Western Europe was shaken to the heart in the eleventh century by the investiture conflict. It saw kings humbled by popes, popes driven out by kings, wars between armies, dissensions within the church, and, ultimately, a new Europe.

A theological dispute pulsed at the center of the conflict. To understand it, we have to step back even further in time to the development of feudalism. The Roman Empire’s disintegration in the West, from the fifth century on, gave birth to a new social landscape, where ownership of land rather than money or political office was all-important. More-powerful figures made grants of land to lesser figures, who in turn swore personal loyalty to their superiors. The Latin for “grant” is feudum — hence “feudalism.” At the top of this chain of “land and loyalty” were the king and his chief nobles. At the bottom were the peasants. In between were layers of lesser figures: minor nobles, local knights.

This social structure of “land and loyalty” had a transforming impact on the church. A local landowner would build the local church or monastery on his own land at his own expense. It was only by grant from the local lord that the church’s land and landed property (for example, the manse) belonged to the clergy. Perhaps naturally, the lord saw it as his right to choose who would manage the local ecclesiastical property as priest, bishop, or abbot.

Feudalism therefore killed the ancient tradition of clergy being elected by church members and bishops being elected by clergy and people together. When the supreme feudal lord, the king — who was, of course, a layman — appointed or “invested” the man of his choosing as a bishop or abbot, this was called “lay investiture.” It took place through a ceremony in which the king bestowed on the bishop or abbot his ring and staff, the symbols of spiritual office. The bishop or abbot then swore loyalty to the king as his lord.

Not everyone, however, was happy with a feudalized church. In the mideleventh century, the papacy began to recover its integrity and power after a long, dismal period of corruption and impotence. A series of reforming popes, backed by a strong party in the church, made the papal court once again a body to be honored and feared. The dominant genius of this reform was a Tuscan of lowly birth named Hildebrand. After administering with brilliance various positions of trust under the reforming popes, he was himself elected pope by popular acclaim in 1073. He took the name Gregory VII . The reform movement he masterminded is known either as the Hildebrandine or Gregorian reform.

Hildebrand saw life in military terms — as a raging conflict between light and darkness. The chief agents of darkness were the secular rulers — the counts, dukes, princes, and kings. They were nothing but glorified thugs, who oppressed the poor and filled the earth with injustice. To bring about justice, the agents of light — the church, headed by the papacy

most famous member was William Wilberforce, who wrote a popular book titled Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians in the Higher and Middle Classes in this Country Contrasted with Real Christianity, a best-seller for forty years. He was such a dominant member of Parliament that his seat went unopposed for twenty-three years. He gave most of his energies to the abolition of the slave trade, which occurred in 1807, and to the complete abolition of slavery throughout the British empire, which was achieved the year he died in 1833. He was a leader in the founding of the British and Foreign Bible Society (1804) and the Church Missionary Society (1799). As has been said of him, few have achieved more for the benefit of mankind.

The year before Wilberforce’s death, William Gladstone entered Parliament, and his first speech was mainly an attack on slavery. He went on to become prime minister four times. Early in his life he had considered entering the ministry. The title of one of his books was The Impregnable Rock of Holy Scripture.

Born the same year as Gladstone (1809) was someone who would end slavery on the other side of the Atlantic, Abraham Lincoln. After unpromising early years, he was driven by the anguish of his burdens to increased amounts of time in Bible study and prayer, with many scholars calling him “our most religious president.” He has been named “the theologian of American destiny.”

The seventeenth century English Puritan movement had a marvelous pamphleteer in John Milton, who, like Gladstone, had considered going into the ministry before resolving to be a poet. His Paradise Lost is regarded as the greatest epic poem in the English language. He was, however, a better poet than a theologian.

Another giant of English letters, C.S. Lewis, who wrote A Preface to Paradise Lost, acknowledged that Milton’s version of the Fall was substantially that of Augustine and of the church as a whole. Also a layman, Lewis became recognized as one of the greatest Christian apologists of the twentieth century. It has been claimed that his wartime radio broadcast talks in Britain on Christianity made his voice recognition second only to that of Churchill.

