The Riddleblog

Here’s a military/history question for you . . .

What was the single biggest military engagement in American history? A couple of famous battles come to mind: Gettysburg, The Battle of the Bulge, D-Day. None of these come even close to the massive size of this battle, which dwarfs them all. Any guesses?

A follow-up: the American army which fought in this battle was led by the “General of the Armies,” (sometimes incorrectly described as a “six-star” general), the highest rank awarded in the American military. Who was he?

To see the answer, follow the link below.

History and CultureKim RiddlebargerNovember 2, 2021Meuse-Argonne, John J. PershingComment

Kevin DeYoung Interviews Allen Guelzo

Kevin DeYoung interviews Allen Guelzo regarding his new book on Robert E. Lee. Outstanding! DeYoung asks great questions, and Guelzo gives great answers. Well-worth your time.

To Listen, follow the link below.

History and Culture, Book ReviewsKim RiddlebargerOctober 9, 2021Allen Guelzo, Robert E. Lee, Kevin DeYoungComment

Musings . . .

God told me to tell you to read, R. S. Clark on the Dangers of "God Told Me"

Sen. Ben Sasse on Tech Disruption, Political Addiction, and the Loss of Community. Sen Sasse is my go-to guy on these issues.

Guelzo's book on Robert E. Lee is finally here! Guelzo is the right historian to tell the story of the “Marble Man” in the post-Charlottesville era. I can’t wait to read it

Athanasius on the Death of Arius:

Granted, there is certainly a perverse temptation to take delight in the affliction experienced by others. But when it comes to the fall of an arch-enemy of the gospel, there is a slight measure of satisfaction when justice finally prevails. It falls to Athanasius to inform us of manner of Arius’ death, the very night before Arius was to be ordained as Bishop.

“When the Bishop Alexander heard this (that Arius had under oath declared that he held the right faith) he was greatly distressed, and entering into the church stretched forth his hands unto God, and bewailed himself; and casting himself upon his face in the chancel, he prayed laying on the pavement . . . . `If Arius is brought to communion tomorrow let me, Thy servant depart, and destroy not the pious with the impious; but if Thou wilt spare Thy Church . . . . take off Arius, lest if he enter into the Church, and the heresy also may seem to enter with him, and henceforth impiety may be accounted for piety.’ When the Bishop had thus prayed, he retired with great anxiety, and a wonderful and extraordinary circumstance took place. . . . Arius . . . talked very wildly, [but] urged by the necessities of nature withdrew, and suddenly, in the language of Scripture, `falling headlong he burst asunder in the midst,' and immediately expired as he lay, and was deprived both of communion and of his life together. Such has been the end of Arius” (Athanasius, “To Serapion, Concerning the Death of Arius,” in NPNF, Vol. IV. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1978), 564 ff.)

Athanasius, no doubt, felt a measure of divine vindication. “The antichristian gang of the Arian madmen has been shewn to be unpleasing to God and impious.”

Reformed Resources, History and Culture, MusingsKim RiddlebargerOctober 2, 2021Race and racism, God told me, R. E. Lee, Allen GuelzoComment

Some Thoughts on a Friday -- Mostly About Books

Thanks so much to the folks at Banner of Truth for reprinting Louis Berkhof’s venerable Systematic Theology. Not only does this volume include Berkhof’s Introduction to Systematic Theology, (a full book in its own right) but the entire volume has been given a refreshed typeset. I’m thrilled. I have used it constantly for the last forty years. My current copy is falling apart. Hope this one has a good binding and will lie flat when open. You can get it here: New Edition of Berkhof's Systematic Theology

To read the rest, follow the link below

I Was on the Hood Grace Podcast

I was a recent guest on Rudy Rubio’s Hood Grace Podcast. We talked about how confessional Reformed theology actually works well for urban church planting (in L.A. suburbs of Lynwood and Compton. Who’d have thunk?

Hood Grace Podcast With Rev. Rudy Rubio with KR as Guest

eschatology, Amillennialism, History and CultureKim RiddlebargerAugust 13, 2021Hood Grace PodcastingComment

One Way to Cope in an Age of Rage

We live in an age of rage.

We see or experience it in the near-constant sniping, tribalism, outrage, and character assassination which dominates much of social media. Much of our rage stems from the past year’s Covid lock-downs—the pent up frustration with health “experts” changing their minds on a daily basis, in governmental malfeasance and power-grabs, in being cooped-up at home with screaming kids, trying to simultaneously teach them while attempting to work from home and communicate with our fellow cooped-up and frustrated co-workers via Zoom.

Then there is the ease at which you can scream at someone from the safety of your keyboard and smart phone without ever knowing or speaking face-to-face with the person about whom you assume the worst. Keyboard cowardism pre-dates Covid, as does the phenomena of the “internet expert” who, because they can write creatively, encourage their readers to join their foil-hat conspiracy theory and then vent their fury at those who are not taken in by contrived “evidence.”

Our culture of rage has only gotten worse. The news is filled with people who attack (sometimes physically and violently) retailers, food servers, and others who we do see face to face—those we encounter who want us masked, or unmasked, vaccinated or unvaccinated, who think the worst of us if we mask, or go about our business unmasked. What previous generations of Americans saw as being a good citizen (comply with government edicts about public health) is now a way to express one’s tribal and political identity, with little or no regard for fellow citizens.

To read the rest of this essay, follow the link below

Athanasius on the 70 Weeks of Daniel -- A Fulfilled Messianic Prophecy

I’ve been reading through Athanasius’ classic text, On the Incarnation. In Section 39, Athanasius is marshaling evidence from fulfilled prophecy to confirm the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is primarily concerned with responding to Jews who do not believe that Jesus is God incarnate when the evidence from their own prophets indicates otherwise.

Athanasius writes,

On but perhaps, not even themselves being able to fight against obvious truths, they will not deny what is written, but will positively assert that they are expecting these things, and that God the Word has not yet come. For this is their common and continual talk, nor do they blush to fly in the face of obvious facts.

To build his case, he introduces Daniel 9:24-27 as an example of an Old Testament prophecy which confirms that Israel’s prophets foretold of the coming Messiah.

But on this point the more especially shall they [the Jews] be confuted, not by us, but by the most wise Daniel, who indicates both the present time and the Divine manifestation of the Saviour, saying: ‘Seventy weeks are cut short upon thy people and upon the holy city, to make a full end of sin, and for sins to be sealed up, and to expunge iniquities, and to make propitiation for iniquities, and to bring eternal righteousness, and to seal vision and prophet, and to anoint the All-Holy One; and thou shalt know and understand from the going forth of the word to answer, and build Jerusalem until Christ the Chief.’

There are some interesting points as well as significant omissions made here.

To read the rest of Athanasius’s discussion of the seventy weeks prophecy, follow the link below

S. P. 18 Lives! In Durango, Colorado of all Places

If you’ve driven US 395 and gone through Independence, CA, the route many Southern Californians take to the Eastern Sierras and Mammoth Lakes, you may recall the Narrow Gauge locomotive exhibit in Doheny Park. Number 18 was moved there in 1955 when the Southern Pacific Narrow gauge line gave up its aging steam engines for diesel. The line eventually closed in 1960.

It was a familiar sight and has fond memories in Riddlebarger history. Back in 2013, I posted this on the old Riddleblog. US 395 and the Southern Pacific Narrow Gauge Railroad.

To see the video and read the rest, follow the link below

History and CultureKim RiddlebargerJuly 19, 2021SP # 18 Comment

Macabre But Fascinating -- Victorian Era Home Decoration for a Funeral

There is a fascinating photo essay on preparing the Victorian-era home for a funeral posted on Billion Graves. The essay is simultaneously macabre and fascinating. Posing the dead (sometimes posing with the dead), decorating and displaying locks of hair from the deceased, shrouding mirrors, mantles, and doorways in black, hanging wreathes and crepe throughout the home. Well worth checking out. Preparing the Victorian Era Home for a Funeral.

To check out the rest of the essay, follow the link below

History and CultureKim RiddlebargerJuly 14, 2021victorian funeralsComment