VirtueOnline - News - Exclusives - UGANDA: CAPA Bishops Conference: From My Ear to Yours (2)

VirtueOnline - News - Exclusives - UGANDA: CAPA Bishops Conference: From My Ear to Yours (2)

From David in Entebbe:

"The CAPA primates met with Rowan Williams in a closed-door session Tuesday night. It went on for many hours, but Williams got the message loud and clear - there will be no compromise on homosexual practice. None. When I tried squeezing an African Primate, not so much about the content of the meeting, but about the dynamics of the meeting and how Rowan responded, he simply said this, `When all was said and done, he was being Rowan.'"

Again,

"WORSHIP. There is nothing quite like hearing more than 400 strong African voices raised in glorious harmony singing the great hymns of the church. Hymns stretch across the ages, cultures and time. No praise choruses here, just the grand hymns of the faith that have sustained Anglicans both Evangelical and Anglo-Catholic for generations. Tears came to my eyes as we sang one of my favorite hymns, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross by Isaac Watts (1674-1748), often referred to as the "Father of English Hymnody". One wonders if I will ever hear it sung again like this in my lifetime."

And, quite rightly:

"The deeper truth is that the axis of Anglicanism has moved from the Global North to the Global South. African Anglicans no longer need to go through Canterbury (if they ever did) to get to Jesus. In reality, Canterbury and Lambeth are historical relics and tourist attractions along with St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey. There is very little if any gospel being proclaimed there, hence the churches are empty. (The church hugging the walls of Lambeth Palace now sells plants and offers advice on herbal cures)."

VirtueOnline - News - Exclusives - HENRY LUKE OROMBI: A Study in Courage

VirtueOnline - News - Exclusives - HENRY LUKE OROMBI: A Study in Courage

VirtueOnline - News - Exclusives - UGANDA: Understanding (or not) Rowan Williams

VirtueOnline - News - Exclusives - UGANDA: Understanding (or not) Rowan Williams

The slow but discernible disentanglement of Western Anglicanism from the Global Southern version of Anglicanism proceeds.

We Made It through Week One! | Here I Walk

We Made It through Week One! | Here I Walk

We are trailing, electronically, this walk from Erfurt, Germany, to Rome, following Martin Luther's trek in 1510 in behalf of his Augustinian Order.

What are the non-negotiables for the Gospel? Ligon Duncan

Does Dr. Duncan say anything say anything here that a Romanist or Eastern Orthodox could affirm? Or, a Baptist? As far as it goes, it is a fair start on the Gospel. "Imputation," of Christ's righteousness to us, is mentioned such that the Romanist and Orthodox would flee. Actually, a bit shabby by Ligon. Can he not do better or is this a sop to "American evangelicals?" Have we not had enough of THEM?

What is Reformed Theology? Ligon Duncan

What's an Evangelical? According to Dr. Phil Ryken

An American definition biblically, historically and theologically. Nothing about Confessional or liturgical Churchmanship, however. RA is not evangelical in Phil Ryken's sense, although we embrace what he offered. In addition to Phil Ryken's offering, we are Creedal, Confessional and Prayer Book Churchmen--with an higher view of the Church, worship, and sacraments.

Introduction to "The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzab54bbC90&NR=1 Dr. Phil Ryken, formerly of Tenth Presbyterian and presently the President of Wheaton College, speaks of "The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals." Dr. Ligon Duncan, Dr. Philip Ryken and Rev. Richard Phillips give the introduction.

Dr. Ligon Duncan on "The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals"

Dr. Ligon Duncan on "The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals"

Reformation 2 Germany

We get unsophisticated and public whining--wha, wha--from Rev. Paul McCain at: http://cyberbrethren.com/2010/08/28/the-reformed-are-aiming-at-planting-the-calvinist-faith-back-in-germany/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Cyberbrethren+%28Cyberbrethren%29

As if the Reformed do not understand "the Gospel." While the Reformed are looking at Germany, maybe they can infiltrate and establish the Reformed faith in England (with the Prayer Book as well).

The Wittenberg Door: The Necessity of Creeds By Rev. Robert Grossmann

The Wittenberg Door: The Necessity of Creeds By Rev. Robert Grossmann

"MBCY" (henceforth on this blog) = "Methodobaptacostalyappaphiles"

Hereafter, "MBCY" shall be used as shorthand for "Methodobaptacostalyappaphiles." Sectarian, schismatic, non-conformist, rootless, creedless, confessionless, and liturgy-less. Or, the "Religio Americanorum."

Psalm 138.7-8

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

ἐὰν πορευθῶ ἐν μέσῳ θλίψεως ζήσεις με ἐπ' ὀργὴν ἐχθρῶν μου ἐξέτεινας χεῖρά σου καὶ ἔσωσέν με ἡ δεξιά σου
κύριος ἀνταποδώσει ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ κύριε τὸ ἔλεός σου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σου μὴ παρῇς

Si ambulavero in medio tribulationis, vivificabis me; et contra iram inimicorum meorum extendes manum tuam, et salvum me faciet dextera tua.
Dominus perficiet pro me; Domine, misericordia tua in saeculum: opera manuum tuarum ne despicias.

RA is in no mood to accomodate the MBCY's on any level or on any subject.

St. Augustine Day: 28 August 2010

In the Romanist, Lutheran and Anglican Communions, St. Augustine is a pre-eminent Doctor of the Church. In the Anglican 1662 Book of Common Prayer, he is remembered on 28 August, the day of his death (430 AD). It is fair and accurate to say that the Book of Common Prayer is Augustinian in her Articles and Collects of Prayer throughout. Anglicans in the Babylonian Captivity will remember him while much of Western Anglicanism has avoided him as well as their heritage and patrimony in the old prayer book. Offered lest we forget!

True Protestants and true Catholic Churchmen—Calvinists or the Reformed, Lutherans and classical Anglicans—consider Augustine to be one of the theological fathers of Reformation due to his teaching on salvation and divine grace. B.B. Warfield, the “Lion of Princeton Seminary,” has written an excellent work on Augustine and Calvin. (American Anabaptists, Revivalists, Wesleyans, Pentecostalists and other enthusiasts hardly recognize the great Doctor of northern Africa...or anyone else for that matter except their celebrities.)

Below, we offer two brief citations in memoriam of Augustine: (1) one example of an Augustinian and representative prayer from The Book of Common Prayer and (2) one quote from the vast corpus of Augustine—whom Luther often called the Blessed Augustine—a quote from Augustine concerning his conversion to the Lord and Redeemer of the Church.

(1) From the Book of Common Prayer:

The Second Collect at Evening Prayer.

O GOD, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed; Give unto thy servants that peace which the world cannot give; that both our hearts may be set to obey thy commandments, and also that by thee, we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may pass our time in rest and quietness; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
(2) From Augustine:

“I cast myself down I know not how, under a certain fig-tree, giving full vent to my tears; and the floods of mine eyes gushed out an acceptable sacrifice to Thee. And, not indeed in these words, yet to this purpose, spake I much unto Thee: and Thou, O Lord, how long? how long, Lord, wilt Thou be angry for ever? Remember not our former iniquities, for I felt that I was held by them. I sent up these sorrowful words: How long, how long, "to-morrow, and tomorrow?" Why not now? why not is there this hour an end to my uncleanness?

“So was I speaking and weeping in the most bitter contrition of my heart, when, lo! I heard from a neighbouring house a voice, as of boy or girl, I know not, chanting, and oft repeating, "Take up and read; Take up and read. " Instantly, my countenance altered, I began to think most intently whether children were wont in any kind of play to sing such words: nor could I remember ever to have heard the like. So checking the torrent of my tears, I arose; interpreting it to be no other than a command from God to open the book, and read the first chapter I should find. For I had heard of Antony, that coming in during the reading of the Gospel, he received the admonition, as if what was being read was spoken to him: Go, sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me: and by such oracle he was forthwith converted unto Thee. Eagerly then I returned to the place where Alypius was sitting; for there had I laid the volume of the Apostle when I arose thence. I seized, opened, and in silence read that section on which my eyes first fell: Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, in concupiscence. No further would I read; nor needed I: for instantly at the end of this sentence, by a light as it were of serenity infused into my heart, all the darkness of doubt vanished away.”
The Confessions of Saint Augustine, Book VIII, Paragraphs 28 and 29.

Lest we forget.