Blaise Pascal was another fine lay apologist for the faith, possessing one of the greatest intellects ever to grace the French scene. A mathematical prodigy, he invented a calculating machine at age nineteen. After his conversion in 1654, he set about preparing an Apology for the Christian Religion. But it was never completed, for he died at thirty-nine. The notes he left were published later as the Pensées (“Thoughts”). The Pensées have remained popular not only for their apologetic and literary value but as a devotional classic, another of which was likewise a posthumous collection printed under the title of The Practice of the Presence of God. This is composed of conversations and letters of Nicolas Herman, Pascal’s French Catholic contemporary, who in 1666 became a lay brother of the barefooted Carmelites in Paris and was

in the life of the believer. While preserving the “mystery” of His work, it brings to light many aspects of the Spirit that are vital for all believers to know and understand.

1989

Surprised by Suffering. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. Republished by Reformation Trust in 2009. God promises in His Word that difficult times will come upon us, but He also promises that He allows suffering for our good and His glory, and He will never give us more than we can bear with His help. In this classic book, R.C. Sproul offers solid biblical counsel and comfort for those undergoing suffering and for those who minister to the suffering, counsel that helps believers stand in times of trial with faith in a God who is both loving and good.

1988

Pleasing God. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. Republished by David C. Cook in 2012. In this book, R.C. Sproul delivers an in-depth look at God’s plan and pathway for spiritual maturity. Clearing away the confusion of religion and dogma, he reveals how every believer can experience authentic, lasting life change through a relationship with God.

1987

One Holy Passion. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. Republished by Servant in 1995 under the title The Character of God, by Regal in 2003, and by Regal in 2008 under the title Discovering the God Who Is. The believer’s quest to know God the Father is the basis of this study of His biblically revealed attributes and characteristics.

1986

Chosen by God. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. One of Ligonier’s most significant and popular books, R.C. Sproul shows how election is entirely compatible with human freedom, dignity, and responsibility.

Lifeviews. Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H. Revell, A Division of Baker Book House. Republished in 2019 under the title Making a Difference. This book is a layman’s guide to understanding the many non-Christian philosophies and attitudes that affect and influence our contemporary culture.

1985

The Holiness of God. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. Now celebrating more than 25 years of publication, this classic can help you better understand the biblical picture of God’s awesome holiness and why it is so foundational to God-centered, God-honoring theology and Christian living.

1984

Classical Apologetics. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Drs. R.C. Sproul, John Gerstner, and Arthur Lindsley provide a rational defense of Christianity and a friendly refutation of Cornelius Van Til’s presuppositional apologetics.

Effective Prayer. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. Republished in 1991 by Tyndale House as part of Following Christ. Later republished in 2009 by Reformation Trust under the title Does Prayer Change Things?. This short book is an introduction to the biblical doctrine concerning prayer, its purpose, practice, and power.

God’s Will and the Christian. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. Republished in 1991 by Tyndale House as part of Following Christ. Later republished in 2009 by Reformation Trust under the title Can I Know God’s Will? This short book helps those who are seeking to discover God’s will for their life, with a specific focus on issues such as careers and spouses.

*Johnny Come

Purchasing power is the number of goods or services that can be purchased with a unit of currency. When I was a young boy growing up in rural Michigan, currency was scarce. If I was ever fortunate enough to get my hands on a doll ar, I felt I had the world at my disposal. I would run to the local store and experience real purchasing power. In those days, the stores were stocked with penny candy and one could buy a bottle of Coca-Cola for a dime. Those were the days. I recall my mother driving up to the gas station and saying to the attendant (yes, the gas stations had attendants back then): “Two dollars regular, please.” Gas was ten cents a gallon. Back then we had greater purchasing power. As the older generation is fond of saying today, “A dollar just ain’t what it used to be.”

I have since learned that purchasing power can fluctuate. What you are able to afford with a dollar today, you may not be able to afford tomorrow. Many factors affect purchasing power, such as inflation and erratic swings in the stock market, even if one is in a remote part of the world. All of these and more can affect our purchasing power and cause the value of the currency in our hands to go up or down.

But unlike money, the blood of Christ has purchasing power that is not affected by inflation or erratic swings in the stock market. This power does not fluctuate depending on where you are in the world.

