My reading habits wander from book to book, often prompted by a reference in one book guiding me to another. It makes for eclectic reading through various genres and eras, usually weighted toward my interests in history, biography, and missions. Such a process led me to The Autobiography of Peter Cartwright – considered by many the classic memoir of a circuit-riding preacher. Cartwright lived an amazing life. His exploits and opinions, stories, and perspectives are inspirational, humbling, and often laugh-out-loud funny. His first-hand account of events in the Second Great Awakening are unparalleled – a remarkable reporting of one of the most important religious revivals in American history.
One theme which pulsates through Cartwright’s life is his passion for ministry and his dependence on the Holy Spirit to sustain him. He wrote it this way:
“A Methodist preacher in those days, when he felt that God had called him to preach, instead of hunting up a college or a Biblical institute, hunted up a hardy pony of a horse, and some traveling apparatus, and with his library always at hand, namely, Bible, Hymn Book, and Discipline, he started, and with a text that never wore out nor grew stale, he cried ‘Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.’ In this way, he went through storms of wind, hail, snow, and rain; climbed hills and mountains, traversed valleys, plunged through swamps, swam swollen streams, layout all night, wet, weary, and hungry, held his horse by the bridle all night, or tied him to a limb, slept with his saddle blanket for a bed, his saddle or saddlebags for his pillow, and his old big coat or blanket, if he had any for a covering. Often he slept in dirty cabins, on earthen floors, before the fire; ate roasting ears for bread, drank buttermilk for coffee, or sage tea for imperial; took, with a hearty zest, deer or bear meat, or wild turkey, for breakfast, dinner, and supper, if he could get it. His text was always ready, “Behold the Lamb of God.” This was old-fashioned Methodist preacher fare and fortune. Under such circumstances who would now say “Here am I, Lord send me?’”
Today, we are much more sophisticated in our approach. A church planter recently told me, for example, he needed to be assured of a significant annual compensation package before he could take the risk to plant a new church. Another young minister laid out his terms for considering any position – including salary, work schedule, and time constraints he insisted must be in place to protect his family – and asked me for the best way to communicate this to churches who might be interested in his services.
While reasonable compensation is appreciated and comfortable work environments are a blessing, Cartwright’s call to sacrifice needs to be heard in our generation. Passion for ministry today may not require “a hardy pony of a horse” or sleeping “on earthen floors” but it still requires leaders who will set aside personal privileges and expectations to advance God’s kingdom.
At a seminary like Gateway, we know the breadth and depth of our message is more than “Behold the Lamb of God” but surely it is never less than that. In our sophistication, it’s easy to forget our most important role is gospel herald, not gospel interpreter or even gospel defender.
Peter Cartwright represents thousands of circuit-riding preachers who took the gospel into every nook and cranny of an emerging nation. Their passion for ministry propelled them; the call to personal sacrifice compelled them. May God give us similar passion, translated into the sacrifices needed in our contexts to share the gospel with a nation – and a world – in need of this hope-filled message.
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The Incarcerated Church
Cornell Swain has made a ministry supporting the church inside San Quentin.
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Excerpt – Revelation, Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament
Read this excerpt from Alex Stewart’s new publication in the EGGNT series on Revelation.
Listen
The Third Principle
In this episode, Tyler and Dr. Stewart cover the Third Principle: Repetition, and explore the intricate visions and symbolism of Revelation, focusing on its hymns, judgment, and the seven trumpets. Discover how Revelation’s repeated visions provide varied perspectiv
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The Second Principle
In this podcast episode, Dr. Alex Stewart and host Tyler Sanders discuss the second principle for guiding interpretation of the book of Revelation, which is Historical Context. Focusing on understanding the time, location, culture, and language of the original audienc
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Watch
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Jonathan Edwards and the Asbury Revival
Chris Chun and Chris Woznicki discuss the signs of true revival, signs of the work of the Holy Spirit, and why it is important to critically assess the characteristics of revival in a spirit of charity.
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Jonathan Edwards and the Baptists | Douglas Sweeney, Nathan Finn and Chris Chun
Dr. Douglas Sweeney and Dr. Nathan Finn joined Dr. Chris Chun for a panel discussion on Jonathan Edwards, recorded live at the SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim.