Topic: Scroll 2004 A.D.
Holy Order of Godly Men
January 12, 2004 A.D.
Noble Manhood
With fractured families and alternative family forms increasing, and the traditional family in the minority. I love that term. Guys stick out their chest when we use the word noble. We still live in a time of dumbed-down masculinity. Nobody knows what it means to be a man, or if it's okay to be a man. I think men want to step up and be men, in the way that knights were men. Knights grew out of a dark age, a time when there were no noble men. The knights were called to stand above the age, and to stand for something. I knew these were values I wanted to teach my sons. They are our four foundation stones for authentic manhood. A real man is one who rejects passivity, accepts responsibility, leads courageously, and expects the greater reward, God's reward. This all outlined in the book by Robert Lewis raising a modern day Knight. Many ask about my dad well he was my hero, but he fell when he divorced my mother. You see he did not hang in there, he did not deny himself but like most of us he choose the easy way. I still have fond memories of my dad (I also honor him as having a part in leading me to Christ.) and I have strong faith because of him but he is no longer an example to me of a real man. I have also failed in my life too. I could have done more to be there for my children. I have in the last few years made a lot of corrections and I hope you will take some good advice and take time for the family because our Lord made the family FIRST. Bless you and always conduct yourself with noble manhood in mind, because others are watching.
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Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)
Jonathan Edwards, considered by many to be one of the greatest preachers and churchmen in American history, was born in East Windsor, Connecticut into a family with a long tradition of ministry. Entering Yale as one of its earliest students at the age of thirteen, Edwards graduated at the head of his class four years later and began a two-year course of theological study in New Haven. Having completed his education in 1722, he took up a pastorate in a Presbyterian church in New York, but left there to take a position as tutor at Yale in 1724, a position that he held for two years.From 1725 he served as an assistant to his maternal grandfather, Solomon Stoddard, who was the Congregationalist pastor of Northampton, Massachusetts. Upon Stoddard's death in 1729, Edwards succeeded to the pulpit. His preaching during this period was received with mixed results. On the positive side, the power of his message is credited with bringing about the first Great Awakening of American history, beginning in 1734, when six sudden conversions in Edwards' parish turned into a flood of thirty per week, drawing people from up to a hundred miles away. Despite this success, however, Edwards alienated many in his congregation by insisting on more stringent membership requirements than were customary at the time. His first inclination was to insist on visible evidence of conversion and regeneration, but he eventually settled for a public profession of faith. His move to exclude from the Communion those who did not meet these standards led to a two-year battle within the congregation. In 1750, Edwards was dismissed from his pastorate.The ensuing years were difficult for the family as they struggled with debt and loss of income. Edwards settled Stockbridge, Massachusetts, then a frontier settlement, where he ministered to a small congregation and served as missionary to the Indians. It was here that he completed his fine work, The Freedom of the Will. After several years on the frontier, Edwards yielded to considerable pressure and assumed the presidency of Princeton in the fall of 1757. He held the position for less than a year, dying in March 1758 of a fever in reaction to a smallpox inoculation.More than two centuries after his death, Edwards is remembered as a fine preacher and an adamant defender of Calvinist theology.
Knights, have you thought about your legacy lately? In case you haven’t, let’s start with the basics: Webster’s Dictionary says a legacy is “something handed down from one who has gone before.” Fathers, we will eventually be that “one who has gone before” – the leaver of the legacy. How we live will influence our children and descendents for generations. Let me share two stories with you that demonstrate the powerful legacy (both good and bad) that fathers create.Jonathan Edwards was born in 1703 in East Windsor, Connecticut. He attended Yale University at age 13 and later went on to serve as president of the college of New Jersey (now Princeton). When he was just 20 years old he wrote a list of personal resolutions. Among them was “ask myself, at the end of every day… wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better.”In no area was Edwards’ resolve stronger than in his role as a father. Edwards and his wife Sarah had eleven children. Despite a rigorous work schedule that included rising as early as 4:30 a.m. to read and write in his library, extensive travels, and endless administrative meetings, he always made time for his children. Indeed, he committed to spending at least one hour a day with them. And what if he missed a day because he was traveling? He diligently made up the hour when he returned.Numerous books have been written about Edwards’ life, his work, and influence on American history and his powerful professional legacy. But the legacy that Edwards would probably be most proud of is his legacy as a father.The scholar Benjamin B. Warfield of Princeton has charted the 1,394 known descendents of Edwards. What he found was an incredible testament to Jonathan Edwards. Of his known descendents there were 13 college presidents, 65 college professors, 30 judges, 100 lawyers, 60 physicians, 75 army and navy officers, 100 pastors, 60 authors of prominence, 3 United States senators, 80 public servants in other capacities including governors and ministers to foreign countries, and one vice-president of the United States. The story of Jonathan Edwards is an example of what some sociologists call the “five-generation rule.” How a parent raises their child – the love they give, the values they teach, the emotional environment they offer, the education they provide – influences not only their child but the four generations to follow. What fathers do, in other words, will reach through the next five generations. The example of Jonathan Edwards shows just how rich that legacy can be. But the five-generation rule works both ways. If we fail to work at being good fathers, our neglect can plague generations. Consider the case of Max Jukes, a contemporary of Edwards. As an adult, Jukes had a drinking problem that kept him from holding a steady job. It also kept him from showing much concern for his wife and children. He would disappear sometimes for days and return drunk. He made little time for loving and instructing his children. Benjamin Warfield has also charted Jukes’ descendents. What he found further supports the five-generation rule. Warfield was able to trace 540 of Jukes’ ancestors. They offer a stunning contrast to the Edwards’ legacy. Of Jukes’ known descendents, 310 died as paupers, at least 150 were criminals (including 7 murderers), more than 100 were drunkards and half of his female descendents ended up as prostitutes.Of course this doesn’t mean that people are simply a product of their parenting and that who they are is determined entirely by their ancestry. There have been many who descended from men like Jukes and overcame great obstacles to succeed. Others have come from loving homes like Edwards’ only to descend into a troubled adulthood. But these are the exceptions, not the rule.The stories of Jonathan Edwards and Max Jukes offer powerful lessons about the legacy we will leave as fathers. Five generations from now, it is likely that our professional accomplishments will be forgotten. In fact, our descendents may know little about us or our lives. But the way we parent today will directly affect not only our children, but also our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren and the generations that follow.Knights, we will leave a legacy. What will yours be?
Abraham Lincoln