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

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Nicene Creed as "Complete Fairy Tale?"

Following a study of Jeremiah recently, we've begun to think about the subject of theological "defamation, deceit, distortion, distraction and dismissal."  Such mental (epistemological), moral (ethics), aesthetic (affections) and volitional (choices) cut across all socio-economic, socio-political and religious classes in Jeremiah's time.  Corrupt doctrine, thinking, teachers, and people--disabled and utterly disoriented and deceived is a theme in Jeremiah.  Here's Byran Owen's post in behalf and in favour of the Nicene Creed, the historic Anglican perspective.  Of course, many (majority?) of self-identifying Christians would know few of these things, although the implications are substantial, significant and important.  Nicene Churchmanship prevailed in the East, Western Romanism, and classical Protestant faiths--Anabaptistic, Pentecostalist and other tub-thumping revivalists excluded. (Bryan is a TEC Rector in Jackson, MS.)

http://creedalchristian.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-truth-about-council-of-nicaea.html

The Truth about the Council of Nicaea

According to pop culture accounts, the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) made up a new version of Christianity that includes the divinity of Jesus and the doctrine of the Trinity. And the Council also gave orthodox bishops absolute political power to stamp out rival, more tolerant followers of Jesus. The subtext, of course, is that orthodox Christianity is bad if not evil. And its core doctrine is false because it was the byproduct of efforts to consolidate political power and control.

According to the following video, this view of the Council of Nicaea is "a complete fairy tale" grounded in a lack of historical evidence. The video is a good antidote to some of the anti-Christian, "let's make up our own religion" hype out there, so watch it all:



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