John Mcgill

“All questions of faith and conduct are subject to the scrutiny of the Bible, so that items of theological belief must have either explicit or implicit biblical support or be dismissed.7”
― Stanley M. Horton, Systematic Theology: Revised Edition

“The ecclesiastical governors of the Christians were taught to unite the wisdom of the serpent with the innocence of the dove; but as the former was refined, so the latter was insensibly corrupted, by the habits of government. In the church as well as in the world, the persons who were placed in any public station rendered themselves considerable by their eloquence and firmness, by their knowledge of mankind, and by their dexterity in business; and while they concealed from others, and perhaps from themselves, the secret motives of their conduct, they too frequently relapsed into all the turbulent passions of active life, which were tinctured with an additional degree of bitterness and obstinacy from the infusion of spiritual zeal.”
― Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Volume I

“Sometimes celebrating, enjoying, and laughing seem almost inappropriate in a world as broken as ours. We look around and see panic on the faces of everyone we see. Tragedies become ordinary. How, in good conscience, can we laugh and celebrate and eat pizza? I believe we must celebrate - because celebration is one of the most effective weapons we have against the darkness of our day. The real grief of the state of our world is the pervasive fear that settles in our hearts.”
― Sally Clarkson, The Lifegiving Table: Nurturing Faith through Feasting, One Meal at a Time

“So savor a delicious meal, not just for itself, but as a gift from God. Be carried away by powerful music as an anticipation of the music of heaven. Be enticed by the smell of the sea, the scent of a flower. Be seduced by the caresses and kisses of your spouse. Enjoy these moments of bliss as God's gift that opens a brief glimpse of the utter ecstasy to come when we live in God's glorious presence.”
― Tremper Longman III, Breaking the Idols of Your Heart: How to Navigate the Temptations of Life