGqP9y6odcevN0XytALJB1WlWKQpmvyQiUd8LYhGUxu6UdvE5eS8J6jSTBJNtIv67HeXQboAo_wP1p5ND5FbrxX2TLx9_jISDTKuCk069wd4g9Nsz8HjuaVUWvq2Sn6Bff_M-YB6mdbfgBbXTe5A_PpPYQ/s1600/E&R%20Church.png" width="178" /></a></div>My latest post in <i>Kuyperian Commentary</i> can be found here: <a href="https://kuyperian.com/liturgical-standards-and-living-faith-the-case-of-the-evangelical-and-reformed-church/?fbclid=IwAR1g1gn2tCb1yApE5-6RjwSXwoP_Gi_7OAXDNr6y1Oj23jjH3CEtObPVJ4E" target="_blank">Liturgical standards and living faith: the case of the Evangelical and Reformed Church</a>. An excerpt:<p></p><p></p><blockquote>So what was this Evangelical and Reformed Church? It was created by the
merger of two predecessor bodies, the (German) Reformed Church in the
United States (RCUS) and the (German) Evangelical Synod of North
America. The German Reformed were the descendants of Reformed Christians
who had immigrated from German-speaking Europe, especially Switzerland
and the Palatinate, the latter of which was once ruled by Elector
Frederick III “the Pious” (1515-1576), who commissioned the <a href="https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/confessions/heidelberg-catechism">Heidelberg Catechism</a>
in 1563. The German Reformed began in 1725 and were initially under the
care of Classis Amsterdam of the Dutch Reformed Church until 1793.
During the late 19th century, efforts to unite with the (Dutch) Reformed
Church in America were unsuccessful.</blockquote><p></p><p><a href="https://kuyperian.com/liturgical-standards-and-living-faith-the-case-of-the-evangelical-and-reformed-church/?fbclid=IwAR1g1gn2tCb1yApE5-6RjwSXwoP_Gi_7OAXDNr6y1Oj23jjH3CEtObPVJ4E" target="_blank">Read the entire article here</a>. <br /></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-13647731646600295692024-01-01T09:29:00.001-05:002024-01-01T09:29:19.734-05:00Anna's unexpected blessing<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhJDAJ30_8uKezIgtiROZNraIdbfN8MTP5X8VLe2r2p9raACKoyC9hSi46KCuzKEDFs-QEXJ6ThpnzLgs8GunwLmqcEf5huFBjeV3Wl7CaibohgmsIEPwXcbUiPQvN58U9zFoHin8IOtBXvZmlwaqDRh9tBUzelicEPE_8vC5fp6uBYwvn67YTQ/s1522/Prophet%20Anna.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1522" data-original-width="1320" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhJDAJ30_8uKezIgtiROZNraIdbfN8MTP5X8VLe2r2p9raACKoyC9hSi46KCuzKEDFs-QEXJ6ThpnzLgs8GunwLmqcEf5huFBjeV3Wl7CaibohgmsIEPwXcbUiPQvN58U9zFoHin8IOtBXvZmlwaqDRh9tBUzelicEPE_8vC5fp6uBYwvn67YTQ/w192-h221/Prophet%20Anna.webp" width="192" /></a></i></div><i>Christian Courier</i> has published my latest column, titled, <a href="https://www.christiancourier.ca/annas-unexpected-blessing/" target="_blank">Anna's unexpected blessing</a>, and subtitled, "The forgotten character of Jesus' story." Here is an excerpt:<p></p><p data-block-type="core"></p><blockquote><p data-block-type="core">How Anna becomes a prophet we do not know.
What we do know is that, in addition to experiencing the subjugation of
her own people, she has seen sorrow in her personal life as well. She
married, likely in her youth and perhaps to a much older man, who died
seven years later, after which she remained a widow, a status that makes
her particularly vulnerable to abuse.</p>
<p data-block-type="core">From then on, she has devoted her life to
prayer and fasting and appears to have taken up residence in the temple.
