Modern Church

Satan is Joining Churches – Vance Havner

Satan is not fighting churches; he is joining them. He does more harm by sowing tares than by pulling up wheat. He accomplishes more by imitation than by outright opposition.

– Vance Havner –

No Hope for Revival? – Lester Roloff

I see no hope for a revival among God´s people today. They are so enamored and so cluttered up with Hollywood and newspapers and magazines and parties and bowling alleys and camping trips and everything else. How in the world are they going to get still long enough to see anything from God?

– Lester Roloff –

Paying or Praying – Leonard Ravenhill

Can any deny that in the modern church setup the main cause of anxiety is money? Yet that which tries the modern churches the most, troubled the New Testament Church the least. Our accent is on paying; theirs was on praying. When we have paid, the place is taken; when they had prayed, the place was shaken!

– Leonard Ravenhill –

Reading William Gurnall – JC Ryle

For my own part, I can only say that I read everything I can get hold of which professes to throw light on my Master’s business, and the work of Christ among men. But, the more I read, the less I admire modern theology. The more I study the productions of the new schools of theological teachers, the more I marvel that men and women can be satisfied with such writings. There is a vagueness, a mistiness, a shallowness, an indistinctness, a superficiality, an aimlessness, a hollowness about the literature of the “broader and kinder systems”, as they are called, which to my mind stamps their origin on their face. They are of the earth, earthy. I find more of definite soul-satisfying thought in one page of Gurnall than in five pages of such books as the leaders of the so-called “Broad Church School” put forth. In matters of theology, the old is better.

– JC Ryle –
talking about William Gurnall’s book, “The Christian In Complete Armour” (dated April 23, 1864)

Holy Spirit Imparts – DL Moody

The Spirit of God first imparts love; he next inspires hope, and then gives liberty; and that is about the last thing we have in many of our churches.

– Dwight L. Moody –