VirtueOnline - News - Culture Wars - Author: More teens becoming 'fake' Christians

VirtueOnline - News - Culture Wars - Author: More teens becoming 'fake' Christians

No surprises here other than that this time someone, this time from liberal Princeton Seminary, is saying what we at RA have long believed--rootless, confessionless, and liturgy-less churches produces theology-challenged people. Just talk to the youth for awhile.

The leaders, parents and educators are to blame, like the days of Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. Nothing new under the sun.

Te Deum by William Croft

William Croft (1678-1727), a post-restorationist musician and composer. Some information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Croft Croft was using the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.

"Croft was born at the Manor House, Nether Ettington, Warwickshire. He was educated at the Chapel Royal, under the instruction of John Blow, and remained there until 1698. Two years after this departure, he became organist of St. Anne's Church, Soho. In 1707, he took over the Chapel Royal's "Master of the Children" post, which had been left vacant by the suicide of Jeremiah Clarke (one of Croft's pupils in this capacity was Maurice Greene). The following year, Croft succeeded Blow (who had lately died) as organist of Westminster Abbey. He composed works for the funeral of Queen Anne (1714) and for the coronation of King George I (1715)."

Work: Te Deum in D-major.
Quartet: The Father of infinite majesty
Chorus: Thou art the King of Glory
Alto solo: When thou tookest upon thee
Terzetto: Thou sittest at the right hand
Terzetto: We believe that thou shalt come

The Choir of St Paul's Cathedral, London.
Orchestra: The Parley of Instruments.
Conductor: John Scott

Te Deum Laudamus in C Major by Sir Charle Villiers Sanford

Another from Sir Charles Villiers Sanford re: Te Deum Laudamus, C Major, for Morning Prayer. Helpful for meditation and the expression of confession, praise and petition. Two needful things for the disciplined Anglican Churchman, the 1662 BCP and this internet resource. For the Psalms, we continue to commend the Psalter-set from St. Paul's Cathedral, London, UK. The latter can be purchased directly from St. Paul's website, although this scribe purchased his set through http://www.amazon.com/.

Fortunately, though we are high church Anglicans and living in the Anglican Babylonian Captivity in the west, we are not totally routed or denied our past, our doctrine (Reformed Confessions), Prayer Book (1662), our music of confession, praise and petition, nor our biblical piety. Thank God we have these resources despite the leadership, including the westernized, Americanized, and amnesiacal Bishops--the latter being practical exhibits for the near-adoption of Synodical and Presbyterian polity. But the Presbyterians, at least the American ones, have no Anglican liturgy nor musical traditions. Being alone, however, we press on in confession, praise, prayer and with high views of God, His Word, His doctrines, and exhortations. The "Religio Americanorum" has no appeal for the disciplined Churchman. "Here we stand, so help us God."

Te Deum Laudamus in B Flat by Sir Charles Villiers Sanford

Te Deum at Morning Prayer for 28 August 2010, following the OT lection of Ezekiel 2, full of Law and Gospel, judgment and salvation (for the elect), terror and comfort, and the assurances that God the Son reigns in the earth and, with a special providence and abounding mercy, over His Church.

N.T. Wright on the Hunger for Worship | internetmonk.com

N.T. Wright on the Hunger for Worship | internetmonk.com

Anglicans Ablaze: The Anglican Tradition of Common Prayer--Part 7

Anglicans Ablaze

VirtueOnline - News - Exclusives - ENTEBBE: Ugandan Archbishop says Africa Must Re-Evangelize Europe & Nth. America

VirtueOnline - News - Exclusives - ENTEBBE: Ugandan Archbishop says Africa Must Re-Evangelize Europe & Nth. America

The 110th Anniversary of J.C. Ryle’s Death

The 110th Anniversary of J.C. Ryle’s Death « J.C. Ryle Quotes

110 years ago today, June 10th, 1900, the prolific writer, vigorous preacher and faithful pastor, John Charles Ryle died in England at the age of 84. Here are some quotes surrounding Ryle’s death and his legacy in Christian history.

J.C. Ryle’s Death
From Evangelical Bishop by Peter Toon and Michael Smout:

Ryle had chosen Lowestoft [England] as the scene of his retirement, along with his daughter, Jessie Isabella. He had learned to love the seaside town during his time in Suffolk and so it was appropriate that he should name his new home, ‘Helmingham House.’ The Ryles were due to arrive in Lowestoft on March 6th, 1900, but it was the middle of the month before they arrived, further illness having delayed them. The house was pleasant and overlooked the North Sea, but Ryle was in no condition to appreciate the view. He slept badly and had little energy to talk. The end came suddenly. It was June 9th, a Saturday evening, when the doctor was called. He found Ryle partly unconscious. His sons were sent telegrams asking them to come immediately but only Herbert, not far away in Cambridge, came in time. At 2:15 p.m. on the Sunday afternoon, the Lord’s Day, John Charles Ryle went to be with that same Lord.

J.C. Ryle’s Funeral

On Wednesday morning a small crowd gathered at Lowestoft station to pay its last respects. The huge oak-paneled coffin was put in a special funeral car attached to the 7:57 a.m. train for Liverpool. Arriving in Liverpool the coffin containing the old Bible from which he had preached was taken to All Saint’s Church, Childwall. As yet there were no crowds; only the Vicar and Bishop Royston were there to receive it. The ivy-clad church stood on the slope of a hill looking out south over the Mersey [river] and into Cheshire. The Bishop had known it well for he had visited the grave of his wife there each week since she had died [in 1889].

The morning of the day of the funeral began grey and drizzly but by the afternoon the weather had brightened up and people in their thousands came out from the center of Liverpool in the special trains. The service was quite simple. Archdeacon Taylor read the first lesson from Psalm 90. ‘Rock of Ages’, Ryle’s favorite hymn, was sung. The second lesson was from I Corinthians 15 read by Archdeacon Madden. It had been planned to end the service by the graveside but the rain came on. Therefore after the service in church only the words of committal, said by Bishop Royston, and the benediction, given by Bishop Chavasse, were said by the graveside. The body of J. C. Ryle, with Bible clasped in his hands, at last lay next to that of his third wife.

J.C. Ryle’s Gravestone
On the gravestone were engraved two texts. The first was a reminder of the conversion which set him off on the Christian pilgrimage; Ephesians 2:8, ‘For by grace are ye saved through faith.’ The second testified that he had now finished that earthly pilgrimage; II Timothy 4:7, ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.’ In a memorial sermon Canon Hobson declared that ‘few men in the nineteenth century did so much for God, for truth and for righteousness among the English speaking race, and in the world, as our late Bishop.’ More simply, his successor, Bishop Chavasse, described him as a man ‘who lived so as to be missed.’

(see original article for photos.) The gravestone on the left (below) marks the grave of Bishop Ryle. The stone on the right (below) marks the grave of his third wife Henrietta (Clowes) Ryle. His first marriage was to Matilda C. L. Plumptre on Oct. 25, 1845. Matilda died in June 1847. On Feb. 21, 1850, Ryle married his second wife Jessie Elizabeth Walker. Jessie died in May 1860 from Bright’s disease. In Oct. 1861, Ryle was married to Henrietta, who died in 1889.

J.C. Ryle’s Legacy
From Faithfulness and Holiness: The Witness of J.C. Ryle, p. 13, 14:

Three days after Ryle’s burial, Richard Hobson, a senior clergyman who had been at the Liverpool diocese from its foundation in 1880, declared:

“He [J.C. Ryle] was great through the abounding grace of God. He was great in stature; great in mental power; great in spirituality; great as a preacher and expositor of God’s most holy Word; great in hospitality; great as a writer of Gospel tracts; great as a Bishop of the Reformed Evangelical Protestant Church in England, of which he was a noble defender; great as first Bishop of Liverpool. I am bold to say, that perhaps few men in the nineteenth century did as much for God, for truth, and for righteousness, among the English speaking race, and in the world, as our late Bishop.”

Johannes Weslianus: Letter to the Friends of the Reformed Faith concerning Norm Shepherd

Johannes Weslianus: Letter to the Friends of the Reformed Faith concer...: "TE Brian Carpenter has provided us with a great resource. He has published the letter sent out by the friends of the Reformed faith. After..."

Pastor Iain Murray: Mal.4.1-6, Chief Reasons for Decay in the Church

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12902902

Dr. Boice on Daniel in Babylon

http://www.oneplace.com/player/the-bible-study-hour/a-young-man-decides-124463.html

A timely word for Anglicans in the Wilderness.

When Boys Refuse to Grow Up

Purcell, Nunc Dimittis in G Minor

Sung during Choral Evensong at Trinity Cathedral (Episcopal) in Cleveland, Ohio
February 10, 2010
Trinity Chamber Singers
Horst Buchholz, Choirmaster
Todd Wilson, Organist

Chaplain J. Oliver Buswell, Jr. in WWI « The Continuing Story

Chaplain J. Oliver Buswell, Jr. in WWI « The Continuing Story

One of the first Systematic Theologies that I read about 19 years of age. The first was Louis Berkhof's, given to me by my father as I entered university. Then came Charles Hodges's three volumes. These three sets always need, amongst so many others, to be re-read.

God and Woman at Harvard - National Review Online

God and Woman at Harvard - Article - National Review Online

An Harvard Valedictorian with a double major in English and Classics joins a convent.

Nunc Dimittis in G and in A Major- by Charles Villiers Stanford

We bring three renditions of Nunc Dimittis, Luke 2.29-32, from Evening Prayer, 25 Aug 2010, in response to the NT lection of Mark 1.1-21. To meet, receive, embrace, love, be baptized into, and follow the LORD Christ is rest, justification, assurance, and salvation. We are Christians, first and foremost, here at RA.

In the grand cathedral tradition for which Anglicanism is known and for which no apologies are offered (especially to Americans), the third video clip is from Ely Cathedral as part of 800th anniversary celebrations of Cambridge University. The music is sung by the choirs of Downing, Jesus, Queens', Magdalene, Selwyn, Sidney Sussex and St Catharine's Colleges. Organist: Robert Quinney
Director of music: David Hill.

Category:

Magnificat in B flat and in A Major - Stanford

Ever timeless and musically meritorious, as the Canticle of Praise for Evensong or Evening Prayer. We bring two renderings of the Magnificat by Stanford. For 25 Aug 2010, we rejoice over the (Archbishop Prophet) Jeremiah's release from Nebuchadnezzar in Jeremiah 39, the lection this day from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. The judgments of His Majesty were executed on Jerusalem, Judah, Zedekiah the King, Zedekiah's sons, and the entire court of nobles, advisors, and military men. It was the "shakedown," the "getting rolled over," by the Sovereign LORD of Israel.

Monty Collier on Dr. R. Scott Clark

Charlie Ray offers his fair and even-handed review. http://reasonablechristian.blogspot.com/2010/08/youtube-r-scott-clarks-attack-on.html.

This scribe places little credence in Collier's review. We are High Churchmen at Reformation Anglicanism.

BBC: John Henry Newman

Four days left on BBC, an audio re: John Henry Newman, the arch-anti-Reformation Anglican of the 19th century. Notwithstanding his theology, he was honest and left for Rome, unlike Anglo-Catholics.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tgypb

Next month Pope Benedict XVI arrives on a state visit to Britain and one of the highlights of the trip will be the beatification in Birmingham of Cardinal John Henry Newman, whose life spanned most of the 19th century. It's the penultimate step on the route to sainthood making Cardinal Newman the first non-martyred British saint since before the Reformation. Edward Stourton explores the life and legacy of Newman who was once described as the "most dangerous man in England" because his religious faith took him from Protestantism to the Church of Rome and attracted suspicion on all sides. The programme includes access to Newman's rooms at the Birmingham Oratory which have remained as they were when he died there in 1890 and to the grave where he was buried with his male companion of 32 years. The programme includes interviews with Archbishop Vincent Nichols, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales; Newman biographers Fr. Ian Ker and John Cornwell, the Anglican bishop and Newman scholar Geoffrey Rowell, Catholic columnist Dr. Melanie McDonagh and the composer James MacMillan. It also includes music associated with Newman including Edward Elgar's setting of Newman's great poem The Dream of Gerontius plus a preview of the new English setting of the Mass composed by James MacMillan which will be sung at the beatification ceremony in Birmingham. The actor Michael Maloney reads from Newman's letters, autobiography and diaries.

"Self-Inflicted Amneisa: Tell Us Your Stories" by Collin Hansen--Reformed Theology Articles at Ligonier.org

Sometimes younger Christians give the impression that we have things figured out. We’re the future. We’ve found the old methods wanting, so we’ve developed new ones. We’re the generation that will strike the right balance where our forebears fell over to one side or the other. We’ve learned from your mistakes. And we don’t mind telling you.

Older believers recognize this youthful arrogance for what it is. You’ve been there, done that, grown out of it. You wait patiently for us to do likewise. But I want to encourage you not to let us younger believers off the hook so easily. Don’t berate us, for we excel at tuning out what we don’t want to hear. Don’t patronize us, as our pride will kick in and make us defensive. Still, there is one thing you can do: Tell us your stories.

Tell Us Your Stories by Collin Hansen | Reformed Theology Articles at Ligonier.org

Broadcast Archives of the Rev. Dr. James Montgomery Boice

http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/the-bible-study-hour/listen/broadcast-archives.html

25 Aug 2010: Morning Prayer for Thursday in the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

I use the 1662 BCP. This sounds like the 1928 BCP? The Bible lections are not the 1662 either. The Psalter-lections are not the 1662 which is a problem? The service is read much too quickly, although with fair enunciation. The Venite was quite quick. But just getting used to this site.

The music this scribe uses is from St. Paul's Cathedral, London, for all Psalms. Having said this, a good site for occasional use.

12th Sunday After Trinity: Evening Prayer, 24 Aug 2010

Northern Plains Anglicans: The Archbishop of Canterbury notes Anglican vitality shift from Northern to Southern Hemisphere

Duh? No kidding, Mr. Williams of Canterbury. Fellow exiles in Babylonian-American Manglicanism, we are where we are. Look at the leaders we have in Western Anglicanism.

Northern Plains Anglicans: The Archbishop of Canterbury notes Anglican vitality shift from Northern to Southern Hemisphere

The Archbishop of Canterbury notes Anglican vitality shift from Northern to Southern Hemisphere

He offers some good thoughts about God's priorities, about the role of Bishops, about the need for "sacrificial and selfless political leadership," and about the shift of Anglican (and other Christian traditions')vitality to Africa and the "Global South":

"It has been said that this is going to be the African century of the Christian Church in terms of energy and growth and vision. Archbishop Mouneer [Anis of Egypt, North Africa and the Horn of Africa] has already reminded us of this and of its deep roots in Christian history. God raises up different countries and cultures in different seasons to bear witness to his purpose in a specially marked way, and it may be that this is indeed his will for Africa in the years ahead. And if the churches of Africa are going to be for this time a city set on a hill, how very important it will be for the health and growth of all God's churches throughout the world that this witness continues at its best and highest. In this meeting, God has given us the grace to come together for just this end, to reflect on how the bishop's ministry can best serve and show the new creation, the one great hope for men and women to be truly free and joyful as they work against all the terrible things that wound the image of God in us and hold back the potential of those whom God loves so passionately. We in the Church worldwide pray with you, with all our hearts, that your hopes and goals in this meeting will be wonderfully realised and that you will be able to speak a word not only for this continent but for all God's people, a word that all will hear and recognise as the calling of the eternal Word to the world he loves, the calling into fullness of life."

The Almost-Luther Day | Here I Walk

The journey of Luther, as followed by a couple of journalists.

The Almost-Luther Day Here I Walk

The Almost-Luther Day

We have dubbed today the Almost-Luther Day, because at 39km we fell a tri­fle short of the 42km aver­age he is sup­posed to have walked on his south­ward jour­ney. (Much of the day was spent along the Rennsteig, a very old road from Ilme­nau south­wards. Many times we walked through the rut–sometimes more than 8ft deep–carved by hun­dreds of years of horses, mules, oxes and carts. All in all a very his­tor­i­cal day.)

