Reformed Churchmen

We are Confessional Calvinists and a Prayer Book Church-people. In 2012, we remembered the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; also, we remembered the 450th anniversary of John Jewel's sober, scholarly, and Reformed "An Apology of the Church of England." In 2013, we remembered the publication of the "Heidelberg Catechism" and the influence of Reformed theologians in England, including Heinrich Bullinger's Decades. For 2014: Tyndale's NT translation. For 2015, John Roger, Rowland Taylor and Bishop John Hooper's martyrdom, burned at the stakes. Books of the month. December 2014: Alan Jacob's "Book of Common Prayer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Common-Prayer-Biography-Religious/dp/0691154813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417814005&sr=8-1&keywords=jacobs+book+of+common+prayer. January 2015: A.F. Pollard's "Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation: 1489-1556" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-English-Reformation-1489-1556/dp/1592448658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420055574&sr=8-1&keywords=A.F.+Pollard+Cranmer. February 2015: Jaspar Ridley's "Thomas Cranmer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-Jasper-Ridley/dp/0198212879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422892154&sr=8-1&keywords=jasper+ridley+cranmer&pebp=1422892151110&peasin=198212879

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

(Video) Pope Francis 1's Message to TBN's Kenny Copeland

http://marysaggies.blogspot.com/2014/02/astounding-pope-francis-records-private.html


ASTOUNDING - Pope Francis Records Private Video for Kenneth Copeland? Yes! Wow...



This is what Christian unity looks like. It doesn't ignore the differences that we have with our non-Catholic brothers and sisters.
It isn't triumphalistic.
It isn't us vs them.

Rather, it is the love of Christ for all people. Jesus prayed for Christian unity and we must all acknowledge that the fact is - division within Christianity is both scandalous and a counter-sign to a God of unity to a world that needs Him.

So, Pope Francis recorded a video for his friend, Tony Palmer (An Anglican Episcopal Communion of the CEEC (
Celtic Anglican Tradition) Bishop.) He took the video to show to Kenneth Copeland Ministries and the unthinkable has started to happen - we actually pray for one another and acknowledge one another as true brothers and sisters.

As Copeland said, "Heaven is thrilled over this...You know what is so thrilling to me? When we went into the ministry 47 years ago, this was impossible."

As Pope Francis says in the following video - our sins are the cause for our separation and we are brothers and sisters and should act like it. I recommend you watch the entire video, but if you want to skip to the Pope's part, go to around 31:30:
"Two rules: Love God above all, and love the other (neighbor), because he is your brother and sister. With these two rules we can go ahead. I am here with my brother, my bishop brother, Tony Palmer. We've been friends for years.

He told me about your conference, about your meeting. And it's my pleasure to greet you. A greeting both joyful and nostalgic (yearning). Joyful because it gives me joy that you have come together to worship Jesus Christ the only Lord. And to pray to the Father and to receive the Holy Spirit. This brings me joy because we can see that God is working all over the world. Nostalgic (yearning) because but...it happens, as within our suburbs. In the suburbs there are families that love each other and families that don't love each other. Families that come together and families who separate themselves. We are kind of...permit me to say, separated.

Separated because, it's sin that has separated us, all our sins. The misunderstandings throughout history. It has been a long road of sins that we all shared in. Who is to blame? We all share the blame. We have all sinned. There is only one blameless, the Lord. I am nostalgic (yearning), that this separation comes to an end and gives us communion. I am nostalgic (yearning), of that embrace that the Holy Scripture speaks of when Joseph's brothers began to starve from hunger, they went to Egypt, to buy, so that they could eat.

They went to buy. They had money. But they couldn't eat the money. But there they found something more than food, they found their brother. All of us have currency. The currency of our culture. The currency of our history. We have lot of cultural riches, and religious riches. And we have diverse traditions. But we have to encounter one another as brothers. We must cry together like Joseph did. These tears will unite us. The tears of love.

I am speaking to you as a brother. I speak to you in a simple way. With joy and nostalgia (yearning). Let us allow our nostalgia (yearning) to grow, because this will propel us to find each other, to embrace one another. And together to worship Jesus Christ as the only Lord of History.