To go to certain parts of the world is to understand the fluctuations in the value of a dollar. The U.S. dollar will buy you more in Canada than it will in the Grand Cayman. Yet the purchasing power and value of the blood of Jesus is the same wherever it goes. Our Lord’s blood has the same purchasing power in Dallas as it has in Darfur. It is purchasing in Singapore the same thing it is purchasing in Switzerland. From East Point to East India, our Lord’s blood has made eternal purchases.

What did Jesus purchase? Or better yet, the question should be, whom did Jesus purchase? According to Acts 20:28, He purchased the church. According to Scripture, the apostle Paul, on the eve of his departure from Ephesus, gathered the elders together and encouraged them to “pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained [litera lly, purchased] with his own blood.”

The Bible reminds us that Jesus purchased a people for His own possession. We understand the nature of possessions. When we purchase something, we expect to take possession of it. We own it. No longer does it belong to the seller. Even when we buy things with credit, like houses and cars, even though we don’t really own them and are making payments on them, we treat them

at the end. This little book now takes its place with the classics on prayer.

--Dr. Mark Dever Senior pastor Capitol Hill Baptist Church Washington, D.C.

Gospel-driven disciple-making in the church has historically made full use of the Apostles' Creed, the Law of God, and the Lord's Prayer. Now through this marvelous and insightful exposition of the Lord's Prayer, R.C. has provided disciple-making Christians and churches an excellent and useful instrument to direct and fulfill the heart's desire of every believer who would cry out, "Lord, teach us to pray."

--Dr. Harry L. Reeder, III Pastor/teacher Briarwood Presbyterian Church Birmingham, Alabama

Dr. R.C. Sproul was my first theology teacher. As a new Christian, I learned a ton of theology, philosophy, and church history while listening to the Renewing Your Mind radio broadcast. Now, in The Prayer of the Lord, Dr. Sproul brings his considerable theological, philosophical, and historical gifts and resources to bear on the vital subject of prayer. A subject of such great importance deserves a teacher of such great skill. In addition to all the other things Dr. Sproul has taught me, it is a privilege to have him guide me through our Savior's priorities in prayer. Read this short book and have a pattern for a life of prayer unfolded before you.

--Rev. Thabiti Anyabwile Senior pastor First Baptist Church Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

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Excerpts

Page 4 - We're not all that adept at prayer; it is a practice very few of us have mastered. We find it difficult to articulate our deepest feelings and our deepest concerns to God. Yet God is pleased to give His Holy Spirit to assist us in expressing ourselves to the Father in prayer.

Page 6 - The disciples were looking for instructions on how to pray, but the first thing Jesus chose to tell them was how not to pray.

Page 10 - We must not regard prayer as some kind of magical incantation, for that is how pagans pray. They recite meaningless phrases over and over again, with no understanding of what the words mean. In these contexts, prayers are used as mantras, with the hope that they will change the environment or the circumstances in which a person lives. New Age thinking is filled with this type of thing.

Page 11 - Jesus did not give the Lord's Prayer with the intention that it would be repeated mindlessly. When we pray the Lord's Prayer, we need to pray it thoughtfully, giving attention in our minds to its content. It is not a mantra to be repeated without the engagement of the mind or heart. It is an example of godly prayer.

Page 13 - One of the most frequently asked questions in the theology of prayer is, "Does prayer change things?" The answer is evident. The New Testament makes it clear that prayer changes all kinds of things. . . . But the most important thing it changes is us. As we engage in this communion with God more deeply

Tragically, the holiness of God has been obscured in our time, and as a result, the church's doctrine and ethics have been tarnished, entertainment has replaced worship in many places, the gospel is misunderstood and neglected, and the church assimilates itself to the culture instead of seeking to transform it through the preaching of God's Word. Holy, Holy, Holy: Proclaiming the Perfections of God is adapted from the addresses at the 2009 Ligonier Ministries National Conference. It unfolds the character of God and the holiness that sets Him apart. Here is high theology in understandable language, bringing deeper knowledge of God and promoting love for Him.