All the same it took us 13.5 hours and we’re in our Zim­merver­mi­etung in a state nearly beside our­selves with exhaus­tion. We also got a taste of Luther’s win­ter cold, despite it being August. And we also real­ized that walk­ing in Novem­ber and Decem­ber, Luther must have spent quite a lot of time walk­ing in the dark. More on this and our other day’s adven­tures tomor­row when we are more coherent

24 Aug 1572: St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre

The Pope reacts to the slaughter of thousands of French Calvinists hunted and massacred on 24 August 1572 and the months that followed. We quote briefly from a fair and introductory article on wikipedia. In the same year, the Pope "excommunicated" Queen Elizabeth, having declared also the "dissolution of the oath of allegiance" by British subjects to their Queen. On 24 August 1572, Queen's Elizabeth's Spy-Master-in-Chief, Sir Francis Walsingham, a Calvinistic Anglican, barely escaped Paris himself. His report to the Queen was not favourable re: Popedom, religion and politics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Bartholomew%27s_Day_massacre

"The Politiques were horrified but many Catholics inside and outside France regarded the massacres, at least initially, as deliverance from an imminent Huguenot coup d'etat. The severed head of Coligny was apparently despatched to Pope Gregory XIII, though it got no further than Lyons, and the Pope sent the king a Golden Rose.[40] He ordered a Te Deum to be sung as a special thanksgiving (a practice continued for many years after) and had a medal struck with the motto Ugonottorum strages 1572 showing an angel bearing a cross and sword next to slaughtered Protestants.[41]

The massacre, with the murder of Gaspard de Coligny above left, as depicted in a fresco by Giorgio Vasari. The Pope also commissioned the artist Giorgio Vasari to paint three frescos in the Sala Regia depicting the wounding of Coligny, his death, and Charles IX before Parliament, matching ones on the defeat of the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto (1571). `The massacre was interpreted as an act of divine retribution; Coligny was considered a threat to Christendom and thus the pope designated 11 September 1572 as a joint commemoration of the Battle of Lepanto and the massacre of the Huguenots.'[42] Although these formal acts of rejoicing in Rome were not repudiated publicly, privately misgivings in the papal curia grew once the nature of the killings gradually became better known. Gregory XIII himself refused to receive Charles de Maurevert, said to be the killer of Coligny, on the grounds he was a murderer. [43]"

Wilhelmus À Brakal’s Response To Continuists:

An excellent statement about the Charisholics. Andy Underhill gives us a good post.

Wilhelmus À Brakal’s Response To Continuists:


Wilhelmus À Brakal’s Response To Continuists:
In volume 2 of à Brakal’s “Reasonable Service” he discusses the marks of true and false churches. The sixth mark he refutes as a mark of a false church is the continuing presence of miracles. To this à Brakal replies:

“Sixthly, miracles are proposed as one of the distinguishing marks of the church. To this we reply:

(1) Miracles do not belong to the distinguishing marks of the true church. This is nowhere to be found in the Word of God.
(2) Miracles are not intended for believers, but for unbelievers; thus the church has no need of them. If one were desirous of bringing an unbeliever into the true church, one would have to perform a wonder time and again, which, however, the proponents of this mark do not do.
(3) The performance of and boasting in miracles in the post-apostolic era, as a means of the confirmation of doctrine, is a distinguishing mark of the anti-Christian church. “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thess 2:9). This certainly confirms that the performance of miracles does not belong to the distinguishing marks of the church.” (Wilhelmus à Brakal, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, vol. 2, pg. 29.)

Isn’t ironic that the continuists claim to follow Scripture, hence their practice of charismata, yet Scripture nowhere states that miracles are a distinguishing characteristic of the Church. In fact, Scripture takes it for granted that false teacher may perform “miracles.” (Deut. 13:1-5; 2 Thess. 2:9). In fact, Jesus never rebuked the Pharisees for not believing in His miracles; He rebuked their unbelief of His teaching and the Scriptures. The warning of Deut. 13:1-5 is surely behind this fact.

I once knew a missionary who claimed that miracles were, in his words, “the dinner bell to salvation.” I watched him preach and pray for those who came forward to his altar calls. I can’t recall a single miracle. No doubt there were many in his imagination, but there were certainly no verifiable miracles. I don’t buy the claims of healing from headaches or back pain.

Moreover, à Brakal’s point is dead on: where are the people performing verifiable miracles over and over to bring unbelievers into the Church. Indeed the Charismatic doctrine of faith precludes this. On the Charismatic scheme, miracles occur for those who have the faith to believe for their miracle, hence an unbeliever could never receive a miracle. If miracles are to convince unbelievers, we have a catch-22 on our hands. Those who need miracles and for whom they exist can never have one!

Martin Bucer: A Reformer and His Times by Keith Mathison | Ligonier Ministries Blog

Martin Bucer: A Reformer and His Times by Keith Mathison | Ligonier Ministries Blog

Martin Bucer: A Reformer and His Times
from Keith Mathison

Writing in 1539, John Calvin described Martin Bucer as a man “who on account of his profound scholarship, his bounteous knowledge about a wide range of subjects, his keen mind, his wide reading, and many other different virtues, remains unsurpassed today by anyone, can be compared with only a few, and excels the vast majority.” Calvin wrote these words during his three year stay in Strasbourg (1538–1541), where Bucer was a prominent Reformer. After his arrival in the city, Calvin lived for a time in Bucer’s house before moving into a house with a back yard that abutted Bucer’s back yard. During this time the two Reformers became close, and Bucer greatly influenced his younger colleague. Yet in spite of the close connection between Bucer and Calvin, Bucer remains something of an unknown for many Reformed Christians, relegated to the role of a secondary Reformer.

Martin Greschat’s biography of Bucer was originally published in German in 1990. It’s translation into English by Stephen Buckwalter and publication by Westminster John Knox in 2004 makes it the first biography of Bucer to appear in English in seventy years. Martin Greschat is University Professor of Church History and Contemporary Church Affairs at Justus-Leibig-Universität Giessen, Germany. He has written a number of scholarly articles on the life and thought of Bucer and is well qualified to write a full length biography.

Martin Bucer was born in1491 in the city of Sélestat, an imperial free city in Alsace (today in northeastern France). He joined the Order of Preachers, or Dominicans, as a novice in 1507. After a year, he took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, becoming a Dominican monk. The initial stage of his studies consisted of in-depth study of Aristotle. The Dominicans considered the study of Aristotle as culminating in the study of theology, and Bucer followed this educational path. He visited Heidelberg in 1515 and Mainz in 1516 to continue his biblical and theological studies. While at Mainz, Bucer was ordained a priest. In January 1517, he returned to Heidelberg in order to obtain a university degree. In 1518, an event occurred in Heidelberg that would set the course for the remainder of Bucer’s life.

In April 1518, Martin Luther came to Heidelberg for a disputation. Bucer was present. In his disputation, Luther “asserted man’s incapacity to do good, denied free will, set forth a new understanding of theology based on the cross, and proclaimed salvation by faith in Christ alone.” Bucer showed particular interest in Luther’s first thesis: “The law of God, the most salutary doctrine of life, cannot advance man on his way to righteousness, but rather hinders him,” and his twenty-fifth thesis: “He is not righteous who does much, but he who, without work, believes much in Christ.” Bucer agreed with much of what Luther said, but he had a broader view of the law. Christians, he argued, relate to the law in a new way. Bucer’s understanding of the law, as Greschat summarizes it, is that Christians “consent to it in their hearts and are moved by the Holy Spirit to live and behave according to it” (p. 28). Bucer realized the implications of his agreement with Luther. On April 30, 1518, he drew up a formal will and an inventory of all of his books.

In 1521, Bucer received a dispensation from his Dominican vows, and in 1522 he married a former nun, Elisabeth Silbereisen. In May of the same year he accepted the call to be the pastor in the town of Landstuhl. After working for Reformation there for six months, Bucer came to Wissembourg in November 1522. Bucer preached the doctrines of the Reformation relentlessly. This did not sit well with all of the city’s inhabitants, and opposition rose. Eventually, Bucer was excommunicated, and the town council asked him to leave the city. It was in this condition, as a penniless, excommunicated refugee priest, that Bucer arrived in Strasbourg in 1523. Bucer would lead the Reformation in Strasbourg for the next twenty-five years. Between 1523 and 1549, when he was once again exiled, Bucer would be a key figure in the Protestant Reformation.

One of the central disputes during the time of the Reformation concerned the doctrine and practice of the Lord’s Supper. Very early on, a rift appeared between Luther and the Swiss Reformers, such as Huldrych Zwingli and Johannes Oecolampadius. This division created not only theological and ecclesiastical problems, but political problems as well. The armies of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V were a threat to the cities and regions that had converted to the cause of Reformation. Disagreements over the Lord’s Supper among Protestants led not only to ecclesiastical divisions but to political divisions as well, divisions which weakened the Protestant cities politically and militarily. Bucer devoted much of his energy to the task of finding a way to reconcile the Lutherans and the Swiss. His efforts resulted in several important documents. He co-authored, for example, the Tetrapolitan Confession in an attempt to effect reconciliation. His views of the Lord’s Supper influenced Calvin, who also took a mediating position between the Lutherans and Zwinglians.

