CHURCH HISTORY - Not all that sparkles is cubic zirconium!

HT: Blogotional

Good friend John Brown at Scotwise has a comprehensive abstract of the great American churchman Jonathon Edwards, and contrasts this great church leader with a contemporary …

Max Jukes, the atheist, lived a godless life. He married an ungodly girl, and from the union there were 310 who died as paupers, 150 were criminals, 7 were murderers, 100 were drunkards, and more than half of the women were prostitutes. His 540 descendants cost the State one and a quarter million dollars.

John contrasts Jukes with the record of the great American man of God, Jonathan Edwards; evidently "he lived at the same time as Max Jukes, but he married a godly girl."

An investigation was made of 1,394 known descendants of Jonathan Edwards of which 13 became college presidents, 65 college professors, 3 United States senators, 30 judges, 100 lawyers, 60 physicians, 75 army and navy officers, 100 preachers and missionaries, 60 authors of prominence, one a vice-president of the United States, 80 became public officials in other capacities, 295 college graduates, among whom were governors of states and ministers to foreign countries. His descendants did not cost the state a single penny.

I love this for the message it sends, it does encourage us to live a godly life and marry a "godly girl" for our descendents sake at least … but being the realist that I am ...

But consider this: there are more than 650 liberal leftist college presidents in our nation who openly oppose our Judeo-Christian worldview; we're now fighting activist judges over Kingdom issues; of the most problematic and obstructionist professionals in our society today are senators, lawyers, former presidents and vice-presidents, and hundreds of college graduates ... many of whom claim a relationship with the Risen Lamb of God.

And consider this: almost all of the signers of the Declaration of Independence died paupers

, Chuck Colsen of Prison Fellowship is a convicted felon, both David and Paul were murderers, I am an alcoholic (“Big deal” you say; well it’s a big deal to me!), and it is believed by most that Mary of Magdalene was a prostitute.

I only add this to the discussion because it is important for people of the faith to remember it's not who we were that matters, it’s who we are …

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

[2 Cor 5:17]