Perhaps it is here that she was endowed by God with her prophetic
gifts. One can imagine her reputation growing with the years, with
visitors to the temple seeking out the wisdom of this remarkable woman
of God.</p></blockquote><p data-block-type="core"></p><p data-block-type="core"><a href="https://www.christiancourier.ca/annas-unexpected-blessing/" target="_blank">Read the entire article here</a>. <br /></p><p></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-80019495528353698122023-12-28T10:12:00.001-05:002024-01-01T09:23:30.298-05:00Your support makes a difference<p></p><div>Dear Global Scholars support community:</div><div><br /></div><div>It's now been settled. My forthcoming book will be called <b><i>Citizenship Without Illusions: A Christian Guide to Political Engagement</i></b>.
I have just received word that InterVarsity Press's publications
committee approved the title. The book will be out in November 2024.</div><div><br /></div><div>In these final days of 2023,
please consider making a financial
contribution to my work with Global Scholars Canada, a registered charity with the Canada Revenue Agency.</div><div><br /></div><div><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.globalscholarscanada.ca/give/&source=gmail&ust=1703862310584000&usg=AOvVaw0LhPB31JIsSYxUWnuR1ntM" href="http://www.globalscholarscanada.ca/give/" target="_blank">GSC's page for giving can be found here</a>. Once you are in the page, scroll down to the heading marked DONATION DETAILS, and then choose one of the options under FUND. <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://global-scholars.org/donations/give-to-a-fellow/&source=gmail&ust=1703862310584000&usg=AOvVaw27pOabxlGpdtfLwMuwKFfl" href="https://global-scholars.org/donations/give-to-a-fellow/" target="_blank">Americans may donate through our sister organization in the US</a>, a registered charity in that country.</div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><p><span style="display: initial;">Canadian donors can donate publicly
traded securities (shares or mutual funds) directly to charities without
having to pay the capital gains tax. This is a cost-effective and painless way to
make a donation that comes with a substantial tax incentive. By donating
securities, donors pay no tax on capital gains, receive a tax receipt
for the fair market value of the securities, as well as reduce their
taxes. Watch this video for more information about this option: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/z0WsoC6zncs&source=gmail&ust=1703862310584000&usg=AOvVaw0uhHHyWu9pVZhBqsH2_wCq" href="https://youtu.be/z0WsoC6zncs" target="_blank">Link Charity Canada: Donation of Securities</a>. If interested, please visit the <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.linkcharity.ca/gift-of-securities&source=gmail&ust=1703862310584000&usg=AOvVaw1w47ypvGv_QXVMYZ41lUr9" href="https://www.linkcharity.ca/gift-of-securities" target="_blank">Link Charity Canada Inc. website</a>,
and call for details at 1-800-387-8146. Link Charity Canada is a
partner organization of Global Scholars Canada, so Link Charity can
easily direct funds for my work.</span></p>
</div><div>Thanks so much for your support! I deeply appreciate it.</div><div><br /></div><div>As we are still in the Christmas season, I want to share with you a beautiful rendition of the nativity hymn, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/QL4XVyWzRho?si%3DIFLnmUu0W23W_fDv&source=gmail&ust=1703862310584000&usg=AOvVaw3vyosQ7vs530KAdfDBcC5u" href="https://youtu.be/QL4XVyWzRho?si=IFLnmUu0W23W_fDv" target="_blank"><i>All My Heart This Night Rejoices</i></a>, set to a beautiful arrangement by American composer Z. Randall Stroope.</div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QL4XVyWzRho" width="320" youtube-src-id="QL4XVyWzRho"></iframe></div><br /></div><div></div><div>May God bless you and yours in the new year.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yours in the service of the kingdom,</div><div><br /></div><div>David Koyzis</div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuhMt1Ph7ikGFY5HoWqw4TcDDE7Xx6oOHaZDCcW-Xn_f6eusYMwbb0FIw8aRwDe1om_F-ofSgLhCAo3GHmjL92AdKbLldCRl2B8eBjo-gNx16dLyLKcleBqGxJsfCmOdhVNDyFV1fSXBzQ2nHGtHdFbHjP25fit6gmG5iMFStYB7cl4Oi76eqfw/s1283/240.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="1283" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuhMt1Ph7ikGFY5HoWqw4TcDDE7Xx6oOHaZDCcW-Xn_f6eusYMwbb0FIw8aRwDe1om_F-ofSgLhCAo3GHmjL92AdKbLldCRl2B8eBjo-gNx16dLyLKcleBqGxJsfCmOdhVNDyFV1fSXBzQ2nHGtHdFbHjP25fit6gmG5iMFStYB7cl4Oi76eqfw/w200-h148/240.webp" width="200" /></a></div><br /> </div><div> </div>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-74423881461220320302023-12-26T06:00:00.005-05:002023-12-26T13:37:08.586-05:00Kuyper on education<div dir="auto"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirSjs-w6LF3eZsSCv5ymeKocpv2-AMLj1nAp-0Il0-Ck8pYcQCdAy7X_oIK_yOHLvHIWJQnLyF_29ECPERz_Xo9lt-9LMsNN976Kt9c-DVmwG_RDnHEjrWE3EYjt4qPhi_z9EtOIRRNGIUvLb4blwjmq9T3aEQ3efssIbFmcrKQMCamW-ii7ibZA/s520/Kuyper.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="455" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirSjs-w6LF3eZsSCv5ymeKocpv2-AMLj1nAp-0Il0-Ck8pYcQCdAy7X_oIK_yOHLvHIWJQnLyF_29ECPERz_Xo9lt-9LMsNN976Kt9c-DVmwG_RDnHEjrWE3EYjt4qPhi_z9EtOIRRNGIUvLb4blwjmq9T3aEQ3efssIbFmcrKQMCamW-ii7ibZA/w175-h200/Kuyper.png" width="175" /></a></div>A good friend alerted me to this quotation from one of Abraham Kuyper's parliamentary speeches delivered in his last months as Prime Minister of the Netherlands:<br /></div><div dir="auto"></div><blockquote><div dir="auto">FEBRUARY 1, 1905 </div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">Mr. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_van_Houten" target="_blank">Van Houten</a> and I appear to disagree very little on the meaning of
justice, but not on what freedom means. His freedom leads only to state
tyranny.
He wants the government to operate schools that teach young people to
practice critical thinking even if it goes against their faith. In other
words, it is to be a school that satisfies Mr. Van Houten and his
like-minded friends and with which all who think like him are content. That
school, he says, must be financed from the public treasury, hence must
receive favored treatment, because that is the only real school.
Everybody else has full freedom to establish other schools, provided
they do not ask for money from the public treasury. You are entirely
free, but you will have to pay for it yourself. Thus the honorable
member first takes [through taxes] from the purse of those who do not
support public education the money needed tor the government schools
that he supports, and when the nonsupporters have spent all they could
on education he says to them: "Now that I have pumped you dry you are
welcome to establish schools with your own money." </div></blockquote><span><a name='more'></a></span><blockquote><div dir="auto"></div><div dir="auto">That
is not what I understand by freedom. As a minister of the Crown I
refuse to endorse for one minute the view that one citizen can claim
more rights than another. I do not wish in the least to abridge the
rights of Mr.
Van Houten and his adherents. I desire no special privilege for myself
and my adherents. But what has to stop in this land is that there is a
political party that says: we and our adherents are entitled to all the
benefits of the public treasury, and those who do not agree with us will
just have to wander about in the wilderness and live off wild honey and
grasshoppers.
