RENEWING THE BLADE
By John Tillery and Daniel Kachikis
Humans are creatures of the now. Many people born today seem to be consumed with the notion that the world began with their arrival and will end with their departure. However, God has been in communication with His creation since the beginning of time. A part of our desire is to examine what many saints, now dead, have thought and wrote about various topics. Sort of a theological “dead poets society.” We feel those men left something for us that has been lost. There were key theological, prophetic, and expository insights that God pushed to the surface in the 1800s that changed the face of Christianity around the world, and particularly in the United States. Generations found hope and committed themselves to the Word and the Word made flesh with joy and excitement. Gospel missions flourished anew with men and women whose hearts were aflame with the message of redemption as they awaited the expectant return of their Savior King. These ideas need to be “rediscovered.” That blade of biblical truth must be renewed.
The website’s very name, Renewing the Blade,immediately apprises the visitor of our intent: First, renewing implies that in the past there was something new of value that has fallen into disrepair. Second, a blade is a tool that is meant to be used for action and application. Additionally, as a line from The Lord of the Rings, this website pays respect to J.R.R. Tolkien, whose works, along with his dear friend, C.S. Lewis, inform much of what you discover here. While Tolkien and Lewis were profoundly gifted as writers, their writings plead for action, as does this website. They wrote of worlds in crisis and struggle. Writers today say we are in a crisis caused by the lack of disciple making and biblical literacy. In Tolkien’s world he wrote that a king would come but the kingdom faltered in its stewardship while waiting. Ours is not a mere “story” or “mythology” of a coming King. His coming is biblical reality. Without this focus fresh before us, we, indeed, falter in our stewardship.
Why is this website worth your attention? Two fundamental reasons. First, by considering the past, its God-ordained truths, and the men God used we can better understand how churches, religious communities, and theological concepts have come to their present state and need of renewal. Second, causality is a cause and effect relationship between the past and the present. It is only with a sufficient understanding of the past that we can understand the present and only in that order do we have any ability to renew the blade. We need to rediscover that prophetic insight that brought generations hope and excitement in the Word of God. In our humility we need to hope, hoping against hope, that we can equip and inspire those who will go beyond us into the future.
Why conduct research on theological concepts that were once well known and in certain quarters remain so? One answer is because we relish the intellectual challenge and the joy of discovery. The other is that until we rediscover the joy and expectancy of Jesus’ imminent return and our mission in this dispensation of God’s grace, we cannot find our true potential and identity as disciples. It is our goal to present these discoveries in an accurate, captivating, and inspiring way; helping all to see the beauty of God’s unfolding plan of salvation and how we should live in a world that God created not only for Adam and Eve, but for us also as we herald His return and make disciples until we are called to His side.
Theology well told is beautiful. Renewing our understanding of thoughts long derelict and, by witnessing the sincerity, insight, and courage displayed by saints of old, strengthens our identity in Christ. That identity, grounded in the Scripture, is what gives us the ability to begin to renew our commitment and rigor in following, and write our own distinct heritage as disciples of Christ, our coming King. The past has been left to us by men bound to Christ and His prophetic truth. The present is ours to record and to live with an extraordinary devotion and expectation. And in this renewal, we entrust the future with humility in Christ to our children.
Therefore, one aspect of this website’s mission is to inspire hope, faith, and worship by contributing to the ‘Renewing of the Blade;” the renewal of theological discourse through research, education, and the creative presentation of our findings.
The other aspect of our mission is to stir people, to shepherd and exhort and plead with them to look for and be prepared for our Lord’s return, committing themselves to their King as disciples, who make disciples, reaching out to the lost and shepherding the next generation, entrusting them with the Word and a passion for THE WORD, our King. Maranatha!