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Ecclesiology

Reformed Catholicity in the Bible Belt

I grew up on the north side of Chicago. My parents were evangelicals and I was raised in the faith. I graduated from a large public high school in which practicing Christians were very few and very far between (though nominal Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox were in abundance), which…

by Rich LuskMay 26, 2014
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Ecclesiology

Reformational Catholicism Now, (3)

During the recent round table discussion on the future of Protestantism , Peter Leithart advocated a much greater degree of unity in the Church than we presently enjoy. Another participant in the discussion wondered aloud how Leithart's vision would be different from the ministerial associations that presently exist in many…

by Tim NicholsMay 21, 2014
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Ecclesiology

Church Unity Starts at Home

"But he, wanting to justify himself, said, 'And who is my neighbor?' And Jesus said to him, 'First, your neighbors are the people in your church, then the ones with whom you enjoy greatest doctrinal or ecclesiastical commonality, then those with whom you enjoy less commonality.'" -Said Jesus... never Since…

by Joe AndersonMay 19, 2014
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Ephesians

Glory and Unity

A number of years ago, I came across something in the Puritan Thomas Goodwin in regard to John 17:22. Goodwin points out that Jesus prays that they (the disciples) might be given the glory of the Father as a means to an end. The end is unity, and the means…

by Richard BledsoeMay 14, 2014
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Catholicism

Reformational Catholicism Now, (2)

In her prize-winning book, Gilead , Marilynne Robinson uses the pastoral settings of Iowa to challenge ministers to live up to their high callings. One of the most powerful themes in the novel is the pastor’s power to “bless.” The tension in the novel builds as we watch Rev. Ames…

by Tom ClarkMay 12, 2014
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Catholicism

Reformational Catholicism Now (1)

One of the few glaring errors of the Protestant Reformers was the failure to welcome children back to the Lord's Table. Something that seems to go along with this was the exclusion of other kinds of Christians, primarily Roman Catholics, from Holy Communion in Protestant churches. Exclusion of Roman Catholics…

by James B. JordanMay 7, 2014

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Justification and Sacramental theology

Many Protestants today, perhaps most in the Reformed churches, believe that justification by faith is threatened by a high sacramental theology. The more efficacy you attribute to baptism, the less prominence you give to faith. While it is true that certain kinds of sacramental theology might be a threat to…

August 15, 2004

“To Obey Its Lusts”

We tend to think of desire as the antithesis of submission to authority. Saying “I ate that chocolate pie because I wanted to” is the opposite of saying “I ate my broccoli because Moma told me to.” Paul, however, recognizes the imperative force of desire. Urging the Romans to resist…

August 15, 2004

“To Obey Its Lusts”

We tend to think of desire as the antithesis of submission to authority. Saying “I ate that chocolate pie because I wanted to” is the opposite of saying “I ate my broccoli because Moma told me to.” Paul, however, recognizes the imperative force of desire. Urging the Romans to resist…

August 15, 2004

1 Kings 1

Here is a very rough, very wooden and literal, translation of 1 Kings 1. Now the king David was old, entering in days. And they covered him in clothes And it was not warm to him. And his servants said to him, ?Let them seek for my lord the king…

August 14, 2004
Philosophy

The Other Frenchman

Descartes is often credited with being the fountainhead of modern philosophy, but Robert Solomon suggess instead that the modern notion of the self comes from Rousseau: “What Rousseau discovered in the woods of France was a self so rich and substantial, so filled with good feelings and half-articulated good thoughts,…

August 13, 2004
Biblical Studies

Numerology

I continue to be very impressed with Victor Wilson’s Divine Symmetries . Here are a few excerpts from his brief discussion of numerology: 1. Abraham is 140 when Isaac and Rebekah marry. Isaac and Rebekah’s marriage lasts precisely that long, and this number is the sum of 1 squared through…

August 13, 2004

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