That leads to dividing our people into two parts: one part that lives
off the state, the lucky ones, and another part that is deprived, left
out. There must be equality in the country, both for those who hold to
the Christian and for those who hold to the modernist worldview.</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div>Abraham Kuyper, "Speeches as Prime Minister in Parliament," <i>On Education</i>, <i>Abraham Kuyper Collected Works in Public Theology</i> (Bellingham, Washington: Lexham Press, 2019), 285-286.</blockquote><p>Kuyper would eventually succeed in securing a more equitable funding scheme for education in 1917, only three years before his death. </p><p><b>Addendum:</b> Perhaps Kuyper had an influence on the writer of this clever sketch from the classic BBC comedy, <i>Yes, Prime Minister</i>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ojNkeyxQmGA" width="320" youtube-src-id="ojNkeyxQmGA"></iframe></div><br /><p></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-16105085110249311922023-12-15T15:01:00.003-05:002023-12-15T15:01:46.580-05:00December newsletter online<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9kZVilYSC15Q3j_56NSFMiYyL4_WWlGHV5x3lKOIm3lt-BurXQhJP_8dk7fKAXHHfwk_QBm5O5WOo7gIAGI3gTfDB1NPLh208MSaqBkffR1KGjVjsFefYHejxjO_cTik_y1VeA-zc1jaWWcwXm7z7xiLj1dIcxAzd2shDvb6-dJaqC7CSaf9eOw/s566/GSC-Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="566" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9kZVilYSC15Q3j_56NSFMiYyL4_WWlGHV5x3lKOIm3lt-BurXQhJP_8dk7fKAXHHfwk_QBm5O5WOo7gIAGI3gTfDB1NPLh208MSaqBkffR1KGjVjsFefYHejxjO_cTik_y1VeA-zc1jaWWcwXm7z7xiLj1dIcxAzd2shDvb6-dJaqC7CSaf9eOw/w200-h121/GSC-Logo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>My <a href="https://byzantinecalvinist.blogspot.com/p/december-2023-newsletter.html" target="_blank">Global Scholars newsletter for December</a> is now online. <span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Items
include: a publication date for my next book (November 2024), podcast
interviews, and even a visit to a local high school class.</span><p></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-1224303370442776972023-12-12T14:13:00.002-05:002023-12-12T14:14:51.872-05:00City on a Hill podcast: We Answer to Another<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBbcpoEpMNyi5Znu4wO-mnJxWwg95woU9hKbXNEYOf_-kL1EOnRnO9dqLiuDuosD2nMBabyQYsOERsd5Nb3z6k2GniuzEQYxm7Z0E5OZ_qvT2qEw8aRIfrx7RjZxUKs0jDlGExkUX3q81vYhnUhWKVZR-dMYjudmlSFeKbLDpSIjdgg57rcUSyg/s1400/Podcast+Image_city+on+a+hill.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBbcpoEpMNyi5Znu4wO-mnJxWwg95woU9hKbXNEYOf_-kL1EOnRnO9dqLiuDuosD2nMBabyQYsOERsd5Nb3z6k2GniuzEQYxm7Z0E5OZ_qvT2qEw8aRIfrx7RjZxUKs0jDlGExkUX3q81vYhnUhWKVZR-dMYjudmlSFeKbLDpSIjdgg57rcUSyg/w200-h200/Podcast+Image_city+on+a+hill.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Not quite two years ago, I appeared on Aeric Estep and Scott Reavely's <a href="https://byzantinecalvinist.blogspot.com/2022/01/city-on-hill-podcast-interview.html" target="_blank">City on a Hill podcast</a> to discuss my first book, <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/political-visions-illusions" target="_blank"><i>Political Visions and Illusions</i></a>. Last week the duo interviewed me on the subject of my second book, <a href="https://wipfandstock.com/we-answer-to-another.html" target="_blank"><i>We Answer to Another: Authority, Office, and the Image of God</i></a>: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/city-on-a-hill-podcast/id1559385805?i=1000638304999" target="_blank">We Answer to Another: An Interview with David Koyzis</a>. I found my conversation with them most enjoyable and hope others will as well. I expect that I will be talking with them again after my forthcoming book is published next November.<br /><p></p><p>Estep and Reavely are pastors at <a href="https://www.newlifenw.com/" target="_blank">New Life Church</a> in West Linn, Oregon, United States.</p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-2393560518317252392023-11-22T09:46:00.001-05:002023-11-22T09:46:45.263-05:00Parental rights<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrGZ6kwwpAly6l4W7yWmPlKr41rjvu2GzgRBUZwJ76vuX5Ex7sov2hwtf7r-oOmCF6Uz_h345K-Qfnrz495LoSg_E1GWu82ydLAAu3jfGLbAH663P7D0ZUR5EABb4hsaa4gvmTQ6KR9_xIwSzyQ-VBx_dNpsy3cYDePZMC6AlYPFpHuINQaolIA/s732/MillionMarch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="732" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrGZ6kwwpAly6l4W7yWmPlKr41rjvu2GzgRBUZwJ76vuX5Ex7sov2hwtf7r-oOmCF6Uz_h345K-Qfnrz495LoSg_E1GWu82ydLAAu3jfGLbAH663P7D0ZUR5EABb4hsaa4gvmTQ6KR9_xIwSzyQ-VBx_dNpsy3cYDePZMC6AlYPFpHuINQaolIA/s320/MillionMarch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Who has the major responsibility for determining the education of children? Plato thought it was the <i>polis</i>, or city state, a conviction echoed by Aristotle and many others down through the centuries. However, following the example of our Jewish forebears, our Christian faith tells us something different, as affirmed in the Scriptures (e.g., Psalm 78:4-8; 145:4). <i>Christian Courier</i> has now posted my own thoughts on the subject: <a href="https://www.christiancourier.ca/parental-rights/" target="_blank">Parental rights</a>. An excerpt:<p></p><p></p><blockquote><p>Recently the Canadian media have been puzzling over the notion of
parental rights, a concept they appear to regard as strange and unusual.
