On October 12, thirty-eight leading Muslim scholars sent an open letter to Pope Benedict XVI.
According to a press release in Islamica Magazine, the letter "was sent, in a spirit of goodwill, to respond to some of the remarks made by the Pope during his lecture at the University of Regensburg on Sept. 12, 2006.
"The letter tackles the main substantive issues raised in his treatment of a debate between the medieval Emperor Manuel II Paleologus and an 'educated Persian', including reason and faith; forced conversion; 'jihad' vs. 'holy war'; and the relationship between Christianity and Islam. They engage the Pope on an intellectual level concerning these crucial topics—which go well beyond the controversial quotation of the emperor—pointing out what they see as mistakes and oversimplifications in the Pope’s own remarks about Islamic belief and practice.
"The Muslim signatories appreciate the Pope's personal expression of sorrow at the Muslim reaction and his assurance that the words of the Byzantine emperor he quoted did not reflect his personal opinion. By following the Quranic precept of 'debating in the fairest way', they hope to reach out so as to increase mutual understanding, reestablish trust, calm the situation for the sake of peace, and preserve Muslim dignity."
I have read the letter in its entirety, and strongly urge readers of The Continuum to do the same.
The tone of the letter is eirenic and the content is reasoned and reasonable (though there are certainly historical assertions that require some serious challenge, particularly with respect to Muslim conquests.)
And that is what troubles me. Why is it that such voices as these are not heard on a regular basis? Where are they every time some Islamic fundamentalist gets a bee in his bonnet over some perceived slight to Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful, or to the Muslim prophet Muhammed, and starts demanding that heads roll, literally?
Why are these voices not crying out in condemnation of that, or of the kidnappings and forced conversions of Christians in Egypt? Or trumped-up criminal charges against Christians in Pakistan, Indonesia and elsewhere?
What have they got to say about the issue of apostacy, which they sadly overlooked in their letter, and which leads to persecution and even death?
I am also troubled by what, to my admittedly amateur knowledge of Islamic institutions, would seem to be the absence of some of the big guns. I do not see, for example, the signature of Muhammed Tantawi, sheikh of Al-Azhar University, which is considered to be the greatest center of Sunni theology and jurisprudence. Nor do I see any great lights from Saudi Arabia, which prides itself as the guardian of the holy sites and an opinion leader in the Islamic world.
Furthermore, unless I have missed something, I do not see any representation from the clergy of that most strident Shiite Muslim power, Iran. This, a country whose president speaks with glee about hastening the Apocalypse. Perhaps the signatories could speak to that.
I would like to take this letter on face value, as an effort by leading thinkers in the Muslim world to open a broad and reasoned dialogue with the Christian world, with a view to arriving at some sort of entente. If it can serve as an opening gambit in that dialogue, then God be praised.
But I would certainly hope that in any response to the letter he might write, or any future discussion he might engage in, His Holiness will raise the same questions that I have done.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Read It and Howl
The pope lands at the airport and is met by a chauffeur.
"My son," says His Holiness, "they never let me drive at the Vatican. Would you be so kind as to do an old man a favor?"
The chauffeur has horrible visions of losing his job, but says to himself "well, this is the pope. I can't really say no."
"Here are the keys, Your Holiness."
The pope climbs into the driver's seat, and tells the chauffeur to make himself comfortable in the back."
He switches on the engine, guns it, and roars out of the parking lot onto the motorway.
Ninety, 110, 150 kilometres an hour!
The chauffeur is beginning to say a Hail Mary when he hears a siren.
The pope pulls over and meekly awaits his fate.
The patrolman walks up to the limousine and is about to demand a driver's license, when he stops short and panics.
He rushes back to his car, and radios headquarters.
"Sergeant, I've just stopped someone going 150 on the motorway."
"So book him. What's the problem?"
"Well, you see, sergeant, I think he may be someone very important."
"Who is it, the mayor?"
"No, sergeant, I mean VERY important."
"The governor? The president?"
"No, sergeant. I mean REALLY important."
"Well, who is it?!"
"I think it's God, sergeant."
"God! Why do you think that?"
"Because he's got the pope as his chauffeur."
"My son," says His Holiness, "they never let me drive at the Vatican. Would you be so kind as to do an old man a favor?"
The chauffeur has horrible visions of losing his job, but says to himself "well, this is the pope. I can't really say no."
"Here are the keys, Your Holiness."
The pope climbs into the driver's seat, and tells the chauffeur to make himself comfortable in the back."
He switches on the engine, guns it, and roars out of the parking lot onto the motorway.
Ninety, 110, 150 kilometres an hour!
The chauffeur is beginning to say a Hail Mary when he hears a siren.
The pope pulls over and meekly awaits his fate.
The patrolman walks up to the limousine and is about to demand a driver's license, when he stops short and panics.
He rushes back to his car, and radios headquarters.
"Sergeant, I've just stopped someone going 150 on the motorway."
"So book him. What's the problem?"
"Well, you see, sergeant, I think he may be someone very important."
"Who is it, the mayor?"
"No, sergeant, I mean VERY important."
"The governor? The president?"
"No, sergeant. I mean REALLY important."
"Well, who is it?!"
"I think it's God, sergeant."
"God! Why do you think that?"
"Because he's got the pope as his chauffeur."
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Shameless Self-Promotion
My house in the south of Spain is now officially on the rental market.
Please rent it.
It is available for a weekend, a week or even three.
Have a look at the advertisement on Spain-Holiday.com: here
Thanks.
Please rent it.
It is available for a weekend, a week or even three.
Have a look at the advertisement on Spain-Holiday.com: here
Thanks.
Monday, October 16, 2006
For first time, unmarried households reign in US
For first time, unmarried households reign in US
by Maxim Kniazkov Sun Oct 15, 1:02 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) -
It is by no means dead, but for the first time, a new survey has shown that traditional marriage has ceased to be the preferred living arrangement in the majority of US households.
by Maxim Kniazkov Sun Oct 15, 1:02 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) -
It is by no means dead, but for the first time, a new survey has shown that traditional marriage has ceased to be the preferred living arrangement in the majority of US households.
You can read the rest of this story on the news page of Yahoo.
It is difficult to know quite what to make of the report, because the election year has a way of creating overtly political spin. Two parts of the story stand in apparent contradiction. First we are told: "Unmarried couples gravitated toward big cities such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, while the farm states in the Great Plains and rural communities of the Midwest and West remained bastions of traditionalism, according to the survey." In other words, throughout most of the Country this new trend is not the normal way of life.
But then: "It indicated that efforts by President George W. Bush and his allies, who over the past five years have made a concerted effort to shore up traditional marriage and families through tax breaks, special legislation and church-sponsored campaigns is bearing little fruit. The shift, experts said, also raises the question about the future effectiveness of so-called 'family value' politics currently played by both Republicans and Democrats."
To begin with, I do not believe that most Americans see the Democrats as standing firm on what is called "family values." More to the point about the political side, nothing in American politics is completely national. Even Presidential races have a local nature because of the Electoral Vote system in the U.S. Constitution. So, to make this into much of a political story is quite unrealistic.
However, the fact that the larger populations that bookend "Flyover Country" contain, along with Chicago, so many unmarried couples, and unmarried single parent households, shows that Christians in modern America have more in common with ancient Christians who lived in a Pagan empire, and with Christians who live in what were once called missionary lands, than we do with anything that our parents and grandparents knew.
Our society is so post Christian that it is becoming unnatural even by Pagan standards. In the recorded history of the whole world, and according to the data of Anthropology, no civilization is known to have existed in which marriage, at least in some recognizable form, has been cast aside in favor of informal cohabitation arrangments. The conservatives in such denominations as the Episcopal Church are very concerned about the acceptance of homosexual unions. It is time to diagnose accurately the motivation for such "liberal" embrace and tolerance of what they call the "gay lifestyle." The reason is the same as the reason for promotion of abortion: the reason is because our whole society has veered away from normal human sexuality in favor of an illusiory freedom, a lack of responsibility and accountability. Fathers do not protect daughters, and families do not bring up children, at least not in the life that many people know today. Copulation is practiced between men and women without any standards of behavior, without any pressure to live up to responsilbility, without any accountability to the families of the women involved. It is very hard to live by such an unnatural "standard" for men and women without accepting every other unnatural thing as well.
No wonder that in 2000 the General Convention of the Episcopal Church could not vote to pass legislation in favor of allowing the blessing of same sex unions without first allowing their clergy to bless unmarried couples in general. Not only was the legal problem of marriage involved, so was the core issue itself. The idea was to bend the Church according to the spirit of the times, specifically, to the acceptance of an unnatural society all around.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
No News Is ... No News
No news is, simply, no news.
Repeatedly we discuss and lament the fact that so few people know the continuing churches even exist, and that so many of those who do seem to have a wrong (hopefully) impression of us.
So let's get off our backsides and do something about it! Here are some musings from me, which I offer as a discussion starter.
I think it would behoove each of the continuing jurisdictions to have a public affairs/media relations officer, and perhaps worth consideration by the FACA that it have one as well. The job of these individuals, indeed part of their ministry, should be to present the jurisdiction to the public.
I have just done a quick and dirty survey of the four jurisdictions that I link on The Continuum -- the ACC, the ACA, the APA and the APCK. And it's not a pretty sight, or should I say "site"?
The ACC, as best I can tell, has no news site. The last news I could find was of the provincial synod and election of the new metropolitan ... a year ago! The same is true for the ACA, though the TAC does have a newspaper and accompanying web site. There doesn't seem to be a site at the APA, either.
Then there is the winner, as it were -- the APCK. It does have a site. Well done. And there have been a massive number of four items published in the past year!
I said this was quick and dirty. If I have missed something, I apologise. But if I have missed something, then the likelihood is that many other people have as well.
I cannot see what coverage indvidual parishes, or even dioceses, may get in their local press, but there needs to be a strategy there, as well as nationally, and even internationally. This would entail deciding first what you wish to communicate, then who your audience is and how to reach them.
First and foremost, of course, is to communicate the fact that we are here, who we are and what we stand FOR, not only what we stand against. The second should be to demonstrate that we are not isolated pockets, but active nationally and worldwide. Thirdly should be to be a public voice in societal discussions about religion and morality.
As for the audience, I think it goes without saying that the primary target should be individual souls -- the churched, who are wavering, or feeling lost, and looking for a haven, and the unchurched. Secondly should be opinion makers -- people who, in the process of commenting can provide us with what is effectively free advertising.
How to reach them? Presumably you are already doing this on a local level, though undoubtedly there is more you could do. If you don't know who it is that covers religion, or society, or whatever it is in your towns and cities, in both the print and broadcast media, then you should. Find them, introduce yourself and develop a working relationship.
How often do you see local newspaper articles quoting people speaking a load of rubbish, or the reporter missing the point out of ignorance or the pressure of a deadline? Make sure that when a story breaks, you are one of the people called for comment. And when an issue arises that you think worthy of comment, phone your contact. Propose a story. If a letter to the editor needs to be written, write it. If there is call for an op-ed piece, propose it.
In the field of journalism, we have what we call "talking heads" and "rent-a-quotes." You see them all the time on CNN, Fox or BBC.
Journalists work under great pressure to get a story written, and to follow up with reactions. There is nothing more welcome than to know that when a story breaks on your beat, your phone will be ringing before you even have a chance to start thinking about whom to call.
The approach at the national and international level is really no different. What newspapers, magazines and radio/TV outlets in your country make a difference in the national or international dialogue? Identify them, then follow the same process as outlined above.
Remember: No News is Bad News
Repeatedly we discuss and lament the fact that so few people know the continuing churches even exist, and that so many of those who do seem to have a wrong (hopefully) impression of us.
So let's get off our backsides and do something about it! Here are some musings from me, which I offer as a discussion starter.
I think it would behoove each of the continuing jurisdictions to have a public affairs/media relations officer, and perhaps worth consideration by the FACA that it have one as well. The job of these individuals, indeed part of their ministry, should be to present the jurisdiction to the public.
I have just done a quick and dirty survey of the four jurisdictions that I link on The Continuum -- the ACC, the ACA, the APA and the APCK. And it's not a pretty sight, or should I say "site"?
The ACC, as best I can tell, has no news site. The last news I could find was of the provincial synod and election of the new metropolitan ... a year ago! The same is true for the ACA, though the TAC does have a newspaper and accompanying web site. There doesn't seem to be a site at the APA, either.
Then there is the winner, as it were -- the APCK. It does have a site. Well done. And there have been a massive number of four items published in the past year!
I said this was quick and dirty. If I have missed something, I apologise. But if I have missed something, then the likelihood is that many other people have as well.
I cannot see what coverage indvidual parishes, or even dioceses, may get in their local press, but there needs to be a strategy there, as well as nationally, and even internationally. This would entail deciding first what you wish to communicate, then who your audience is and how to reach them.
First and foremost, of course, is to communicate the fact that we are here, who we are and what we stand FOR, not only what we stand against. The second should be to demonstrate that we are not isolated pockets, but active nationally and worldwide. Thirdly should be to be a public voice in societal discussions about religion and morality.
As for the audience, I think it goes without saying that the primary target should be individual souls -- the churched, who are wavering, or feeling lost, and looking for a haven, and the unchurched. Secondly should be opinion makers -- people who, in the process of commenting can provide us with what is effectively free advertising.
How to reach them? Presumably you are already doing this on a local level, though undoubtedly there is more you could do. If you don't know who it is that covers religion, or society, or whatever it is in your towns and cities, in both the print and broadcast media, then you should. Find them, introduce yourself and develop a working relationship.
How often do you see local newspaper articles quoting people speaking a load of rubbish, or the reporter missing the point out of ignorance or the pressure of a deadline? Make sure that when a story breaks, you are one of the people called for comment. And when an issue arises that you think worthy of comment, phone your contact. Propose a story. If a letter to the editor needs to be written, write it. If there is call for an op-ed piece, propose it.
In the field of journalism, we have what we call "talking heads" and "rent-a-quotes." You see them all the time on CNN, Fox or BBC.
Journalists work under great pressure to get a story written, and to follow up with reactions. There is nothing more welcome than to know that when a story breaks on your beat, your phone will be ringing before you even have a chance to start thinking about whom to call.
The approach at the national and international level is really no different. What newspapers, magazines and radio/TV outlets in your country make a difference in the national or international dialogue? Identify them, then follow the same process as outlined above.
Remember: No News is Bad News
Trinity XVIII
Trinity XVIII (2005)
I Corinthians 1:4-7
Matthew 22:34-46
In today’s Gospel we have heard that familiar summary of the Law, the two greatest commandments of which we hear in every Mass, or as we also call it, Holy Communion service. We know by heart the quotation, in which our Lord Jesus Christ singled out two commandments from the Old Testament scriptures, one from Leviticus and one from Deuteronomy, as being that upon which hangs the entire moral teaching both of Moses and of the prophets. If we take to heart the point He made, we cannot go about life in a way that the world regards as normal. If we love God with all of our being, our whole heart, soul and mind- and all of our strength as well - then we cannot go about a well balanced life in which we include just enough religion, and no more, as part of our complete diet.
Let me be practical about this and give you a little better knowledge of what to expect from me as your priest here. One thing I know is that God’s commandments have never changed. I made a rule for myself long ago, and I am mentioning it only by way of example, that is, an example of how I apply the word of God to myself and to the church where I minister. If a couple comes to me seeking to be married by me, and that couple is already living in a sexual relationship, enjoying the intimacy of married life before being married, I will require that they abstain from sexual relations until after the wedding. That is a rather basic thing, and it is called repentance. They will need to confess their premature consummation as the sin that it is. If not, I will not marry them, nor will I allow this church to be available for their wedding. Period, no exceptions. Why? Because I am mean? The truth is, simply put, if I cannot first teach them to live as Christians, I cannot teach them to live as a Christian couple. I am not going to set people up for heartbreak and divorce just because our society has decided to become immoral – and stupid. That is a practical example of what it means to love God and our neighbor. If I love God I cannot ignore His commandments; and if I love my neighbor I must teach the truth, rather than aid people in embracing the deception of this present age. Yes, maybe “the times, they are a’changin’ ” – but not for those of us who are Christians. We do not live by the rules of the times, or the spirit of the age. We live by eternal truth that has been revealed.
It is not only a homosexual, who was wrongly made into a bishop, for whom the word of God has not changed (and we are right to object to the fact that such a thing was done). But, it is for all of us that God’s commandments have never changed. It is written in the book of Isaiah: “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever (Isa. 40:8).” And, our Lord Jesus Christ said: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away (Matt.24:35).” If we love God and our neighbor, then we do not run over the cliff like lemmings, nor do we help others run with the lemmings. Whatever the world accepts as normal is completely irrelevant to what we must live by. We must live by the eternal and unchanging truth revealed by God in every area of faith and morals.
The Epistle and the Gospel complement each other today. In fact, the Epistle we heard comes in a rather shocking context. That context is in the verses which immediately precede where we came in. This is what those opening verses say:
“1: Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2: Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 3: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”
If you are wondering what is so shocking, let me draw your attention to these words: “…called to be saints.” Who are the people called to be saints? Everyone in the church to which he wrote. What does that mean for you here today in the Church of the Atonement in Fountain Hills, Arizona? It means that if Saint Paul were writing this letter to us, he would say the same thing. Everyone who belongs to the Church is called to be a saint. You, whether you like it or not, are called to be a saint. Your vocation is holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord. That is what the first and great commandment means. And, the problem is, if you don’t like the first product the Church has for you, namely to become a saint, we have nothing else to offer. Real Christianity is radical, and calls for total commitment in every area of life. That is why we need the Holy Spirit.
Because I am a priest, you have every right to demand of me that I live a life devoted to Jesus Christ. That I read the scriptures daily, pray daily, be in Church and receive the sacraments regularly, and that I live in this world with God never far from my thoughts. You have every right to demand that I love my neighbor and seek to represent Jesus Christ to every person. And, as your pastor and priest, I have the right, in fact I have the duty, to demand all these exact same things from each and every one of you. And, if I don’t call you to live up to this standard, I am not doing you any good.
However, let me assure you, I am preaching as much to myself, if not more so, than to you.
We need the grace of God, and a spirit quick to forgive, because we all fail. But, the only people who can fail are the people who are making genuine effort to succeed. It is impossible to fail at something that you do not even try to do. Which means, once again, in the clear teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ as we heard it read today, God can offer no place in His kingdom for people who want just enough religion and not too much, sort of like a mere part of a healthy diet. A little Christianity, not too much thank you, to make us immune to catching it for real. Don’t look for such people in heaven; rather, as Hamlet advises, seek them in the other place.
None of us can live as Christ requires, and accept His call with courage, unless we have the grace of God from the Holy Spirit; unless we pray often never giving up, unless we take the time to know and understand the scripture, and unless we remain within the Church and receive the sacraments. But, if we are willing to love God with our whole being, life will begin for us, and will never end. To whom else can we turn? Only Jesus Christ has the words of eternal life. By God’s grace, each of us is called to be a saint, if necessary, to be a martyr. Oh yes, and thank God the ancient Church accepted this fact, or we would not be here today. And, it is not just the ancient Church that had to accept the call to martyrdom. In many parts of the world right now, it is not safe to be a Christian.
Just a few months before I moved away from Maryland to come to Arizona and this church, I met some Egyptian Copts; that is Christians who are part of the ancient Coptic Church. One of them, an elderly man, has refugee status in this country. Another of them said to me, “in our country the routine mass killing of Christians by Muslims has been commonplace for a long time.” I can well imagine some people wondering why they cling to their faith in Christ when it can get them, and their families, killed. It is because their priorities are right. Our faith in Christ is worth more than our lives in this world. If Christians had not known that all along, the Church would have died out before the Roman Empire did. Jesus Christ had the Chutzpah to call His followers to be willing to die for Him, should it come to it. And, why not? Only He gives us the one thing we really need: Eternal life, the promise that we will survive death if we follow Him, the One Who died for our sins and rose again.
Matthew 22:34-46
In today’s Gospel we have heard that familiar summary of the Law, the two greatest commandments of which we hear in every Mass, or as we also call it, Holy Communion service. We know by heart the quotation, in which our Lord Jesus Christ singled out two commandments from the Old Testament scriptures, one from Leviticus and one from Deuteronomy, as being that upon which hangs the entire moral teaching both of Moses and of the prophets. If we take to heart the point He made, we cannot go about life in a way that the world regards as normal. If we love God with all of our being, our whole heart, soul and mind- and all of our strength as well - then we cannot go about a well balanced life in which we include just enough religion, and no more, as part of our complete diet.
Let me be practical about this and give you a little better knowledge of what to expect from me as your priest here. One thing I know is that God’s commandments have never changed. I made a rule for myself long ago, and I am mentioning it only by way of example, that is, an example of how I apply the word of God to myself and to the church where I minister. If a couple comes to me seeking to be married by me, and that couple is already living in a sexual relationship, enjoying the intimacy of married life before being married, I will require that they abstain from sexual relations until after the wedding. That is a rather basic thing, and it is called repentance. They will need to confess their premature consummation as the sin that it is. If not, I will not marry them, nor will I allow this church to be available for their wedding. Period, no exceptions. Why? Because I am mean? The truth is, simply put, if I cannot first teach them to live as Christians, I cannot teach them to live as a Christian couple. I am not going to set people up for heartbreak and divorce just because our society has decided to become immoral – and stupid. That is a practical example of what it means to love God and our neighbor. If I love God I cannot ignore His commandments; and if I love my neighbor I must teach the truth, rather than aid people in embracing the deception of this present age. Yes, maybe “the times, they are a’changin’ ” – but not for those of us who are Christians. We do not live by the rules of the times, or the spirit of the age. We live by eternal truth that has been revealed.
It is not only a homosexual, who was wrongly made into a bishop, for whom the word of God has not changed (and we are right to object to the fact that such a thing was done). But, it is for all of us that God’s commandments have never changed. It is written in the book of Isaiah: “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever (Isa. 40:8).” And, our Lord Jesus Christ said: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away (Matt.24:35).” If we love God and our neighbor, then we do not run over the cliff like lemmings, nor do we help others run with the lemmings. Whatever the world accepts as normal is completely irrelevant to what we must live by. We must live by the eternal and unchanging truth revealed by God in every area of faith and morals.
The Epistle and the Gospel complement each other today. In fact, the Epistle we heard comes in a rather shocking context. That context is in the verses which immediately precede where we came in. This is what those opening verses say:
“1: Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2: Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 3: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”
If you are wondering what is so shocking, let me draw your attention to these words: “…called to be saints.” Who are the people called to be saints? Everyone in the church to which he wrote. What does that mean for you here today in the Church of the Atonement in Fountain Hills, Arizona? It means that if Saint Paul were writing this letter to us, he would say the same thing. Everyone who belongs to the Church is called to be a saint. You, whether you like it or not, are called to be a saint. Your vocation is holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord. That is what the first and great commandment means. And, the problem is, if you don’t like the first product the Church has for you, namely to become a saint, we have nothing else to offer. Real Christianity is radical, and calls for total commitment in every area of life. That is why we need the Holy Spirit.
Because I am a priest, you have every right to demand of me that I live a life devoted to Jesus Christ. That I read the scriptures daily, pray daily, be in Church and receive the sacraments regularly, and that I live in this world with God never far from my thoughts. You have every right to demand that I love my neighbor and seek to represent Jesus Christ to every person. And, as your pastor and priest, I have the right, in fact I have the duty, to demand all these exact same things from each and every one of you. And, if I don’t call you to live up to this standard, I am not doing you any good.
However, let me assure you, I am preaching as much to myself, if not more so, than to you.
We need the grace of God, and a spirit quick to forgive, because we all fail. But, the only people who can fail are the people who are making genuine effort to succeed. It is impossible to fail at something that you do not even try to do. Which means, once again, in the clear teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ as we heard it read today, God can offer no place in His kingdom for people who want just enough religion and not too much, sort of like a mere part of a healthy diet. A little Christianity, not too much thank you, to make us immune to catching it for real. Don’t look for such people in heaven; rather, as Hamlet advises, seek them in the other place.
None of us can live as Christ requires, and accept His call with courage, unless we have the grace of God from the Holy Spirit; unless we pray often never giving up, unless we take the time to know and understand the scripture, and unless we remain within the Church and receive the sacraments. But, if we are willing to love God with our whole being, life will begin for us, and will never end. To whom else can we turn? Only Jesus Christ has the words of eternal life. By God’s grace, each of us is called to be a saint, if necessary, to be a martyr. Oh yes, and thank God the ancient Church accepted this fact, or we would not be here today. And, it is not just the ancient Church that had to accept the call to martyrdom. In many parts of the world right now, it is not safe to be a Christian.
Just a few months before I moved away from Maryland to come to Arizona and this church, I met some Egyptian Copts; that is Christians who are part of the ancient Coptic Church. One of them, an elderly man, has refugee status in this country. Another of them said to me, “in our country the routine mass killing of Christians by Muslims has been commonplace for a long time.” I can well imagine some people wondering why they cling to their faith in Christ when it can get them, and their families, killed. It is because their priorities are right. Our faith in Christ is worth more than our lives in this world. If Christians had not known that all along, the Church would have died out before the Roman Empire did. Jesus Christ had the Chutzpah to call His followers to be willing to die for Him, should it come to it. And, why not? Only He gives us the one thing we really need: Eternal life, the promise that we will survive death if we follow Him, the One Who died for our sins and rose again.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
George Herbert on Preaching
As Sunday approaches, and as I have a long quiet afternoon, I have begun reading George Herbert's Countrey Parson, courtesy of Project Canterbury. The following is Chapter 8, The Parson Preaching.
"The Countrey Parson preacheth constantly, the pulpit is his joy and his throne: if he at any time intermit, it is either for want of health, or against some great Festivall, that he may the better celebrate it, or for the variety of the hearers, that he may be heard at his returne more attentively. When he intermits, he is ever very well supplyed by some able man who treads in his steps, and will not throw down what he hath built; whom also he intreats to press some point, that he himself hath often urged with no great success, that so in the mouth of two or three witnesses the truth may be more established. When he preacheth, he procures attention by all possible art, both by earnestnesse of speech, it being naturall to men to think, that where is much earnestness, there is somewhat worth hearing; and by a diligent, and busy cast of his eye on his auditors, with letting them know, that he observes who marks, and who not; and with particularizing of his speech now to the younger sort, then to the elder, now to the poor, and now to the rich. This is for you, and This is for you; for particulars ever touch, and awake more then generalls. Herein also he serves himselfe of the judgements of God, as of those of antient times, so especially of the late ones; and those most, which are nearest to his Parish; for people are very attentive at such discourses, and think it behoves them to be so, when God is so neer them, and even over their heads. Sometimes he tells them stories, and sayings of others, according as his text invites him; for them also men heed, and remember better then exhortations; which though earnest, yet often dy with the Sermon, especially with Countrey people; which are thick, and heavy, and hard to raise to a poynt of Zeal, and fervency, and need a mountaine of fire to kindle them; but stories and sayings they will well remember. He often tels them, that Sermons are dangerous things, that none goes out of Church as he came in, but either better, or worse; that none is careless before his Judg, and that the word of God shal judge us. By these and other means the Parson procures attention; but the character of his Sermon is Holiness; he is not witty, or learned, or eloquent, but Holy. A Character, that Hermogenes never dream'd of, and therefore he could give no precepts thereof. But it is gained, first, by choosing texts of Devotion, not Controversie, moving and ravishing texts, whereof the Scriptures are full. Secondly, by dipping, and seasoning all our words and sentences in our hearts, before they come into our mouths, truly affecting, and cordially expressing all that we say; so that the auditors may plainly perceive that every word is hart-deep. Thirdly, by turning often, and making many Apostrophes to God, as, Oh Lord blesse my people, and teach them this point; or, Oh my Master, on whose errand I come, let me hold my peace, and do thou speak thy selfe; for thou art Love, and when thou teachest, all are Scholers. Some such irradiations scatteringly in the Sermon, carry great holiness in them. The Prophets are admirable in this. So Isa. 64 [:1]. Oh that thou would' st rent the Heavens, that thou wouldst come down, &c. And Jeremy Chapt. 10 [:23]. after he had complained of the desolation of Israel, turnes to God suddenly, Oh Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself, &c. Fourthly, by frequent wishes of the peoples good, and joying therein, though he himself were with Saint Paul even sacrificed upon the service of their faith. For there is no greater sign of holinesse, then the procuring, and rejoycing in anothers good. And herein St Paul excelled in all his Epistles. How did he put the Romans in all his prayers? Rom.1.9. And ceased not to give thanks for the Ephesians, Eph. 1.16. And for the [II] Corinthians, chap. 1.4. And for the Philippians made request with joy, ch.1.4. And is in contention for them whither to live, or dy; be with them, or Christ, verse 23. which, setting aside his care of his Flock, were a madnesse to doubt of. What an admirable Epistle is the second to the Corinthians? how full of affections? he joyes, and he is sorry, he grieves, and he gloryes, never was there such care of a flock expressed, save in the great shepherd of the fold, who first shed teares over Jerusalem, and afterwards blood. Therefore this care may be learn'd there, and then woven into Sermons, which will make them appear exceeding reverend, and holy. Lastly, by an often urging of the presence, and majesty of God, by these, or such like speeches. Oh let us all take heed what we do, God sees us, he sees whether I speak as I ought, or you hear as you ought, he sees hearts, as we see faces: he is among us; for if we be here, hee must be here, since we are here by him, and without him could not be here. Then turning the discourse to his Majesty, And he is a great God, and terrible, as great in mercy, so great in judgement: There are but two devouring elements, fire, and water, he hath both in him; His voyce is as the sound of many waters. Revelations 1 [:15]. And he himselfe is a consuming fire, Hebrews 12 [:29]. Such discourses shew very Holy. The Parsons Method in handling of a text consists of two parts; first, a plain and evident declaration of the meaning of the text; and secondly, some choyce Observations drawn out of the whole text, as it lyes entire, and unbroken in the Scripture it self. This he thinks naturall, and sweet, and grave. Whereas the other way of crumbling a text into small parts, as, the Person speaking, or spoken to, the subject, and object, and the like, hath neither in it sweetnesse, nor gravity, nor variety, since the words apart are not Scripture, but a dictionary, and may be considered alike in all the Scripture. The Parson exceeds not an hour in preaching, because all ages have thought that a competency, and he that profits not in that time, will lesse afterwards, the same affection which made him not profit before, making him then weary, and so he grows from not relishing, to loathing."
