Friday, December 7, 2012

From Death Into Life

Today's episode of Finding Hidden Treasure has a discussion of the book From Death Into Life by William Haslam. It is a wonderful autobiographical slice of Haslam's life in a twenty year period in early Victorian England in which he had just begun being a member of the clergy of the Church of England in 1841. Despite the surprising death of his fiancee, he becomes resigned to God's will for her and for him.

Perhaps even more surprising is how Haslam described his attitude toward God in those years before his conversion (happy, prayerful, etc). What he describes as his pre-conversion state would, unfortunately, pass for a testimony of conversion to Christ in many churches today. Yet, Haslam was still unconverted and living a life in which he placed faith in his role in the Anglican Church rather than in Christ. 

The podcast episode, covers, in part, his conversion, which happened while he was in church, preaching a sermon on conversion. It is a wonderful story but a sober reminder that simply because we live an outwardly good and upright life, it is no guarantee that we are converted and in Christ.

The program can be found at http://restoringthecore.com/?p=146  

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