Generally, the commentators take a condescending tone, assuming that
all right-thinking Canadians would naturally defer to their betters in
the provincial public education bureaucracy. The flurry of articles
surrounding parental rights has come in response to the 1 Million March 4
Children protest in September, which the media have portrayed in a
largely negative light, depicting the protesters as disseminators of
hate.</p><p>In a secularized Canada such caricatures are not unusual, but they are certainly unfair.</p></blockquote><p></p><p><a href="https://www.christiancourier.ca/parental-rights/" target="_blank">Read here for more</a>. <br /></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-33450580416435245802023-11-20T11:58:00.002-05:002023-11-21T08:19:30.572-05:00Why Ayaan Hirsi Ali is now a Christian<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeonCmTbrNnXnWAnh9aEo_89H0LKtAhLQZuUSoOXaXQjAP8ffsrkVUrW-w_kWIoXsWBOFP50rt0f7VZyhQ57AnZdJWTQI6HAEmmUzR_xY4FUNtp4BPQp4KaibR2_8FrScpaUnw28izm1vHwzYdvIq5h-7zSLa-t05IwW1Eq08SVpld7dapIU_mQA/s447/ayaanhirsiali.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="435" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeonCmTbrNnXnWAnh9aEo_89H0LKtAhLQZuUSoOXaXQjAP8ffsrkVUrW-w_kWIoXsWBOFP50rt0f7VZyhQ57AnZdJWTQI6HAEmmUzR_xY4FUNtp4BPQp4KaibR2_8FrScpaUnw28izm1vHwzYdvIq5h-7zSLa-t05IwW1Eq08SVpld7dapIU_mQA/w247-h255/ayaanhirsiali.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>I love to read conversion stories. Decades ago, I read John Henry Newman's <i><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/19690/19690-h/19690-h.htm" target="_blank">Apologia Pro Vita Sua</a></i> in which the 19th-century cleric and Oxford Movement luminary recounted his departure from the Church of England for Roman Catholicism. Many of us know C. S. Lewis's story of his own conversion to Christianity in <i><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Surprised-Joy-Shape-Early-Life/dp/0062565435" target="_blank">Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life</a></i>. However, there are few available stories of Muslims or ex-Muslims converting to Christianity, mostly because abandoning Islam is a punishable offence in many predominantly Muslim countries. There are indeed such converts, but for obvious reasons they prefer to keep a low profile. <br /><p></p><p>Earlier this month, Ayaan Hirsi Ali put aside such reticence and published this statement: <a href="https://unherd.com/2023/11/why-i-am-now-a-christian/" target="_blank">Why I am now a Christian</a>. Ali's story may not be familiar to everyone, but here are the basics: Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, to a politically active father who fell afoul of the Marxist regime, she and her family moved to Nairobi, Kenya. After fleeing a forced marriage, she wound up in the Netherlands in her early twenties. She became a Dutch citizen and even served in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament before moving to the United States and becoming an American citizen. By the turn of the millennium she declared herself to be an atheist, having become disillusioned with her Muslim upbringing.</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p></p><blockquote><p>During Islamic study sessions, we shared with the preacher in charge of the session our worries. For instance, what should we do about the friends we loved and felt loyal to but who refused to accept our <i>dawa</i> (invitation to the faith)? In response, we were reminded repeatedly about the clarity of the Prophet’s instructions. We were told in no uncertain terms that we could not be loyal to Allah and Muhammad while also maintaining friendships and loyalty towards the unbelievers. If they explicitly rejected our summons to Islam, we were to hate and curse them.