Brown of Edinburgh on 1 Peter 4:9: hospitality offered grudgingly loses more than half its value. Good deeds are acceptable to God only when they embody love; gratifying to recipients only when they appear to. God sees the intent; the recipient feels what is projected. One wonders what charity projects when dispensed with visible contempt for the undeserving.

#presbyterian #hospitality #deservingpoor #charity #godliness #bible

#RawStory 6:23pm ET May 29, 2026

'Paxton→cooked': Eyes widen as new polls add to #GOP's worst fears in #Texas

Per newest #poll from #TexasPublicOpinionResearch, #Democrat state lawmaker & #Presbyterian minister #JamesTalarico is leading #Republican state AG #KenPaxton 47 to 43 — notably, being 1 of first polls 2 show Talarico relatively close 2 the 50% threshold, meaning Republicans would have 2 win very large majority of undecided voters to overcome this lead if true

https://www.rawstory.com/ken-paxton-2676974375/

Boardman—Presbyterian, Philadelphia—describes John Howard’s mercy mission across Europe, city to city, until Howard dies of typhus contracted visiting a prison in what is now Ukraine. Paths still radiant with celestial light. One notes that figures currently described in celestial terms tend not to have acquired their reputation through prison visiting. Howard’s path remains unfashionable.

#christian #mercy #heroes #faith #presbyterian

Hildersham—Puritan, expounding Psalm 51—identifies reluctance to give to the poor as a faith problem. If you genuinely believed God’s promises, giving would present no difficulty. Preachers regularly deploy “if you truly believed, you would” for tithing and attendance. Curiously rarely for the poor. Hildersham would have found that selective.

#puritan #values #faith #presbyterian #giving

Justin Perkins—Presbyterian missionary to Persia, not a man without evangelistic credentials—makes an argument that should interest anyone whose primary concern is spreading Christianity. American slavery, he says, was not merely sinful but the single greatest human obstacle to that very project. One notes that some Christians prefer a gospel uncomplicated by current issues. Perkins suggests that in his era, ignoring the obstacle didn’t make it less obstructive.

#gospel #justice #presbyterian

Sibbes—Puritan, encouraging the backslider—offers a self-check for election. Colossians 3:12: put on bowels of mercy toward the fatherless and needy. That’s how you demonstrate you’re one of the elect. Modern conservative Christianity has developed different assurance criteria. Mercy toward the needy as evidence of election has been quietly retired. Sibbes didn’t get that memo.

#puritan #grace #presbyterian #empathy #compassion #salvation