This succession of biblical teaching is symbolized in the laying-on-of-hands from bishop to bishop, and bishop to priest. The 1830s Oxford Movement resurrected the unfortunate Medieval idea that bishops automatically transfer clerical "specialness" in the laying on of hands that makes some Christians into super-Christians (that leads to silly talk about some ontological change or imputed 'indelible character' in the imaginations of those who think of themselves as special).
Read moreIt is impossible to overestimate the contributions of Thomas Cranmer for defining the theology and worship of the newly formed Church of England. He not only wrote the Book of Common Prayer, but he also wrote Anglican's confession (the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion), the Ordinal (ordination services for bishops, priests and deacons), and four of the first book of 12 Homilies.
Read moreHe ably supported Copernican science, and was a friend and endorser of Galileo. He was also acquainted with Calvin's successor in Geneva, Theodore Beza. His chief influences as a believer were Holy Scripture and Augustine, and he agreed with the fundamental theological structure of the Reformation without a personal departure from a potential re-formed Catholicism.
Read moreThe book made Hays a darling among conservative evangelical Christians who opposed LGBTQ acceptance in their churches and the broader culture and frequently cited Hays' work in debates.
Read moreRenaissance humanism, which invited the academic world back "to the sources" (ad fontes) of Greek and Hebrew scholarship, helped fuel the 16th century Reformation. This opened the door to Erasmus' 1516 New Testament, the first time in over a thousand years that the Greek text of the Bible had been published. It is impossible to overestimate the impact Erasmus' Greek New Testament had on the world and the church.
Read moreBack in 1918, the Dean of Canterbury, Henry Wace, recognized the potential problem. As the Church of England shifted toward making holy communion the principal Sunday service, problems arose. Among these was the belief (in Wace's words) "that intimate contact with Christ is only to be obtained through the channel of the sacraments." Indeed, such teaching could leave the impression that corporate worship could not occur without sacramental observance.
Read moreBut did it actually mean that science and the Bible are in opposition to one another? Not really. It only meant that what theologians had said about Scripture was different from Galileo's scientific conclusion based on the evidence. What is often overlooked, however, is the other fact that Galileo was a Christian. He said, "that the glory and greatness of Almighty God are marvelously discerned in all His works and divinely read in the open book of Heaven."
Read moreIn his High Priestly Prayer just before his crucifixion he announced, "My hour has come" (Jn 17:1). Jesus didn't primarily come to leave us an example for us to follow or a deposit of helpful advice for Christian living; he came to die as our substitute the death we sinners deserve to die. From creation itself, all of human history led up to the cross - this moment - this word.
Read moreCranmer clearly has before him—perhaps literally open to the page—Philippians 2:5-11:
Read moreIn Bloody Mary's five-year reign as Queen nearly 300 Protestants were killed in a futile attempt to rid the kingdom of the evangelical heresy. The fast-moving train of reformation would not be stopped.
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