| October 08 2004 |
"A Form of Godliness" by the Rev. Jerome F. Politzer
If you have ever wondered about the differences between the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and its predecessors, you may want to read A Form of Godliness. This is an analysis of the changes in doctrine and discipline in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer; Rev. Politzer discusses the differing sacramental theology behind the 1979 BCP and the 1928 BCP, and says:
The 1979 Prayer Book does not teach the Biblical and Catholic faith. It has "a form of godliness," while "denying the power thereof." (2 Timothy 3:5) As the sole standard of doctrine, discipline, and worship in the Episcopal Church it is unacceptable.
This would be worth reading to see why Rev. Politzer makes such a statement.
Posted by Will at 12 : 04 am | Leave a note {0}
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| | October 07 2004 |
"False Teaching" by David Phillips
From CrossWay, a journal of the Church Society of the U.K., here is an excellent article, False Teaching, by David Phillips. The author identifies the two basic errors we find in false teaching:
The first form of false teaching is to deny the teaching passed on by the apostles, the faith once delivered to the saints. There are many today, including many clergy, who have strayed a long, long way from the foundation of faith. Some disown or separate themselves from much of the teaching of the Bible others deny the very reality of God or pour scorn on the incarnation. Others assert that there are many ways to God, and much more.
The second form of false teaching is to promote or practice forms of immorality which are condemned in the Bible. The root of all of these problems is a rejection of truth that the Bible is, in its entirety, the Word of God. People feel free to modify biblical teaching which has been by and large accepted and taught by the bulk of the Church for the last two millennia.
Ultimately these matters are salvation issues. Classically, Augustine formulated the view that error which touches on salvation should properly be called heresy. Those who deny the divinity of Christ, or the nature of the atonement are leading people to put their trust in other things and are thus turning people away from the way of salvation. Moreover, those who tolerate or promote sexual immorality are deceiving people, because the Bible teaches that those who practice these things will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who deny that the Bible is the Word of God are turning people away from the means God has given for us to know of Him and His works.
I think Mr. Phillips is right on target here, and his analysis of how to deal with this problem is not bad either:
The actual practical outworking of all this is likely to be different in every circumstance. Certainly we cannot welcome as teachers those who are false shepherds and many evangelical churches have long practiced this.
• We will be wary of any expression of fellowship with those who are in error, including necessarily not sharing at the Lord’s Table.
• We will want to take every opportunity to stand up for the truths of the gospel and to seek to work for reform. Supremely we will want to promote and defend bible teaching ministries in local churches and more widely. Moreover we will take the opportunities that arise both to bring about change for good in the Church whilst also seeking to safeguard biblical truth. This means a willingness to work within the structures to a degree so long as we ensure that we remain utterly faithful to the Word of God, even if it means being in a minority of one.
• We will be unwilling to prop up ministries of false teachers or those who tolerate or promote falsehood in the Church. If the Bible calls for us to separate from false teaching it is ludicrous to suggest, as some do, that we must pay to facilitate it spread!
• Finally, we will seek fellowship with all who uphold the faith once delivered to the saints whether they are part of the same formal structures as ourselves or not. Unity in Christ will matter far more to us than organizational unity.
Note his point about true unity in Christ as opposed to a perfunctory organizational unity. I think this is quite true and explains why we are seeing a coming together of orthodox Anglicans across ecclesiastical and denominational lines; it has become evident, at least in my opinion, that the AMiA, the REC and the Network, for example, have more unity in Christ than the various elements within ECUSA (which disagree on so many things) have in a surface organizational unity.
Posted by Will at 12 : 24 am | Leave a note {0}
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| | October 06 2004 |
"Bible-Reading" by J.C. Ryle
Some of you may recall that one of my concerns about the state of Anglicanism is the lack of personal Bible reading on the part of many of us. It may be that this, along with the lack of true church discipline and the weakness of our preaching, is our greatest weakness and the reason for our weakness before the world, the flesh and the Devil. There is truly an apathy among many of us towards the Word of God--and such should not be.
Bishop J.C. Ryle wrote another powerful essay, Bible-Reading, which if we read it and think about it, should perhaps awaken us to this need in our hearts and our lives. The Bishop writes:
Show me a person who despises Bible reading, or thinks little of Bible preaching, and I hold it to be a certain fact that he is not yet "born again." He may be zealous about forms and ceremonies. He may be diligent in attending church and the taking of the Lord’s Supper. But if these things are more precious to him than the Bible, I cannot believe that he is a converted man. Tell me what the Bible is to a man and I will generally tell you what he is. This is the pulse to try—this is the barometer to look at—if we would know the state of the heart. I have no notion of the Spirit dwelling in a man and not giving clear evidence of His presence. And I believe it to be clear evidence of the Spirit’s presence when the Word is really precious to a man’s soul.
Even if a church faithfully offers the Word, with preaching and teaching of that Word, it will do each of us no good if we do not avail ourselves of this, and feast on that spiritual food for the soul. May God open our hearts and souls and minds to His Word, and cause us to hunger and thirst after it.