<br /><br />Here, a special hatred was reserved for one subset of unbeliever: the Jew. We cursed the Jews [<i>sic]</i> multiple times a day and expressed horror, disgust and anger at the litany of offences he had allegedly committed. The Jew had betrayed our Prophet. He had occupied the Holy Mosque in Jerusalem. He continued to spread corruption of the heart, mind and soul.</p><p>You can see why, to someone who had been through such a religious schooling, atheism seemed so appealing.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>The 9/11 attacks in 2001 played a large part in moving her to atheism. But now she claims to be a Christian! Why?</p><p></p><blockquote><p>Part of the answer is global. Western civilisation is under threat
from three different but related forces: the resurgence of great-power
authoritarianism and expansionism in the forms of the Chinese Communist
Party and Vladimir Putin’s Russia; the rise of global Islamism, which
threatens to mobilise a vast population against the West; and the viral
spread of woke ideology, which is eating into the moral fibre of the
next generation.</p>
<p>We endeavour to fend off these threats with modern, secular tools:
military, economic, diplomatic and technological efforts to defeat,
bribe, persuade, appease or surveil. And yet, with every round of
conflict, we find ourselves losing ground. We are either running out of
money, with our national debt in the tens of trillions of dollars, or we
are losing our lead in the technological race with China.</p>
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<p>But we can’t fight off these formidable forces unless we can answer
the question: what is it that unites us? The response that “God is
dead!” seems insufficient. So, too, does the attempt to find solace in
“the rules-based liberal international order”. The only credible answer,
I believe, lies in our desire to uphold the legacy of the
Judeo-Christian tradition.</p></blockquote><p>Conspicuously lacking from Ali's autobiography is a personal encounter with the living God in the person of Jesus Christ, along with a recognition of her own sin and need for repentance. Her principal reason for conversion is overtly utilitarian: Christianity is the basis for western civilization with all its "elaborate set of ideas and institutions designed to safeguard human
life, freedom and dignity — from the nation state and the rule of law to
the institutions of science, health and learning." Ali doubts that the west can survive cut off from its Judeo-Christian foundation.</p><p>When I was younger, I would have been more critical of someone embracing Christianity for its usefulness in upholding order, human rights, or some other good unavailable elsewhere. Indeed I will admit that Ali is still at the beginning stages in her journey and that, as recounted in Jesus'<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew+13%3A1-9%2C+18-23&version=RSV" target="_blank"> parable of the sower</a>, she could fall away for lack of understanding, absence of roots, or preoccupation with "<span class="text Matt-13-22" id="en-RSV-23560">the cares of the world and the delight in riches</span>" (verse 22). Nevertheless, God's word may yet be firmly planted in her heart, leading her to bear fruit a hundredfold (verse 23). Whatever her reasons for becoming a Christian, I can now more easily recognize that God works through the worst of motives to bring his elect into his kingdom. For now I rejoice at this news and pray that the Holy Spirit will indeed move her heart towards saving faith.