June Article

G. Thomas Sharp • June 27, 2018

I once heard the penetrating English satirist and journalist, Malcolm Muggeridge, make the following remarks concerning the advanced nature of decadence in English speaking world. He said, “When we consider world history, we see empires rising and falling, we observe revolution, counter-revolution, we see wealth amassed and wealth lost, and are reminded that Shakespeare once said that the great ones rise and fall with the ebb and flow of the moon.” (Essay, by Muggeridge, Gone with the Wind)

Looking in historical retrospect, the British/American story reveals that English speaking peoples from Great Britain and the United States of America dominated nearly 25 percent of the world during the first half of the 20th century and believed that the God that made them strong could made them even stronger yet. Obviously, this attitude was not produced totally in Biblical reality, but by our own hegemonic notions.

Within the last 80 years or so, we witnessed a demonic Austrian attempt the establishment of a Reich that he declared would last a thousand years and looked with incredulity upon an Italian joker that bragged that he would begin and terminate the calendar around his own rise to power. Muggeridge said, this all happened in lifetime, but is now all “… gone, gone with the wind!”

I visited the country of Russia eight different times during the 1990s, preparing to speak at the International Conference of Science, Philosophy and Religion (for the Eastern Bloc nations), the place where a steely-eyed, crazed, Georgian bandit, during the 1920s to the mid-1950s, named Joseph Stalin, alleged that he was wiser than Solomon and more humane than Marcus Aurelius attempted to take over the Russian nation, but the problem was that he ignored God. I observed the United States of America, during her post-World War II glory, and as a result became the wealthiest nation of the world, with the greatest military ever, only to abandon her founding philosophy and be humiliated in the 1960s’ Vietnam debacle. All in one lifetime, but now … gone, gone with the Wind!

And I am afraid that the handwriting is already on the wall, because we too have forgotten our Creator and His Word! America is without a doubt the greatest nation of the modern era, but it was our Biblical faith and Godliness that made us great—and we have abandoned those moorings! And as a ship without a rudder or a sail, we are afloat, tossed about by every human opinion and philosophy, can “America really be great again” if she forgets God and ignores His Word?

G. Thomas Sharp

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lined up books
By Matt Miles June 18, 2025
Over the course of time a person can accumulate many things. Most of the stuff we collect is meaningless to most everyone else, but when a person collects books, they can be treasured for a lifetime and even beyond. In this age of digital media, physical books seem to be less important to many people. Digital books are searchable, and copy/paste functions make it easy to use those great quotes. Yet, there is still something great about a physical book, things you can’t get digitally: the turning of pages, the feel of it in your hand, and the “book” smell. For our founder Dr. Sharp, physical books could never be replaced by digital. While my collection of books is growing each year, it is dwarfed by Dr. Sharp’s collection. Over the years he collected thousands of titles for research and enjoyment. Through the course of his ministry he had to sell his book collection a couple of different times to support his family, only to start collecting again when he was able to do so. When Doc passed his office full of packed bookshelves to me and said he would clear the shelves, I laughed out loud at the prospect of having loads of empty bookshelves. So I urged him to instead leave his books for my, and anyone else’s, use. Little did I understand that the four bookcases in my office were only a fraction of his entire collection. A couple of years back when Doc moved from his house, it was decided that his book collection would be stored at the office. Our thought was to establish a library, yet none of us had time to plan, organize and catalog all 79 boxes of books. They sat piled in his office until last year when my daughter Megan joined our ministry. She has a love of books, both reading and writing. So we offered her the task of cataloging and establishing Doc’s library. Can you picture me, a bbq lover, being offered a table full of succulent smoked offerings - brisket, sausage, ribs, pulled pork, chicken, turkey and all sides? Yep, that was Megan’s response to the library. For over four months she cataloged and organized the entire collection. The Dr. G. Thomas Sharp Library was completed earlier this year in his old office space, with overflow into my office. The entire 2700+ volume agglomeration is digitally cataloged for searching and locating. As you might expect, there is an extensive collection of creation and evolution subject matter, yet the library is full of many different categories. It very much reflects Doc’s love of gaining knowledge and research. An extensive commentary collection and multiple Biblical reference sections are invaluable to our ministry. There is even a whole bookcase housing books that are over 100 years old. Our desire was not to just house books but to also make a place of honor and inspiration. One wall exhibits Doc’s many diplomas, and throughout the library we have placed personal memorabilia of the mission trips he took over the years. Come, grab a book, relax in the sitting area and allow Doc’s handwritten notes from the margins or post-it notes bring a smile to your face. For those who may be more ambitious, Doc's office chair resides at the credenza for anyone to sit and be inspired to study. This is a place to honor Doc’s life and love for books. We at CTF have already utilized this great resource for further study, and we are so thankful to Diane and their family for donating these books for continued Kingdom growth. Blessings.
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