Whole systems of religion were devised to facilitate the understanding of salvation-by-increments: acquiring grace by participating in the sacraments, and our modern-day "celebration of the disciplines" movements that mean to lead us towards the goal of obtaining human worthiness to stand before God. Preachers thrive on this. They are paid good money to fuss at their congregations for not getting better, chiding them to do more and try harder.
Read more1. Distinguish Two Methods
The scientific method records observations, forms hypotheses, makes predictions, conducts repeatable experiments, and analyzes results. But countless unrepeatable facts can't be discovered with the scientific method.
Read moreBefore offering some criticism of how the principle of "no creed but the Bible" is sometimes used, it is first useful to understand what important truth those who use it are rightly trying to protect. That truth is the unique authority and sufficiency of the Bible as the source and criterion for Christian doctrine.
Read moreI suppose I need more Law (because the law is holy, righteous, and good - Romans 7:12), so go ahead and throw more dirt on my coffin. But don't forget to tell be about God who came to resurrect dead people! Hearing Law without Gospel is like an all-decalogue liturgy with no absolution - no creed; it is hearing a coach instead of a preacher; it is bad news upon bad news for my already weary soul. This cruelty happens every Sunday all across America, including Alaska and Hawaii!
Read moreI have been a Christian for a ridiculous and embarrassing number of years for the beggarly condition of my spiritual life today. This sounds like false humility, but it's a fact. If only I had prayed more, and been more faithful to read the Bible, memorize more Scripture, read a Psalm-a-day like my friend Mary, contemplate the sacraments more deeply, helped the poor and shared my faith more like my other friend Mary, I would be much, much farther down the road.
Read moreFor more years than I care to think I preached get-better messages. I cringe thinking about my old sermons. I regret the lost opportunities of those messages that pounded home the idea that we just need to try harder, pray and give more, read the Bible every day, attend church every week, and be nicer. It was Pharisaism under the guise of Christianity - "an easy-listening version of salvation by self-help" (Michael Horton).
Read moreAnd for heaven's sake, we should not praise God too much in this season! Even though praise and thanksgiving fill every corner of heaven, an activity by which we participate here on earth with choirs of angels and archangels, and even though "Alleluia" and singing God's praises is the way Christians over the centuries have lifted themselves from themselves to God into the heavenly places, we should bury the practice of Alleluias and set up liturgical guards to keep us from thanksgiving.
Read moreDr. Null: I think you've given me ten questions. To start off, what does sola scriptura mean in the 16th century?
Read moreFor this reason, the Board of Trustees of the American Anglican Council has approved a restatement of our faith for the times we live in, The Daniel Declaration: A Call to Mission, A Place to Stand. You will find the entire text of the Daniel Declaration below, and we encourage you to read the whole statement and its Implications for Contemporary Issues.
More worked his way up to become the Lord Chancellor of England, and King Henry's father-figure, secretary, and advisor. He was a celebrated lawyer, philosopher (author of Utopia), statesman, and well respected Renaissance humanist who was personal friends with Erasmus. But the Reformation train was moving too fast to be stopped, and England was changing.
Read more