Contributors

Rev. Thabiti Anybwile, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman

Dr. Alistair Begg, senior pastor of Parkside Church in Chagrin Falls, Ohio

Dr. D.A. Carson, research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity Schoo in Deerfield, Illinois

Dr. Sinclair Ferguson, senior minister of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina

Dr. W. Robert Godfrey, president of Westminster Seminary California in Escondido, California

Dr. Steven J. Lawson, senior pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama

Dr. R.C. Sproul, chairman and president of Ligonier Ministries and minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's in Sanford, Florida

Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr., founder, chairman, and teacher at Highlands Ministries and a teaching fellow of Ligonier Ministries

Dr. Derek W.H. Thomas, professor of practical and systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, and minister of teaching at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi

Excerpts

Pages 10 & 11 from R.C. Sproul's chapter entitled "I Am The Lord: The Only God"

Immediately after the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, bumper stickers appeared saying, “God bless America.” At the same time, it seemed as if everyone in the world asked me as a theologian, “Where was God on 9/11?” I said: “He was in the same place he was on 9/10 and on 9/12. He didn’t move.” They would then ask, “How can God allow these things to happen?” Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell unwisely said that the destruction the terrorists wreaked was the judgment of God on the United States. The hue and cry of the people of this country and the news media was so severe that Robertson and Falwell recanted their statements. It was unthinkable to the American people that God could have had anything to do with that calamity. We are a people who believe that God can bless a nation, but we refuse to accept the idea that God can judge a nation.

The reason for that dichotomy, I believe, is that we don’t know who God is. The God of popular religion is not holy. He is not the God who is introduced here in Isaiah, the God who brings the bull market and the bear market, who raises up kings and brings them down.

Page 14 from Sinclair Ferguson's chapter entitled "Hallowed Be Your Name: The Holiness Of The Father"

In many ways, it would be much easier to write about the holiness of God, about which the Scriptures have a great

Thabiti Anyabwile, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands began our Being a Christian in a Post-Christian Culture conference with his lecture “When the Foundations are Destroyed.” Traveling recently, Anyabwile noted how he has witnessed the world going on about its business, conceiving of this life as the only life that there is, and worried little about the foundations of society. Among American evangelicals, however, there is great concern about the foundations of our society, with lamentation over the erosion of Western culture and its biblical moorings.

But, Anyabwile noted, the question of foundations is an important one. This question is discussed in Psalm 11, and it is vital that we consider the topic from the perspective of God’s inspired Word. There are two persons and two concerns in this psalm. One is David, the great shepherd-king of Israel. The other person is not named, but he is asking questions of David.

David speaks in verse 1 with confidence in the Lord, and his dialogue partner responds in verses 2–3 with questions about foundations and the righteous. The questions surprise David; it is almost as if his response to his dialogue partners is “on what grounds do you declare that the foundations are being destroyed and ask what the righteous can do? What are you talking about? What do you mean?” David is surprised because his trust is in the Lord (v. 1). Beneath the questions of David’s friend, then, is a certain kind of unbelief, a certain kind of fear. David does not have this concern or anxiety.

Nevertheless, when God’s people see the wicked prosper and the righteous plundered, there is a temptation to believe all is lost, that the foundations are being destroyed and that ground is being lost to the unrighteous. Habakkuk wondered how long he must cry for help (Hab. 1). Elijah worried that he alone was faithful (1 Kings 19). As the hymn The Church’s One Foundation says, there are heresies around us and the saints ask, “How long, oh Lord?” until all is made right. It is peculiar thing throughout the history that the people look out on the world and seem to see the cause of injustice and unrighteousness prevailing instead of the plans of God.

Two Main Concerns and Four Foundational Attacks

The concerns expressed in the psalm are twofold. There is fear for the safety of the righteous in a perilous age: “Flee like a bird to your mountain” (Ps. 11:1). He also fears for the safety of the society. If even the greatest building is not erected on a solid foundation, it will fall. The person in the psalm is concerned about society as a whole. The wicked inmates are running the asylum, so how can the people of God and the kingdom of God stand? (vv. 2–3).

How does this apply in our own day? Today, there are four attacks that we see chipping away at the foundations upon which we build our lives. We have attacks on the ontological foundations