</p><p>That said, I cannot let this sentence pass without comment: "Unlike Islam, Christianity outgrew its dogmatic stage. It became increasingly clear that Christ’s teaching implied not only a circumscribed role for religion as something separate from politics. It also implied compassion for the sinner and humility for the believer." To be sure, a normative differentiation of society implies that state and gathered church community are distinct institutions with their own respective tasks and spheres of competence. Nevertheless, it is impossible to keep religion out of politics or any other area of life. Every activity we undertake is rooted in a basic worldview of a religious character. Or, as H. Evan Runner put it, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Life-Religion-Essays-Honor-Runner/dp/0888150369" target="_blank">life is religion</a>. Christianity does not prescribe a divided life, but an integral one lived <i>coram Deo</i>—before the face of God.</p><p>If Ali keeps to her new faith and does not fall away, by God's grace she will learn more about it and what it means, not just for western civilization, but for herself and for her local church community. She will pray daily, attend church regularly, and read through the Bible repeatedly, immersing herself in the word and ways of God. If so, I hope she will one day write her own counterpart to Newman's and Lewis's journeys of faith for the benefit of generations to come.</p><p></p><p></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-73416410318310846892023-11-17T10:51:00.000-05:002023-11-17T10:51:19.450-05:00November newsletter online<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZUQylaUr-wXK-esa-X6rGsxRzkTkgV8eBbvIjDYLPHzKIq6JbcBDUEClMa0ywjxG_GWxUskK1YuQ8Fs8IesnvaGTpiY8QM03m1uPlGLtCSmYuIdSkEQDIf1CTaxOFKet62O8rFJAZW133JySg1JBLfTt3pKIC1VCZqrR3Z7P0jjYfUhXPnECRg/s566/GSC-Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="566" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZUQylaUr-wXK-esa-X6rGsxRzkTkgV8eBbvIjDYLPHzKIq6JbcBDUEClMa0ywjxG_GWxUskK1YuQ8Fs8IesnvaGTpiY8QM03m1uPlGLtCSmYuIdSkEQDIf1CTaxOFKet62O8rFJAZW133JySg1JBLfTt3pKIC1VCZqrR3Z7P0jjYfUhXPnECRg/w200-h121/GSC-Logo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I have now posted my <a href="https://byzantinecalvinist.blogspot.com/p/november-2023-newsletter.html" target="_blank">Global Scholars Canada newsletter for November</a>. Included is a statement on terrorism, an address to a Latin American consultation on Christian higher education, an analysis of pro-life setbacks in the United States, and a brief update on my forthcoming book.<br /><p></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-42916614493528654582023-11-14T11:31:00.000-05:002023-11-14T11:31:06.345-05:00Where are the pro-life majorities?<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAhpJNPaEvsPVfwY65EEKxfQRbrbXo9rwHAOEUWIwePO9qvkyLDDFYCi0QDSANn2b4zWq12lz2lY_j-4FfbcxP3yfsvC_tUClEeB2zci9MjcTWUxqn6W8jXINcYKJEZxRu_vSwy33G3ue2APMHtS7kJ-zsPNs1stGKJKqvF8KNBmZLOC7AOzN8NA/s1536/pro-life%20majorities.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1536" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAhpJNPaEvsPVfwY65EEKxfQRbrbXo9rwHAOEUWIwePO9qvkyLDDFYCi0QDSANn2b4zWq12lz2lY_j-4FfbcxP3yfsvC_tUClEeB2zci9MjcTWUxqn6W8jXINcYKJEZxRu_vSwy33G3ue2APMHtS7kJ-zsPNs1stGKJKqvF8KNBmZLOC7AOzN8NA/s320/pro-life%20majorities.webp" width="320" /></a></i></div><i>Kuyperian Commentary</i> has published my latest piece, <a href="https://kuyperian.com/where-are-the-pro-life-majorities/" target="_blank">Where are the pro-life majorities?</a> In the wake of the recent poll in Ohio that entrenched abortion rights in the state constitution, some might wonder what happened to the pro-life cause, which many thought to have a demographic advantage. Here is an excerpt:<p></p><p></p><blockquote><p>Peter Berger once observed that, if Sweden is the most secular
country on earth and India is the most religious, America is a nation of
Indians ruled by Swedes. This saying is appealing to those who prefer
to think that their troubles can be attributed to unaccountable elites
who are out of tune with the people they lead.