In his biography of Bucer, Martin Greschat discusses these and many more events, including Bucer’s last years in England after being exiled from Strasbourg. Whether one admires Bucer or finds his efforts at unification theologically misguided and/or naïve, this biography is well worth studying. There are many works on the Reformation as a whole, and some of these works demonstrate outstanding scholarship. They all, however, tend to suffer from the same inevitable defect. Histories of the Reformation as a whole are forced by their very nature to cover a great deal of material, and this prevents them from focusing intently on the day to day work performed by those in the midst of this defining moment in history. Such general works are necessary, but they should be supplemented with books such as Greschat’s biography of Bucer. This is necessary because many students of the Reformation view the writings and disputes of the Reformation in a vacuum. They do not take into account how much political, social, cultural, and other factors affected the Reformers and their work.

Greschat does a magnificent job drawing readers into the world of the sixteenth century. Readers of this biography are given a fascinating glimpse of these tumultuous years from the perspective of one significant player in the events. We see the political maneuverings of princes, city councils, kings, reformers, and bishops. We see the effects on the Reformation of economic depressions and deadly diseases. We see the day to day gains and losses of those who sought to call the Church back to Scripture. Bucer was certainly not perfect, and Greschat points out his flaws. He was, however, a fascinating and important part of the sixteenth-century Reformation. Thankfully, Martin Greschat has provided the church a fine biography of this forgotten Reformer.

The Best Safeguard Against False Teaching « J.C. Ryle Quotes

Spot-on from Bishop Ryle.

The Best Safeguard Against False Teaching « J.C. Ryle Quotes

What is the best safe-guard against false teaching? Beyond all doubt the regular study of the word of God, with prayer for the teaching of the Holy Spirit. The Bible was given to be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. (Psalm. 119:105.) The man who reads it aright will never be allowed greatly to err. It is neglect of the Bible which makes so many a prey to the first false teacher whom they hear. They would have us believe that “they are not learned, and do not pretend to have decided opinions.” The plain truth is that they are lazy and idle about reading the Bible, and do not like the trouble of thinking for themselves. Nothing supplies false prophets with followers so much as spiritual sloth under a cloak of humility.

~ J.C. Ryle

In Memoriam, James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000) - Reformation21

Due to family issues--death of Dad, an 80-day hospitalization of my Mother, and her relocation to assisted living--I missed this timely memorial about my former Pastor, Jim Boice. Had there been a morning Prayer Book service, it would have been heaven on earth. However, even as such, a Presbyterian Church, it was still excellent. He was a Pastor-Scholar.

In Memoriam, James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000) - Reformation21

In Memoriam, James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000)
Article by Rick Phillips June 2010

June 15 marks the tenth anniversary of the death of James Montgomery Boice, who was for thirty-two years the pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, the dean of Reformed pastor-scholars in his generation, and my beloved pastor. The enduring image of Dr. Boice in my mind is also the first, when I had walked into Tenth Church for an evening service in 1990: standing in the pulpit preaching God's Word with authority, clarity, and both intellectual and spiritual power. The ten years since his death have seen little decrease in his standing and influence among evangelical Christians. Through his continuing radio ministry on The Bible Study Hour and especially through his writings, Boice continues not only to teach the Scriptures and its great doctrines, but he continues to anchor the commitment of his followers and admirers to the innerancy and sufficiency of God's living Word.

In my opinion, the reason for James Boice's influence and legacy is seldom understood. What was it about him that drew so wide an audience of pastors and laypeople? The answer is that as a Reformed theologian, James Boice was a Christian first. That is, the issues for which he stood were Christian issues: the inerrancy of Scripture, the gospel of faith in Jesus, the sin-cleansing power of Christ's blood, and the Christian witness for the salvation of the lost. It is true that Boice served this Christian and evangelical cause from a distinctively Reformed perspective, but his cause was simply that of Christ and his gospel. It is in this way that Boice so ably advanced the credibility of Reformed theology within evangelicalism, by showing that it is only the Reformed doctrine that can consistently uphold Christian distinctives. Boice taught, proved, and defended Calvinism by teaching, proving, and defending the Bible. On a personal level this Christ-centered priority was also true for James Boice. While Boice was a Calvinist through and through, his passion was for the person and work of Jesus Christ, and his labor was offered in personal service to his living and reigning Lord and Savior. Calvinism was ever the servant of Boice's passion for Jesus and never the master.

I think that James Boice's ministerial career can be seen in three phases. The first phase of his career, from the mid-1960's to around 1980, involved the defense of evangelical doctrine against liberal assaults. These were the years when Boice was wrapping up the education he received in liberal institutions like Princeton Seminary and the University of Basel. In his John commentary, dating from these early years, one will frequently read Boice defending the Bible from the interpretations of liberals like Rudolf Bultmann. These were also the years when Boice was ordained in the liberal United Presbyterian Church, so that the context for his ministry was that of opposition to liberal attacks on the Bible. It is no surprise that Boice's chief concern during these years was to defend the inerrancy and authority of Scripture, as seen in his leadership of the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy (ICBI).

The second phase of Boice's ministry took place from around 1980-- when Tenth Presbyterian Church left the liberal UPC and eventually made its way into the evangelical Presbyterian Church in America -- until 1993. This phase of Boice's ministry focused on the teaching of Reformed theology within an evangelical context. Boice believed that the evangelical movement could only maintain its doctrinal moorings (and therefore its spiritual vitality) by standing on the foundation laid by the Protestant Reformers (and the apostles before them). The crowning achievements of this period of Boice's ministry were his four-volume commentary on Romans, which not only lays out the biblical basis for Reformed doctrine but also shows the necessity of these doctrines for Christian faith and life, and his lay-friendly systematic theology, Foundations of the Christian Faith.

The final phase of Boice's ministry can be dated from the publishing of David Well's book, No Place for Truth, in 1993, which uncovered the looming danger of worldliness in the faith and practice of evangelical churches. These years saw Boice emphasize not merely the inerrancy of the Bible but also the sufficiency of Scripture for the church's evangelism, holiness, guidance, and cultural impact. It was around this time, 1994, that Boice (along with Michael Horton) founded the Alliance for Confessing Evangelicals, which carries on his work to this day. One of Boice's final and best books issued this clarion call to reformation, Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace? a book which retains every bit of its relevance today and will continue to be relevant for decades to come.

Was James Boice successful in his endeavors as a Christian statesman? I think the answer is that he was remarkably successful as God blessed his Bible teaching and statesmanship. As for his early defense of the Bible, Boice did not persuade the liberals, but his and others' efforts did anchor a generation of evangelicals to the inerrancy of Scripture. As for his middle years and their emphasis on Reformed doctrine as key to the gospel, Boice lived to see the beginnings of the Reformed awakening that is now in full bloom among so many evangelical Christians. When Boice founded the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology in 1974, experts insisted that no one wanted to hear Reformed teaching much less pay to attend such a conference. Today, not only is Boice's PCRT still going strong (with over 2000 people attending in 2010), but it has spurred a host of even larger conferences such as the annual Ligonier Conference and the more recent Together for the Gospel. Finally, as for Boice's later endeavors as a reforming leader, in this he also was blessed by God with considerable success. It is true that Boice, the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, and other like-minded groups have not stemmed the flood of worldliness and doctrinal infidelity in the broader evangelical world. But Boice did inspire a generation of young Christian leaders who are passionately committed to biblical fidelity and filled with gospel zeal. In the last couple of years of his life, Boice often spoke to me about his excitement for the future due to the emergence of so many fervent, well-grounded young pastors and lay leaders. Jim Boice did not die with a sense of failure but with a joyful optimism regarding what God would do in the coming years through the legion of fervent, Bible-believing, cross-exalting, sovereign grace-proclaiming Christians he saw coming behind him.

One way for me to eulogize James Montgomery Boice is to recount both the first and the last things he ever said personally to me. My first conversation with Boice took place at a congregational dinner of Tenth Church, shortly after I had been converted and joined the church. I remember arriving late for the meal in the church's crowed fellowship hall, filled with circular dinner tables, and seeing no available seat except for one directly next to the senior minister, Dr. Boice. I suppose others were too intimidated to sit next to the great preacher, but I was thrilled. During the meal I recounted to Boice how I had been growing under his preaching and especially how my reading of his books was enriching my soul and leading me into truth. After a bit of this, Boice interrupted me and said, "Young man, you are talking too much about me. I would suggest that you stop reading my books and start reading the Bible for yourself, focusing on the truth that Jesus will teach you by the Holy Spirit." At the time I was downcast over this reproof, but the episode left a permanent impact on me on the importance of being devoted to Christ and his Word rather than the teaching of any man.

My final meeting with James Boice took place about ten years later, just a few days before he died. A group of us from the church had gone to his home to see him for a last time and to sing some of the hymns he had written and which were set to music by Paul Jones. The last of these hymns we sang was in my view Boice's best: "Come to the Waters," a hymn gathering together all the "water of life" themes in the Bible as they flow from the gospel. (If you want to feel the very heart-beat of James Boice's ministry, just sing this hymn!) Sitting on the couch with Jim afterwards, he grabbed my arm and in his cancer-weakened voice he said to me, "Rick, do you see what I am saying in that hymn? It all flows to Jesus and out from him. Don't ever forget that!" By God's grace, I don't believe I ever will forget it, and I will certainly never forget the inspirational, Christ-centered life and ministry of my friend and pastor, James Montgomery Boice.

Not long after that final meeting, I had the privilege of preaching the evening sermon at Tenth on the Sunday after Dr. Boice died. Phil Ryken and I had scripted that Sunday, with him preaching a pastoral message of comfort to the congregation in the morning and with me preaching a memorial message that evening. I chose as my text 2 Kings 2:11-15, the ascension of Elijah in a chariot of fire. One reason for selecting this text was that when I had learned weeks earlier that Dr. Boice would soon die of cancer, I had gotten onto my knees and prayed for God to give me double the portion of the Spirit so as to be one of those who would carry on Jim's work. In the sermon I wanted to point out that we as a congregation could take up Boice's legacy, like the mantel that fell from Elijah's ascending chariot, and carry it on by holding forth the convictions he had taught us from God's Word. A couple of days before preaching the sermon, however, Phil Ryken gave me a cassette tape of a message Boice had preached on that passage. I had thought that Jim had never preached from that text, but it turned out that he had done so for his tenth anniversary as Tenth's pastor. In that sermon, Boice revealed that when he was a seminary student at Princeton in 1960, his father had called to tell him about the sudden death of Donald Grey Barnhouse, then pastor of Tenth Church and Boice's pulpit hero. Jim related how when he heard the news, he fell to his knees in his room and prayed for God to give him double the portion of Elijah if he was to take up the mantle of so great a man as Barnhouse. I ended up telling this story in my memorial sermon for Boice, pointing out that he was, like us, simply a man of faith who had prayed to be used by God. It is therefore our sovereign and gracious God who deserves the praise and glory for the life and ministry of James Montgomery Boice, as Dr. Boice himself would be the first to insist. If we will pray for the same - for God's mighty Spirit to equip us to minister the gospel truth to our generation - we can expect God to do great things through our labors as well.

Dr. Boice's favorite benediction from the Bible says of God that "from him and through him and to him are all things." Paul concludes, "To him be glory forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). It was James Montgomery Boice's own glorification to leave us and be with God, ten years ago today, having devoted his life and labors to the praise of God's glorious grace.

Heidelblog: Roman Catholic Scholar Converts to the Evangelical Faith

Heidelblog

Luther Was Not a Monk: Here I Walk, 23 Aug

Luther Was Not a Monk

 Here I Walk

You Are Here: History > Luther Was Not a Monk



Luther Was Not a Monk



The decid­edly urban char­ac­ter of Erfurt meant another impor­tant thing for our story: the pres­ence of fri­ars. Luther was not a monk, prop­erly speak­ing, but a friar or bet­ter a her­mit of Saint Augus­tine. He’s respon­si­ble for this error, as he fre­quently referred to him­self as a monk. But he was a friar nonethe­less and shared more with the Mid­dle Ages’ new form of reli­gious life defined by the Domini­cans and Fran­cis­cans than he did with the true clois­tered monks of the Bene­dic­tine Rule.

For var­i­ous rea­sons, mete­o­ro­log­i­cal and tech­no­log­i­cal, the pop­u­la­tion of Europe exploded after 1050, and an agri­cul­tural sur­plus fed the growth of urban life. Fri­ars were made to order for this new envi­ron­ment and the chal­lenges it placed upon the faith of the pop­u­lace at large. Unlike their landed, Bene­dic­tine brethren, who were ded­i­cated to ora et lab­ora (prayer and work) within the con­fines of a monastery (and its often vast estates), urban fri­ars worked out­side their quar­ters in the cities doing ser­vice and teach­ing. Many were preachers—an art not often prac­ticed by parish priests—or cat­e­chists, while oth­ers taught in the rapidly grow­ing uni­ver­sity sys­tem. Still oth­ers did works of charity.

Fri­ars were not allowed, at least ini­tially, to own property—the tra­di­tional sup­port for monas­tic exis­tence. Because of this stip­u­la­tion of strict poverty, they were called men­di­cant or “beg­ging orders.” This was a mat­ter of some divi­sive­ness. Luther’s own pri­ory had accu­mu­lated quite large hold­ings from alms and bequests. He and his broth­ers said many masses in pay­ment for these gifts. Indi­vid­ual fri­ars, though, were for­bid­den possessions.

Because of its name you may be tempted to think that the Augus­tin­ian order was a very old one, but it wasn’t. The Order of Augus­tin­ian Her­mits can be traced only to 1244 (while St. Augus­tine him­self lived from 354–430), when a loose group of reform-minded reli­gious banded together under the so-called rule of St. Augustine—a set of pre­cepts laid out by the church father him­self in the fourth century.

In Erfurt, the her­mits prayed the hours, stud­ied, taught in the Uni­ver­sity, preached in local churches, heard con­fes­sion, and said mass. It was a busy life, full of reli­gious respon­si­bil­i­ties and not so full of com­forts. The day began the mid­dle of the night, with matins; then there was 6 a.m. prime, 9 a.m. terce, sexte at 12 noon, and after the noon­day meal and rest the 3 p.m. nones, 6 p.m. ves­pers, and at last com­pline just before bed. And mass some­time before mid­day. Miss­ing any ser­vice required a good excuse and had to be com­pen­sated for. After he moved to Wit­ten­berg and assumed the duties of a pro­fes­sor, Luther would have had exemp­tions from cer­tain hours. He kept care­ful track of what he had missed, though, and by the time he finally stopped pray­ing the canon­i­cal hours alto­gether in 1520 he had accu­mu­lated over three months of prayer debt.

The later Luther had lit­tle good to say about monas­ti­cism. But he only stopped wear­ing his cowl in 1523 and was ever loathe to give up the mass. Dur­ing his years in the clois­ter, he would have recited three psalms at every office (which means that it he prayed the Psalms through nearly once a week). It was monas­ti­cism that gave him the Bible.

Stornoway Free Church: The Debt We Owe the Scottish Reformation

Stornoway Free Church

The Wittenberg Door: John Wycliffe – Part 1

The Wittenberg Door: John Wycliffe – Part 1

A nice, simple, and accurate summary of the godly Doctor of Theology and, above that, faithful servant of the Triune God.

Anglicans In The Wilderness Home

Anglicans In The Wilderness Home

Why Luther Went to Rome | Here I Walk

We will be following this 70-day trek on foot by these journalists. They have ecumenism in their thinking. Yet, we will be sifting for facts and remembering Brother Martin's journey to hell and back, to Rome on foot and back to Wittenberg and Erfurt n foot.

Why Luther Went to Rome Here I Walk

Aug 21
Why Luther Went to Rome

Moti­va­tion is one of the most dif­fi­cult things to deter­mine, even for peo­ple who are alive, as any ther­a­pist will tell you. The shelves of Luther biogra­phies have accu­mu­lated more than their fair share of psy­cho­an­a­lysts. And not with­out rea­son. Luther’s fer­vent piety, the intense anx­i­ety he showed over his own sal­va­tion, the degree to which he desired—yet con­stantly failed—to achieve any peace with God, the later demo­niza­tion of his oppo­nents: all these sug­gest an extra­or­di­nar­ily rich and com­pli­cated char­ac­ter. Why was he in par­tic­u­lar so unable to tol­er­ate a the­o­log­i­cal and eccle­si­as­ti­cal sys­tem that plenty of others—even reform­ers of the past themselves—managed to work within and around?

But all this is yet to come for Luther. In 1510 his moti­va­tions were some­what sim­pler. That’s why his pil­grim­age is eas­ier to recre­ate than so many of the other bits of his his­tory, tied as they were to words and meet­ings. The land remains to a greater degree than any of the per­son­al­i­ties he inter­acted with. Luther was sent to Rome by his order. Other moti­va­tions would have been quite sec­ondary to his pri­mary obedience.

He was, of course, curi­ous about the land between Erfurt and Rome. Notes from his later con­ver­sa­tions at table show a healthy inter­est in the peo­ple, cus­toms, and flora of his jour­ney. More par­tic­u­lar was his atten­tion to tech­ni­cal and orga­ni­za­tional dif­fer­ences: a mechan­i­cal clock in Nurem­berg, the foundling house in Flo­rence. Absent seems to be any inter­est in the visual cul­ture of the Renais­sance that would have sur­rounded him in Bologna or Siena.

And he would have been moti­vated by the chance to do pious works in Rome—the most holy city of all Chris­ten­dom (with the pos­si­ble excep­tion of the difficult-to-reach, Mameluk-controlled Jerusalem). Con­trary to pop­u­lar opinion—created, in all like­li­hood, by later Ref­or­ma­tion polemics—Rome wasn’t thought holy pri­mar­ily because of the Pope. The papacy was a con­flicted insti­tu­tion in 1510; the popes of Luther’s time were respected in pub­lic but the sub­jects of scathing satire and cri­tique by many promi­nent church­men for their glar­ing shortcomings.

No, for West­ern Chris­tians, Rome was first of all the city of mar­tyrs. When Luther saw the steeples and domes in the dis­tance he reports him­self to have descended to his knees and cried, “Be greeted, most holy Rome.” Holy because it was bathed in the blood of what was believed at the time to have been hun­dreds of thou­sands of Chris­tians slain by pagan offi­cials for con­fess­ing Christ. The merit of these most holy believ­ers was acces­si­ble through count­less holy acts. Luther surely would have looked for­ward to these opportunities.

But even this was a sec­ondary pur­pose. His pri­mary reason—if not motivation—was a rather arcane errand of his order. The Erfurt house and its prior, Johann Nathin, belonged to a reform move­ment among the Augus­tini­ans that sought to expand a more strict obser­vance of the rule. The houses in Nurem­berg, Kulm­bach, and Erfurt were par­tic­u­larly fer­vent, and they objected strongly to an effec­tive merger of the reformed with the province at large announced on Sep­tem­ber 30, 1510—a union forced upon them by Luther’s later friend and influ­en­tial advi­sor John Staupitz, who was at the time head of the Saxon congregation.

Union would water down the reform­ing cause, the strict obser­vants believed. And so an alliance of the strict decided to appeal to the vicar gen­eral, Giles (Egidio) of Viterbo, in Rome. There was clearly some urgency about the appeal. It seems likely they wanted to try and get to Rome before the passes of the Alps became com­pletely… well, impassable.

Five years of study and earnest reli­gious life had brought Luther to the atten­tion of his broth­ers. A com­bi­na­tion of his demon­strated poten­tial and vig­or­ous youth made him an ideal can­di­date for what was sure to be a demand­ing jour­ney. And so in Novem­ber of 1510 he left Erfurt. He would not have trav­eled alone, for such was for­bid­den by the rule. He was likely accom­pa­nied by Anton Kresz, from the obser­vant house in Nurem­berg, who is believed to have been the one in charge of the appeal.

As to their mode of trans­port: they walked. Such was their lot as fri­ars. Horses and car­riages belonged to sol­diers and nobil­ity. Despite being among the best edu­cated and respected peo­ple of the time, walk­ing fit their vol­un­tary low­li­ness. Suf­fer­ing and humil­i­a­tion were part of the pro­gram. Pil­grim­age was penance, after all.

Commemoration of Samuel: August 20

Commemoration of Samuel: August 20

Steadfast Lutherans » New BoC reading group in Evansville, IN

Steadfast Lutherans » New BoC reading group in Evansville, IN

An interesting idea that merits further consideration for Protestant, Reformed, and Confessional Prayer Book people.

Audio and ipod resources from Rev. Dr. James Innes Packer.

http://www.monergism.com/directory/search.php?action=search_links_simple&search_kind=and&phrase=Packer+MP3&B1.x=43&B1.y=24&B1=SEARCH

Audio and ipod resources from Rev. Dr. James Innes Packer.

A new blog added: Joel Beeke's "The Christian's Reasonable Service"

A new blog added: Joel Beeke's "The Christian's Reasonable Service," a source from the Puritan Reformed direction, a perspective that RA does not endorse in the main.

Welcome to My Blog! from Brian Najapfour on Vimeo.

Calvin and Wesley: Making Peace with Competing Approaches | The BioLogos Forum

Calvin and Wesley: Making Peace with Competing Approaches | The BioLogos Forum

Johannes Weslianus: Protecting the Guilty; Silencing the Critics: A Summary of the Norman Shepherd Controversy

Johannes Weslianus: Protecting the Guilty; Silencing the Critics: A Summary of the Norman Shepherd Controversy

The Happy T.R.: Norman Shepherd and the Siouxlands FV Controversy

The Happy T.R.: Norman Shepherd and the Siouxlands FV Controversy

It's heating up again in the NAPARC world over Federal Vision, Norm Shepherd (my prof in 1979), and some midwestern Presbyteries.

Walking 1,000 Miles in the Footsteps of Martin Luther, From Erfurt, Germany to Rome, and Thinking About the Reformation. - WSJ.com

Walking 1,000 Miles in the Footsteps of Martin Luther, From Erfurt, Germany to Rome, and Thinking About the Reformation. - WSJ.com

We'll be following this blog as the steps of Bruder Martin are retraced by a few journalists from Erfurt to earth's hell hole, Rome, Vatican, the home to all manner of usurpations.

The trip by these WSJ writers will take 70 days and will attempt to follow Martin's footsteps in 1510--when he went to hell on earth.

You may wish to follow the feed at www.hereiwalk.org/feed/

We will be walking alongside, electronically.

The itinerary for these "church ecumenists" is below. We would propose that Pope Benedict set out "on foot" in "sackcloth and ashes" and make his "pilgrimmages" to Erfurt and Wittenberg. End of story.

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Below is our pro­posed itin­er­ary. Many of the stop­ping places are small vil­lages or even ham­lets, so I’ve included the larger towns on-route or nearby.

This sched­ule will likely change some­what before we leave, and while we adjust it on-route. Stay tuned to our progress posts for more exact esti­mate of our arrival in any given place.

If you want more spe­cific route infor­ma­tion, visit our maps page, where each day’s jour­ney is indi­cated in dis­tinct colors.

Date City
08–21 Erfurt
08–22 Arn­stadt
08–23 Paulinzella
08–24 Dees­bach
08–25 Almer­swind (~Coburg)
08–26 Grub am Forst
08–27 Lofeld (~Licht­en­fels)
08–28 Bam­berg
08–29 Bam­berg
08–30 Hallern­dorf
08–31 Dor­mitz (~Erlan­gen)
09–01 Nurm­burg
09–02 Haag (~Schwabach)
09–03 Brom­bach
09–04 Gun­zen­hausen
09–05 Oet­tin­gen in Bay­ern
09–06 Nordlin­gen
09–07 Auern­heim
09–08 Stet­ten ob Lon­tal
09–09 Ulm
09–10 Ulm
09–11 Weis­shorn (~Senden)
09–12 Boos
09–13 Rothen­stein (~Mem­min­gen)
09–14 Ermengerst (~Kempten)
09–15 Wil­hams (~Mis­sen)
09–16 Schei­degg
09–17 Bre­genz
09–18 Bre­genz
09–19 Rankweil
09–20 Maien­feld
09–21 Parpan (~Chur)
09–22 Fur­natsch (~Tiefen­cas­tel)
09–23 Casac­cio (~Sep­ti­mer Pass)
09–24 Chi­avenna
09–25 Grave­dona
09–26 Musa
09–27 Laglio
09–28 Seveso (~Como)
09–29 Milan
09–30 Pavia
10–01 Santa Cristina
10–02 Cal­en­dasco
10–03 Pia­cenza
10–04 Fioren­zuolo
10–05 Costamez­zana
10–06 ~Bar­done
10–07 Passo Cisa
10–08 Vil­lafranca in Luni­giana
10–09 Sarzana (~Spezia)
10–10 Sarzana
10–11 Massa
10–12 Camaiore
10–13 Altopas­cio (Lucca)
10–14 Flo­rence
10–15 Flo­rence, San Mini­ato
10–16 San Gimignano
10–17 San Gimignano
10–18 Mon­terig­gione
10–19 Sienna
10–20 Buon­con­vento
10–21 Cas­tiglione d’Orcia
10–22 Ponte del Rigo
10–23 San Lorenzo Nuovo
10–24 Mon­te­fi­as­cone
10–25 Viterbo
10–26 Capran­ica
10–27 Cam­pag­nano di Roma
10–28 La Storta
10–29 Rome
10–30 Rome

Church Times - Tribunal rules out Sydney’s diaconal and lay presidency

Church Times - Tribunal rules out Sydney’s diaconal and lay presidency

Brian McClaren and Prima Facie Evidence for Heresy and Classic Theological Deviance?

At Reformation Anglicanism, we ask, "Brian McClaren and Prima Facie Evidence for Heresy and Classic Theological Deviance?"

Similarly, Matt Kennedy over at "Stand Firm" says:
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/?/sf/page/26503

"Arrogance masquerading as humility, lies garnished with truth, historical myth making, biblical distortion, a friendly face, a furrowed brow, an "earnest" desire to "free the gospel" from the "old narrative"...here's Brian Mclaren's culturally seductive slew of error.

Therefore God sends them a powerful delusion that they may believe what is false...(2Thessalonians 2:11)"

Q Conversations on Being a Heretic from Q Ideas on Vimeo.

Prima Facie Evidence for Recovery of the Bible, Reformation Confessions, and the 1662 Book of Common Prayer

Romans at Morning Prayer (18 Aug 2010): Ch.15.8 to the end

Chapter 15. “Luther: In chapter 15 [Paul] sets up Christ as an example: we are to tolerate those other weak ones who fail in other ways, in open sins or in unpleasing habits. We are not to cast them off,, but to bear with them until they too grow better. For so Christ has done with us, and still does every day; he bears with our many faults and bad habits, and with all our imperfections and helps us constantly.

“Then, at the end, he prays for them, praises them, and commends them to God. He speaks of his office and of his preaching, and asks them kindly for a contribution to the poor at Jerusalem. All he speaks of or deals with is pure love.” (LSB, 1939)

15.8-13. The OT, the Abrahamic covenant, as well as numerous OT prophecies viewed the day when Jews and Gentiles--strong and rich, educated and less so, humble and contrite, men, women, teen-agers, children and baptized infants in Christ's peaceable and merciful covenant--of multi-national and multi-cultural backgrounds would come together and worship together on God’s holy hill, Zion. That's the historic, catholic, and holy church since Eden. Paul reminds the Ephesian Gentiles that previously--once dead in sins and trespasses, servants of the prince of the power of the air—that they had been hopeless, Godless, without Christ and outside the visible and invisible Church of history (Eph.2.11-22). But, being quickened or made alive in Christ (Eph.4.4-6), the partition wall between Jews and Gentiles had been torn down. Chapters 14-15.13 deals with some remaining tensions, culturally and theologically, between Jewish and Gentile believers. Christ is the Hope, Savior, and Lord over an international church.

15.14. my brothers. Interestingly, Paul speaks of my brothers. They are filled with goodness and ability to teach one another. Teaching, encouragement, and admonition constitute churchly behaviors. He speaks in the plural, brothers, a congregation of faithful men. We give you a once-upon-a-time-Constitutional document for Anglicanism.

We cite Article XIX of the XXXIX Articles (http://www.eskimo.com/~lhowell/bcp1662/articles/articles.html#20 ) :

XIX. Of the Church.

The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men, in the which the pure word of God is preached and the sacraments be duly ministered according to Christ's ordinance in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same. As the Church of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch have erred: so also the Church of Rome hath erred, not only in their living and manner of ceremonies, but also in matters of faith.

The church is a “congregation of faithful men.” However, the congregation includes households as evinced in the books of Acts wherein entire households were baptized into Christ Jesus. So, while Paul speaks of my brothers, namely, male leadership in the church, the congregation surely includes wives, teens, children and baptized infants.

More largely and quite effectively, we find a sterling description of the life of this community entitled “Of the Communion of Saints,” Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XXVII. http://www.reformed.org/documents/wcf_with_proofs/

I. All saints [DPV, all men, women, teens, children and baptized infants], that are united to Jesus Christ their Head, by His Spirit, and by faith, have fellowship with Him in His grace, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory: and, being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other's gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man.

II. Saints by profession are bound to maintain an holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God, and in performing such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification; as also in relieving each other in outward things, according to their several abilities and necessities. Which communion, as God offers opportunity, is to be extended unto all those who, in every place, call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.

Families are in communion with Christ, His blessed benefits, their common worship and share in their differing gifts, sovereignly and divinely-given gifts. (1 Cor.1.5-7; Rom.12.3ff.)

15.15-19. Paul is reminding the Jews and Gentiles of their equal footing in the Church of Rome and of the communion of the saints. Justification is equal to, at, and upon all—Jew and Gentile—while sanctification and progress is varied—again, to Jew and Gentile alike.

We are reminded of this by the distinction and clarification in the Westminster Larger Catechism, namely, (Q. 77). Wherein do justification and sanctification differ? Answer: Although sanctification be inseparably joined with justification, yet they differ, in that God in justification imputeth the righteousness of Christ; in sanctification of his Spirit infuseth grace, and enableth to the exercise thereof; in the former, sin is pardoned; in the other, it is subdued: the one doth equally free all believers from the revenging wrath of God, and that perfectly in this life, that they never fall into condemnation the other is neither equal in all, nor in this life perfect in any, but growing up to perfection.

Whether Jew or Gentile, all boasting has been utterly excluded.

15.16. a minister of Christ Jesus…priestly service…offering. Paul’s calling was evangelism by teaching, preaching and writing, particularly to Gentile audiences.

15.17. I have reason to be proud of my work for God. Previously, Paul had taught that all boasting was excluded because of the gracious, gratuitous, merciful and kind imputation of Christ’s righteousness apart from/without/solely without one’s works-obedience and legal efforts. (Rom.3.21-4.12). There is a sense in which boasting is permissible, e.g. Rom.5.2, namely, that of rejoicing and thanksgiving. Rom 15.2: “…through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.” (NASB) I Corinthians 1.29-31: “..so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, "LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD." We boast, exult and give thanks because of Christ our righteousness, santification and redemption. Jeremiah 9.22-23: “Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD. This forms that sum and substance of the Christian life.

We have "fixed in mind" (the value of "fixed prayers") the much-valued prayer for Evensong, lest we might ever lean to, accept or permit Pelagianism, semi-Pelagianism, boastful or--often--the quite hidden inclination to "grab the headlines (even privately and duplicitously)" in self-sufficiency. This "fixed" prayer "fixes" and ends that pompous boast every evening. (http://www.eskimo.com/~lhowell/bcp1662/daily/evening.html ) :

The Second Collect at Evening Prayer

O God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed; Give unto thy servants that peace which the world cannot give; that both our hearts may be set to obey thy commandments, and also that by thee, we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may pass our time in rest and quietness; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

It is Augustinian, like the rest of the Prayer Book.

Having spoken of St. Paul's effectual and extensive ministry as well as the communion of the saints, we do well to pray for all Pastors and other Ministers in Christ's congregations.

Or this suitable "fixed prayer," having reflected on St Paul and all faithful Churchmen (http://www.eskimo.com/~lhowell/bcp1662/daily/prayers.html):

"ALMIGHTY God, the giver of all good gifts, who of thy divine providence hast appointed divers Orders in thy Church; Give thy grace, we humbly beseech thee, to all those who are to be called to any office and administration in the same; and so replenish them with the truth of thy doctrine, and endue them with innocency of life, that they may faithfully serve before thee, to the glory of thy great Name, and the benefit of thy holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

We do well to remember all these good things done upon, to, at, for, in, through and—yes—by us through God.

Romans 15.8-end, St. Paul, his ministry which shaped Western Churches, our Pastors, families and Christ's Word and Sacrament form the basis of thanksgiving and praise. Let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation. Psalms at Morning Prayer (Daily): Venite, Psalm 95 http://reformationanglicanism.blogspot.com/2010/08/psalms-at-morning-prayer-daily-venite.html May the singing of this "fixed" and ancient Psalm continue to inform and govern our praises.