I thank you profoundly for listening to me. I thank you profoundly for allowing me to speak the language of the heart. And I also ask you a favor. Please pray for me, because I need your prayers. And I will pray for you, I will do it, but I need your prayers. And let us pray to the Lord that He unites us all. Come on, we are brothers. Let's give each other a spiritual hug and let God complete the work that he has begun. And this is a miracle; the miracle of unity has begun.

A famous Italian author named Manzoni, once wrote in his novel, of a simle man amongst the people, who once said this, "I've never seen God begin a miracle without Him finishing it well." He will complete this miracle of unity. I ask you to bless me, and I bless you. From brother to brother, I embrace you. Thank you."

12 comments:

Fr.Ed Wade,CC said...
This is truly historic folks!

Father Ed Wade,CC
Elizabeth D said...
Wow... I would encourage people to take the time to watch the whole thing. Very interesting, and beautiful.
Scott Woltze said...
Kenneth Copeland made an interesting observation: "47 years ago, this was impossible". And I might add: 47 years ago, his congregation would not have been full of former Catholics! The Lord works in mysterious ways...
Tracy said...
As an evangelical Catholic raised in the Bible Belt, I can only say: INCREDIBLE!
Deborah said...
This is historic, yes, but also strategic. A fractured Body is not well equipped for evangelization or warfare. The call for unity resounds throughout the earth. Let he who has ears hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Stephen Crate said...
I have prayed for day when the universal catholic church would be seen as one body of Christ. That day is here. The miracle has begun and it is up to us going forward. #PBTGA
siothrun said...
I found this article by Fr Dwight Longenecker from his Patheos blog site to be an interesting response to this video - http://tinyurl.com/n2nf9pb
Harry Seddon said...
Why has this video been edited? yesterday it was 45min long and much more inspirational. Why does someone want to interfere with the whole context of this video. God Bless. Harry (Roman Catholic).
Steve Cherry said...
Scott Woltze; Yes, his congregation is indeed probably half filled with ex-Catholics, many of whom are likely divorced and remarried and/or practicing contraception. The biggest article of the protestant creed is belief in following your conscience even if it disagrees with Church teaching. Some of the most devout Catholics today are former protestants like Scott Hahn, Steven Ray and others, but they became Catholic by recognizing, accepting and embracing the truth of the Church's teaching. In reality, there is a huge gulf in the teaching of most protestant churches and the Catholic Church and a lot of those protestants ardently believe it is the Catholic Church that needs to change, not them. Simply put, protestant churches are filled to the brim with many heresies, but they don't recognize them as such.
Marcel said...
FYI - just because Pope Francis is reaching out to those that are non-Catholic, doesn't mean he doesn't understand the differences that still remain or think them important. The point is that God hates our divisions. Many Catholics might say, "The Catholic Church's doctrines are right and Protestants need to accept our teachings for unity to exist."

Well, the Church's doctrines are certainly true - but you will catch few souls proclaiming such things in that manner. Trying to at least find some common ground to bring us together and start a conversation must be the first step. This step doesn't deny differences (even large ones).

Furthermore, posting this video here is not recognition that Copeland or Parker have their take on Catholicism correct. They don't. But, how are we to help them see the truth if we merely scream at them and say, "you are wrong...you need to be Catholic...you are a heretic!"

That will drive them further away.

Ecumenism is hard, because humans get in the way of God's unity. ALL of us - not just Protestants.
la bolilla said...
From the com boxes on the protestant sites, we are still the whore of Babylon idol worshipping, Mary crazed blasphemers.

Looks like we Catholics are a lot more enamored of the prots than they are of us.

For real unity to take place, the protestants have to recognize that we have the one, true Church. It would help if our holy father figured that out too.
Marcel said...
I am guessing you looked at only one kind of protestant website. Lumping them together is not smart.

Add to it you call them "prots" and you get offensive.

Finish it off by assuming the Pope doesn't understand the Church and you get a cherry on top of your comments that add nothing to the discussion.

No comments: