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pteranodo.bsky.social
Greg Johnson
@pteranodo.bsky.social
730 followers 1.3K following 730 posts
"The Church of the present day has as yet much to learn in the carrying out of the principles underlying this verse."
- Revere Franklin Weidner
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John Abercrombie wrote devotionals as a Scotland church elder. He says living faith strips away artificial distinctions and resists selfishness that dulls us to others’ needs. True discipleship, he argues, reshapes how we see people—not as categories, but neighbors.

#faith #reformedtheology #unity
Black quote card with a painted portrait of John Abercrombie on the left. Beneath it, white text reads “JOHN ABERCROMBIE (1780–1844)” and The Man of Faith. On the right, a long white quotation explains that faith dismantles social barriers and selfishness, softening concern for one’s own interests and awakening care for the needs and feelings of others.
February 4, 2026 at 10:44 PM
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Alexander Maclaren, #Baptist, notes that in Philemon, Paul doesn’t coerce a slaveholder but lays “siege” to his conscience through kindness and brotherly love. Moral change comes by truth pressed patiently. How do we witness against wrong without hardening the heart?
#christianity #justice
Black quote card with an oval sepia portrait of Alexander Maclaren on the left. Beneath it, white text reads “ALEXANDER MACLAREN (1826–1910)” and The Epistle to Philemon. On the right, a long white quotation describes Paul’s gentle, skillful appeal to Philemon’s conscience, urging him to extend brotherly kindness within his own household through implication rather than command.
February 4, 2026 at 10:30 AM
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Joseph Parker, a Congregational minister, turns Matthew 25 inward. He asks who truly gives, if Christ meets us in the poor—and whether comfortable lives can still claim obedience. His “inquest” isn’t accusation but repentance: Scripture presses us to examine what we excuse.

#christian #examinedlife
Black quote card with a sepia portrait of Joseph Parker on the left. Beneath it, white text reads “JOSEPH PARKER (1830–1902)” and The People’s Bible. On the right, a long white quotation poses searching questions about true generosity—whether one would share a last crust with Christ—contrasting comfortable, well-fed lives with the world’s suffering and describing the passage as a personal moral inquest.
February 4, 2026 at 12:33 AM
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John Gregg Fee, a #Presbyterian turned abolitionist preacher, noted that Scripture says we’re all “of one blood.” So inventing racial loopholes to defend slavery isn’t clever theology—it’s simply deciding the Bible is wrong. An awkward position for people claiming to revere it.
Alt: Black quote card with a small sepia-toned portrait of John Gregg Fee on the left. Beneath it, bold white text reads “JOHN GREGG FEE (1816–1901)” and The Sinfulness of Slaveholding. On the right, a long white quotation condemns the enslavement of Black people as a denial of biblical teaching, citing Acts 17:26 to affirm that God made all nations of “one blood” and that all people belong to one human family.
February 3, 2026 at 10:06 AM
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Richard Bernard, #Puritan minister, warns that charity wrung from unwilling hands profits the soul nothing. Writing on taxes for the poor, he says resentment and resistance empty the gift of spiritual good. The issue isn’t payment alone—but the heart that pays.
#christianity #pulpitsky #taxes #poor
Black quote card with an engraved portrait of Richard Bernard holding a book on the left. Beneath the image, white text reads “RICHARD BERNARD (1568–1641)” and A ready way to good works. On the right, a long white quotation argues that giving to the poor should be done willingly and without resentment, warning that money grudgingly forced from “glewy fingers” is a compulsory payment, not a true act of mercy or charity.
February 2, 2026 at 12:07 PM
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Thomas Granger, an English parish preacher, treats “You shall not steal” as more than petty theft. Citing Nehemiah, he condemns monopolizing work to force dependence and lending that profits from another’s distress. His question lingers: how narrow have we let this commandment become?
#christianity
Black background quote graphic featuring an early printed title page and the name Thomas Granger (1578–1627) on the left. On the right is a quotation explaining the eighth commandment, “You shall not steal,” defining theft as exploiting the poor by monopolizing labor or lending money for profit without regard for the borrower, citing Nehemiah 5 and calling such practices usury.
February 2, 2026 at 12:35 AM
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Matthew Newcomen warns that Christians may not plead ignorance when others face ruin. Citing Proverbs and Job, he says faith searches out unseen causes and rescues the oppressed. The question isn’t whether Scripture speaks—but which parts we’re willing to obey.
#christianity #empathy #faithfulness
Black quote card with a small antique engraving of a church interior and pulpit on the left. Beneath it, white text reads “MATTHEW NEWCOMEN (1610?–1669)” and The all-seeing unseen eye of God. On the right, a long white quotation exhorts Christians not to plead ignorance of injustice, citing Job 29, and urges active care for the poor, diligent investigation of unseen causes, and resistance to the wicked.
February 1, 2026 at 11:26 AM
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Ambrose says justice isn’t abstract: it’s selling what you have and giving to the poor. That’s a bracing definition. It asks whether our idea of “justice” risks shrinking to what costs us least—while the older church assumed justice should cost us something.
#christianity #sermonsky #righteousness
Black background quote graphic featuring a mosaic-style portrait of Aurelius Ambrosius (Ambrose), labeled “AURELIUS AMBROSIUS (AMBROSE) (340–397), On the Decease of His Brother Satyrus.” To the right, a quotation teaches that justice consists in giving to the poor: wealth is held in stewardship, not ownership, and the duty of stewardship belongs to the poor rather than inheritance to heirs.
January 31, 2026 at 9:47 PM
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Frank Delitzsch, a German Lutheran scholar, reads Job as a man who would not let a widow’s eyes fail or her tears be wasted. Mercy, he says, gives tears weight before God. If we believed that causing tears offends heaven, what habits would we finally abandon?
#lutheran #biblical #christianity
Black-and-white portrait of Franz Delitzsch (1813–1890), a German Lutheran biblical scholar, shown in later life with white hair and a clerical collar. Beside the portrait is a quote from his Biblical Commentary on the Book of Job about Job not allowing the eyes of widows to languish or their tears to become ineffective.
January 31, 2026 at 11:41 AM
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Basil does the unthinkable: he tells the poor not to steal and the rich to stop charging interest. Not class warfare—just obedience. Better to share hardship than breed misery with usury. Lend, says Jesus, expecting nothing back. Radical, apparently.
#christianity #discipleship #class
Icon-style mosaic of Basil of Caesarea with halo, holding a book, set against a gold background. Text beside him quotes his warning against usury, urging the rich to obey Christ’s command to lend without expecting return. Name, dates (330–379), and sermon title are displayed.
January 31, 2026 at 2:29 AM
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Paul Baynes, a Puritan cleric, reads “stop stealing” and says it includes nicking pennies from the poor via wages and prices. That “tiny” loss might be their whole livelihood. Cheat a brother and you don’t beat the market—you meet an Avenger. What will you share?
#NottheMCU #christian #puritan
Black background quote card featuring Paul Baynes (1573–1617), a Puritan clergyman. On the left, a small image of a title page fragment and Baynes’s name and dates. On the right, a quote warning not to overreach the poor in prices or wages, noting a single penny may be all they have, like the widow’s mite, and that God is an avenger (1 Thess. 4:6).
January 30, 2026 at 5:11 PM
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William Tyndale, who translated the Bible and paid for it with his life, looks at Luke 16 and says God loves first, opens our eyes, then sends us out. The servant’s job isn’t hiding with the Master—it’s handing out the Master’s goods. So… where’s your post?
#christianity #bible #martyrs
Black-and-white engraved portrait of William Tyndale, shown from the waist up, wearing a scholar’s robe with arms folded. Text beside the portrait quotes Tyndale on God’s initiating love and calling believers to serve Christ in the vocation He has given them, from The Parable of Wicked Mammon (1494–1536).
January 30, 2026 at 9:38 AM
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Charles Spurgeon, #Baptist, basically says: if your heart’s shut for business, heaven’s not taking reservations. Love isn’t a hobby for outgoing types; it’s the whole point. If your inner life is just you applauding yourself, you’ve missed it. Real life is doing good, on purpose, for real people.
Black-and-white portrait of Charles Haddon Spurgeon seated, with a quote warning that an unloving, self-enclosed life leads to the “bottomless pit,” while heaven belongs to those who learn to love and make doing good to others their very life.
January 29, 2026 at 8:47 AM
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Samuel Rutherford says heaven’s King has sent you an invite. Pack light—but bring conscience, faith, love, patience, kindness, meekness. Apparently those matter where you’re going. Which is funny, because today #kindness is suspicious and conscience is optional. So… what are you actually packing?
Black background quote card featuring a painted portrait of Samuel Rutherford on the left. White text identifies him as “Samuel Rutherford (1600–1661), Garden of Spices.” To the right is a quotation about a King from heaven calling the reader to a journey, urging them to carry conscience, faith, love, patience, meekness, goodness, and brotherly kindness, described as treasures valued in the new country to come.
January 28, 2026 at 9:29 PM
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Thomas Taylor, a Calvinist #Anglican priest, warns—rather tiredly—that greed is the devil’s favourite workshop. Once gain is king, no sin is off-limits: Ahab kills for land, Balaam sells sermons, Judas cashes in Christ, Demas defects. Apparently this still endangers souls. Shocking.
#christianity
Black background quote card featuring an engraved portrait of Thomas Taylor (1576–1632), a Calvinistic Anglican priest. Text quotes Taylor condemning covetousness as “a fruitful root of all evil,” calling the greedy person an anvil for the devil, with biblical examples (Ahab, Balaam, Judas, Demas). Title: The Principles of Christian Practice.
January 28, 2026 at 10:41 AM
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Ludwig Lavater, Swiss #Reformed, notes in Ruth that if you can’t help the needy yourself, you should pester someone who can. Commending the poor to the rich isn’t meddling; it’s duty. If that’s “advocacy,” Scripture seems untroubled by the label.

#christianity #advocacy #bookofruth
Black background graphic with an engraved portrait of Ludwig Lavater (1527–1586), Swiss Reformed theologian. Left side shows his name, dates, and The Book of Ruth. Right side displays a quotation urging believers to commend needy, godly people to the wealthy for help when they cannot assist themselves.
January 28, 2026 at 12:46 AM
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John McDowell, #Presbyterian minister, notes in Amos that selling bread dear simply because your neighbour is poor is oppression, full stop. Cornering life’s basics and hiking the price isn’t “commerce”; it’s grinding faces. Funny how that gets mislabelled as smart biz sense today.
#christinanity
Black background graphic with a small image of the title page of Theology, a Series of Sermons on the left. Beneath it: “JOHN McDOWELL (1780–1863) ‘SERMON LXXXIV’.” On the right, a long quotation condemning charging exorbitant prices for necessities, calling monopolizing life’s essentials and overcharging the poor “great oppression,” described in Scripture as “grinding the faces of the poor” (Amos 3:15).
January 27, 2026 at 11:15 AM
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Adolph Saphir, #Presbyterian missionary, notes that the Lord’s Prayer (“OUR daily bread”) trains us to pray outward. The closer people get to God, the more humble and generous they become, eager to lift the weak.

Oddly, we’re now told closeness to God means keeping to self. How did that happen?
Alt text: Black-and-white portrait of Adolph Saphir, a 19th-century bearded man with dark hair, shown beside a quote about humility, generosity, and spiritual equality from The Lord’s Prayer. The image presents Saphir’s name, dates (1831–1891), and the theme of caring for the lowly as a mark of closeness to God.
January 26, 2026 at 9:56 PM
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George Hutcheson, a Scottish Presbyterian, reads Job 24 and does something awkward: he agrees with Job’s moral outrage. He praises mercy in letting fathers keep their children—and calls tearing kids away for debt or raids a barbarity. Funny how some still defend that.
#christianity #pulpitsky
Black quote graphic with these words by a 17thc Scottish Presbyterian GEORGE HUTCHESON (1615-1674) An exposition of the book of Job "It is a mercy to parents to get leave to enjoy their own children, and a sad affliction to be robbed of them; As here it is a great tryal that they pluck the fatherless from the breast. Which, as it condemns the barbarous cruelty, of those Nations who pull away Infants, that they may sell them to others, or make Slaves of them themselves...
January 26, 2026 at 10:10 AM
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William Weston Patton, #Congregationalist, noted that churches propping up tyrants in Europe and slavery in America did more to manufacture unbelief than atheists ever could. When the church drops basic decency, it shouldn’t be shocked when people drop the church. How will you let your light shine?
ALT text: Black background graphic featuring a 19th-century black-and-white portrait of William Weston Patton (1821–1889), identified as a Congregationalist minister and abolitionist. To the right is a quotation criticizing the alliance of churches with tyrannical states in Europe and pro-slavery churches in America, arguing that such unions produced widespread unbelief.
January 25, 2026 at 8:47 PM
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John Brodhead Romeyn, the Dutch Reformed–Presbyterian, says that if you only help the miserable once you’ve been coaxed, you’ve misunderstood your duties. A Christian—indeed a human—shouldn’t need prompting to feel mercy. Are we training ourselves not to feel it?
Black background graphic with a 19th-century engraved portrait of John Brodhead Romeyn on the left. Large white text quotes Romeyn on the duty to help the unfortunate without being asked. Caption reads: “JOHN BRODHEAD ROMEYN (1777–1825) ‘THE BENEVOLENT EUNUCH’.”
January 25, 2026 at 11:07 AM
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James Buchanan, a Free Church of Scotland minister, fumes that once you turn church seating into a rental business, you quietly bar the poor at the door. Call it respectable finance if you like; Scripture calls it partiality. God doesn’t sell tickets.

#reformedtheology
Black and white photo of JAMES BUCHANAN, (1804-1870), Church of Scotland minster, with a quote from his, “Civil Establishments of Religion.” "Now nothing is more certain than this, that a self-supported church, a church which is a paying concern [pew rents], is not one into which the poor man and his family can find admittance."
January 25, 2026 at 3:16 AM
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Benjamin Keach, a Reformed #baptist, reads Luke 16 and says: admire the rich man’s purple and banquets if you like, but notice the staff change—he ends up attended by devils. It’s a blunt warning to wealthy people who are generous in theory and stingy in practice.
#wealthcreators #1689baptist
Alt: Black background quote graphic featuring a painted portrait of Benjamin Keach (1640–1704) on the left. White text quotes Keach’s sermon on the Rich Man and Lazarus, contrasting the rich man’s former luxury—purple robes, gold chain, servants, and lavish table—with his final state in the next world, stripped of honor and attended only by devils.
January 24, 2026 at 10:52 AM
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Thomas Gouge, a #Puritan, says the fastest way to divine displeasure isn’t exotic vice but plain old unmercifulness—Ezekiel blamed it for fire and brimstone. Today we flinch less at ignoring the poor than at offending wealth. Curious priorities. How might mercy look now?
#libertarian #mercy
Black background quote graphic featuring an engraved portrait of Thomas Gouge on the left. Text identifies him as “Thomas Gouge (1605–1681)” with the title The Surest and Safest Way of Thriving. On the right is a quotation warning that unmercifulness is a greater sin than many imagine and was among the sins of Sodom that brought fire and brimstone, citing Ezekiel 16:49.
January 24, 2026 at 1:00 AM
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Alexander Maclaren, the Scottish Baptist, says Christ bore our sins by stooping like a labourer lifting a weight. Think of healers and helpers, he says, and you’ll grasp the Passion better than by abstractions. So—whose load will you shoulder, remembering who carried yours?
#goodfriday
Black background quote graphic featuring a sepia portrait of Alexander Maclaren on the left, labeled with his name, dates (1826–1910), and The Book of Isaiah. On the right is a quotation about lightening another’s burden by stooping to carry it, and reflecting on Christ’s unique suffering as a model for devotion and compassion.
January 23, 2026 at 10:11 AM