Posted by Will at 12 : 04 am | Leave a note {0}
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| | October 05 2004 |
Victor Davis Hanson on "The Perfect Storm of Hating Bush"
The historian Victor Davis Hanson, who often is featured in National Review magazine, has written a four-part series on the Left's attitude towards President Bush. Hanson writes in Part One,
The American Left has become increasingly hysterical since September 11th. The symptoms of a new, disturbing extremism are manifest in a variety of forums that transcend legitimate political opposition to the war or grassroots politicking to vote out an incumbent party. Last year the comedian Rick Hall played to full houses abroad, performing his newest composition, “Let's Get Together And Kill George Bush.” As the Republicans assembled for their August national convention in New York, a pacifist group known as “United For Peace and Justice,” nevertheless announced its sponsorship of a rather violent-sounding, off-Broadway “guerilla comedy” entitled, “I’m Gonna Kill the President.”
The 2002 winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, Nicholson Baker, just published Checkpoint. It is an extended dialogue about killing (in a variety of strange ways) George Bush. Jay, the protagonist of the novel, characterizes the potential targeted President as a “drunken oilman.” Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld are portrayed as “bog creatures” with “grubs scurrying out of their noses.” Such venom filters down. Sue Niederer, the mother of a soldier recently killed in Iraq, recently scoffed in an interview: “I think if I had him in front of me I would shoot him in the groined area. Let him suffer. And just continue shooting him there.”
My personal perception of this attitude towards George W. Bush is that there is no excuse for it. Whether one agrees with his policies or not, there is absolutely no reason to attempt to dehumanize him, and I think the Left runs a tremendous risk of so alienating the electorate that mainstream voters will be energized to vote for the re-election of Mr. Bush.
Professor Hanson's excellent series can be read via these links:
Part One: the new candor about killing George Bush
Part Two: Why the new hysterical hatred?
Part Three: The wages of postmodernism, or when facts do not exist, we can invent our own reality
Part Four: Hating Bush, cultural relativism and the war against the terrorists
By all means take the time to read these, as they are probably among the most important political essays of this election season.
Posted by Will at 12 : 04 am | Leave a note {0}
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| | October 04 2004 |
Two interesting political sites
If you follow the U.S. presidential elections, then RealClearPolitics may be of interest to you. From where I sit, I think this site has perhaps the most realistic electoral college projection I have seen, and they keep a rolling average of several polls. I would say their electoral college projections will pick up on any changes in the mood of the electorate after each of the debates.
Another one is Electoral-Vote.com; I'm not sure if they (in my opinion) are as realistic as RealClearPolitics, but I do think this is a well-done site. They currently show Bush with 296 and Kerry with 238 electoral votes.
Posted by Will at 12 : 19 am | Leave a note {0}
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| | October 03 2004 |
"Is Thy Heart Right?" by J.C. Ryle
Bishop J.C. Ryle wrote a powerful sermon, Is Thy Heart Right?. In our day when we as a Church and a culture have lost sight of the transforming power of the Gospel, this sermon is a needed corrective. Bishop Ryle states his purpose for this sermon:
Come now, and let us see what account the Bible gives of a really “good heart.” Let us “search the Scriptures,” and see if we can find the picture drawn by the unerring hand of the Holy Spirit. I invite every reader of this paper to sit down quietly with me for a few minutes, and hear what God says in “the Word” about the whole question of the heart.
There are three things which I propose to do in order to impress the subject of this paper on the mind of every one who reads it.
I. First, I will show THE IMMENSE IMPORTANCE OF THE HEART IN RELIGION.
II. Secondly, I will show THE HEART THAT IS WRONG IN THE SIGHT OF GOD.
III. Lastly, I will show THE HEART THAT IS RIGHT.
May God bless the whole subject to the soul of every one into whose hands this paper may fall! May the Holy Ghost, without whom preaching and writing can do nothing, apply this paper to many consciences, and make it an arrow to pierce many hearts!
I can only echo Ryle's prayer here--may the Lord apply this paper to all our consciences.
Posted by Will at 12 : 04 am | Leave a note {1}
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| | October 02 2004 |
"The Babylonian Unity of the Church" by John Woodhouse
Reform UK has a good (and timely) essay by John Woodhouse, titled The Babylonian Unity of the Church. The writer is Principal of Moore Theological College in Sydney; he addresses the distinctions between true and false unity, and necessary and unnecessary division:
The unity God is creating through the power of the Spirit and the proclamation of Christ, itself creates a division. It is the division between those to whom the word of the cross is foolishness and those to whom it is the power of God (see 1 Cor.1:18ff).
That is one kind of division. It is the kind which Paul told the Corinthians was necessary. Not pleasant. Not desirable. But necessary wherever Christ is proclaimed.
But there is also division caused by human sin, human “boasting”. This is the kind of division caused by personalities, by personal preferences, by human pride.
This kind of division is a denial of Christ. “Is Christ divided?” (1 Cor.1:13) Paul pointedly asked the same Corinthian Christians.
Faithfulness to Christ must be willing to accept and even cause the first kind of division.
But we must oppose and — where appropriate — repent for the second kind of division.
Do we find ourselves in a time when the Babylonian unity of the church is cherished and guarded, and the necessary divisions are condemned?
May the Lord give us wisdom to discern the differences.
This is a useful and pertinent essay in a time when we are wrestling with the issues of schism vs. heresy in Anglicanism.
Posted by Will at 12 : 17 am | Leave a note {0}
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