Tuesday, April 7, 2026

0:00It is the 7th of April, 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Aluminac brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org. I'm Dan, band Forest. When I was a kid, I was fascinated with the Nintendo Power Hotline, a 1-800 number you could call when you got stumped in the last levels of Super Mario Brothers or Zelda. I had a dream of having my own hotline where you could call in with all your sports trivia and stats questions and that didn't work out, but decades later we have email and I have a podcast and well, the flood of emails and questions has continued and so I'm always happy to field them even when it's not a Monday or a mailbag show because I got an email from Dr. Rick, one of our favorite listeners here. He in Lady Smith, Wisconsin, there on the Flambeau Falls West of the Chippewa River Valley

1:04and I thought I'd give him a quick answer on today's show. Dr. Rick got a book for his wife called Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray. He admitted that he got Andrew Murray confused with Ian Murray and then wondered about Andrew's life in place in the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa and the apartheid. It's all very interesting so let's dig in. Ian Murray is one of the founders of the Puritan banner of truth publishing house. He served under Martin Lloyd Jones in Great Britain, he's a retired pastor and author today in his 90s. Andrew Murray, or more specifically Andrew Murray Jr., also has a Scottish connection but is more aligned with the history of revivalism and missions coming out of South Africa and the Dutch Reformed Church there. The Dutch Reformed, Calvinists in the Netherlands, if that helps, made their way to the Cape Colony in South Africa in the 1650s with the assistance from the Dutch East India Company.

2:09In the 1820s, the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa became an autonomous body, importing many Scottish Presbyterians when South Africa came under British control. One of the Scots to come was Andrew Murray Sr., he would send his sons back to Aberdeen to study theology, his second son being our Andrew Murray Jr. While in Scotland and then in the Netherlands, Andrew Jr. came under the influence of the broader Revile movement, something akin to the Great Awakening in America. After 1848, Andrew went back to South Africa, where he served as a pastor, an author of over 250 books, and became an advocate for missions. His works were especially popular in the world of higher life or full sanctification groups, often associated with Wesleyans and Charismatics, but it's worth noting that he stands more

3:09in the Reformed tradition with its emphasis on passivity and union with Christ. Union with Christ is a standard phrase, a favorite of Calvin for understanding justification and sanctification, how we are saved and then what that life looks like. And so, the book you got your wife, Dr. Rick, abide in Christ, is a series of devotional writings on passages from John 15 to 17. It has 31 short chapters, and so perhaps a good project to work on through in a month, like May. I just counted my knuckles, April has 30, May has 31. Dr. Rick wondered what the connection was between Andrew and the Dutch Reformed in South Africa and the apartheid. It was Murray's Dutch church that tried to struggle with the so-called heathen problem. As missions and evangelism were key to him, it meant converting and baptizing their

4:09non-white neighbors. The church officially stated that these non-white believers should be integrated into the one church, but then they got weak need and stated that because of the weakness of the white population, they could set up sister congregations that were, well, separate but equal. The story of the Dutch Reformed and their struggle with apartheid is its own story, but I would point you to the 1982 Belhar Confession, something akin to the Barman Confession in Germany against the Nazis. Belhar argued that apartheid was a theological heresy and failing to see the union of all believers in Christ, and so we see Murray's union language, not just for the individual believer, but for the whole church. Thanks, Dr. Rick, for the question. I hope I could sort some of that out for you. We don't have a 1-800 number or a hotline, but you can send me your questions at Dan

5:10V at 1517.org. The last word for today comes from the Daily Electionary and Colossians 3, therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Go over all these virtues put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts since as members of one body you were called to peace and be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through Psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

6:12Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 7th of April, 2026, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org. This show is produced by a man who probably doesn't need to use his knuckles or mnemonic devices to remember simple things. He is Christ for Gillespie. This show is written and read by a man whose inability to remember the order of the months or how many days they have or the alphabet in the right order might surprise you. I'm Dan, fanforis, you catch us here every day. And remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true. It's going to be okay.