</p><p>Yet this attitude fails to account for the complexities of human
nature and draws too drastic a line between leaders and led, much as
Marxists persist in positing a facile cleavage between oppressors and
oppressed when in reality, each of us is both oppressor and oppressed,
depending on the constantly shifting circumstances in which we find
ourselves. George Bernard Shaw’s wry observation is closer to the truth:
“Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than
we deserve.” Leaders and led are inextricably connected with each
other, and the gap between their respective worldviews is less than some
would prefer to believe.</p></blockquote><p><a href="https://kuyperian.com/where-are-the-pro-life-majorities/" target="_blank">Read the entire article here</a>. <br /></p><p></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311799.post-21691414145685530242023-10-30T15:48:00.001-04:002023-10-31T09:06:43.441-04:00Calling terrorism by name<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdGaOGRj1sMQgOVGiykYuqPprKht_skGW_yiuo9Os2MuAv1tu21HfYK7wh1nULacqmuCDW3C4W_NZG4uOxfaJpmT9D0UBO5mOTaatWj-Lt7_XoyIUXS39VB-sp9fQ53nSNUeuOni7dXVbcWfltkJEYQp0LvPJBa19HX_KxDQRr-D3xgHoFtGPWg/s600/raised%20fist.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="458" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdGaOGRj1sMQgOVGiykYuqPprKht_skGW_yiuo9Os2MuAv1tu21HfYK7wh1nULacqmuCDW3C4W_NZG4uOxfaJpmT9D0UBO5mOTaatWj-Lt7_XoyIUXS39VB-sp9fQ53nSNUeuOni7dXVbcWfltkJEYQp0LvPJBa19HX_KxDQRr-D3xgHoFtGPWg/w153-h200/raised%20fist.png" width="153" /></a></div>Black Lives Matter is an organization seeking to defend the rights of African Americans, prompted by the tragic deaths of George Floyd and others at the hands of police in major urban centres. Unfortunately, it has not limited itself to such cases, as <i>Newsweek</i> reports: <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/black-lives-matter-praises-hamas-sparks-backlash-1833630" target="_blank">Black Lives Matter Org Praises Hamas, Sparks Backlash</a>. After the recent horrific terrorist attack on innocent civilians, a Chicago chapter of BLM issued a statement supporting Hamas. Although the statement has since been deleted, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/10/11/blm-chicago-admits-it-isnt-proud-of-deleted-post-of-hamas-paraglider/" target="_blank">controversy continues</a>. Jonathan Greenblatt, head of the Anti-Defamation League, responded with outrage:<p></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p><p></p><blockquote>The post shared in recent days by BLM chapters in Chicago & LA & other fringe groups, glorifying the Hamas terrorists who used hang gliders to infiltrate Israel, slaughtering over 1,000 innocents, is beyond sick & twisted. It’s antisemitic, dehumanizing & could prompt violence.<br /><br />These were evil, ISIS-style terror attacks. They beheaded babies, butchered children & elderly, burned ppl, raped women & kidnapped at least 150 hostages. The depravity of the Hamas terrorists is not a surprise. The moral degeneracy of their accomplices in the West is staggering.</blockquote><p></p><p>For those who have made a study of political ideologies, BLM's response, as well as that of <a href="https://hamiltonindependent.ca/mcmaster-union-under-fire-for-comments-seemingly-expressing-support-for-hamas-terrorism/" target="_blank">McMaster University's CUPE Local 3906</a>, will not be unexpected. As <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Idols-Our-Time-Bob-Goudzwaard/dp/0877849706" target="_blank">Bob Goudzwaard</a> has pointed out, followers of an ideology put goals before principles. More familiar to us is the old adage that the end justifies the means, the appeal to which indicates that we have entered the realm of idolatry. A false god demands sacrifice, even human sacrifice, for the achievement of its overriding goal, whether it be perfect freedom, national liberation, the classless society, or, worst of all, outright genocide. </p><p>We should be able to admit that there is justice in the Palestinian cause. Because my paternal relatives were exiled from their homes during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus half a century ago, I easily sympathize with the plight of refugees. But the desire to eradicate Israel from the map can hardly measure up to any standard of justice and, if it were to be attempted, would amount to genocide. Those who lend aid and comfort to Hamas and deride Israel lopsidedly for its actions in Gaza should recall that Hamas, as a typical terrorist organization, cares little for the people it claims to defend. By hiding its own operatives amongst innocent civilians, it dares Israel to come after it at the risk of harming ordinary Gazans, hoping that the world will blame Israel rather than Hamas. Sad to say, too many observers readily fall for this ploy.<br /></p><p>I am not a supporter of many Israeli policies, especially allowing Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which harm the chances for peace. But even if Israel were to end this misguided policy, as so many of us wish it would, it is doubtful that Hamas and its sister organizations would abandon their goal of eradicating it from the map. We need to keep this in mind as we assess the current crisis and recognize Hamas's actions for what they are—terrorism.<br /></p>David Koyzishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994743332307454241noreply@blogger.com2