Full text of book here
"The Countrey Parson preacheth constantly, the pulpit is his joy and his throne: if he at any time intermit, it is either for want of health, or against some great Festivall, that he may the better celebrate it, or for the variety of the hearers, that he may be heard at his returne more attentively. When he intermits, he is ever very well supplyed by some able man who treads in his steps, and will not throw down what he hath built; whom also he intreats to press some point, that he himself hath often urged with no great success, that so in the mouth of two or three witnesses the truth may be more established. When he preacheth, he procures attention by all possible art, both by earnestnesse of speech, it being naturall to men to think, that where is much earnestness, there is somewhat worth hearing; and by a diligent, and busy cast of his eye on his auditors, with letting them know, that he observes who marks, and who not; and with particularizing of his speech now to the younger sort, then to the elder, now to the poor, and now to the rich. This is for you, and This is for you; for particulars ever touch, and awake more then generalls. Herein also he serves himselfe of the judgements of God, as of those of antient times, so especially of the late ones; and those most, which are nearest to his Parish; for people are very attentive at such discourses, and think it behoves them to be so, when God is so neer them, and even over their heads. Sometimes he tells them stories, and sayings of others, according as his text invites him; for them also men heed, and remember better then exhortations; which though earnest, yet often dy with the Sermon, especially with Countrey people; which are thick, and heavy, and hard to raise to a poynt of Zeal, and fervency, and need a mountaine of fire to kindle them; but stories and sayings they will well remember. He often tels them, that Sermons are dangerous things, that none goes out of Church as he came in, but either better, or worse; that none is careless before his Judg, and that the word of God shal judge us. By these and other means the Parson procures attention; but the character of his Sermon is Holiness; he is not witty, or learned, or eloquent, but Holy. A Character, that Hermogenes never dream'd of, and therefore he could give no precepts thereof. But it is gained, first, by choosing texts of Devotion, not Controversie, moving and ravishing texts, whereof the Scriptures are full. Secondly, by dipping, and seasoning all our words and sentences in our hearts, before they come into our mouths, truly affecting, and cordially expressing all that we say; so that the auditors may plainly perceive that every word is hart-deep. Thirdly, by turning often, and making many Apostrophes to God, as, Oh Lord blesse my people, and teach them this point; or, Oh my Master, on whose errand I come, let me hold my peace, and do thou speak thy selfe; for thou art Love, and when thou teachest, all are Scholers. Some such irradiations scatteringly in the Sermon, carry great holiness in them. The Prophets are admirable in this. So Isa. 64 [:1]. Oh that thou would' st rent the Heavens, that thou wouldst come down, &c. And Jeremy Chapt. 10 [:23]. after he had complained of the desolation of Israel, turnes to God suddenly, Oh Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself, &c. Fourthly, by frequent wishes of the peoples good, and joying therein, though he himself were with Saint Paul even sacrificed upon the service of their faith. For there is no greater sign of holinesse, then the procuring, and rejoycing in anothers good. And herein St Paul excelled in all his Epistles. How did he put the Romans in all his prayers? Rom.1.9. And ceased not to give thanks for the Ephesians, Eph. 1.16. And for the [II] Corinthians, chap. 1.4. And for the Philippians made request with joy, ch.1.4. And is in contention for them whither to live, or dy; be with them, or Christ, verse 23. which, setting aside his care of his Flock, were a madnesse to doubt of. What an admirable Epistle is the second to the Corinthians? how full of affections? he joyes, and he is sorry, he grieves, and he gloryes, never was there such care of a flock expressed, save in the great shepherd of the fold, who first shed teares over Jerusalem, and afterwards blood. Therefore this care may be learn'd there, and then woven into Sermons, which will make them appear exceeding reverend, and holy. Lastly, by an often urging of the presence, and majesty of God, by these, or such like speeches. Oh let us all take heed what we do, God sees us, he sees whether I speak as I ought, or you hear as you ought, he sees hearts, as we see faces: he is among us; for if we be here, hee must be here, since we are here by him, and without him could not be here. Then turning the discourse to his Majesty, And he is a great God, and terrible, as great in mercy, so great in judgement: There are but two devouring elements, fire, and water, he hath both in him; His voyce is as the sound of many waters. Revelations 1 [:15]. And he himselfe is a consuming fire, Hebrews 12 [:29]. Such discourses shew very Holy. The Parsons Method in handling of a text consists of two parts; first, a plain and evident declaration of the meaning of the text; and secondly, some choyce Observations drawn out of the whole text, as it lyes entire, and unbroken in the Scripture it self. This he thinks naturall, and sweet, and grave. Whereas the other way of crumbling a text into small parts, as, the Person speaking, or spoken to, the subject, and object, and the like, hath neither in it sweetnesse, nor gravity, nor variety, since the words apart are not Scripture, but a dictionary, and may be considered alike in all the Scripture. The Parson exceeds not an hour in preaching, because all ages have thought that a competency, and he that profits not in that time, will lesse afterwards, the same affection which made him not profit before, making him then weary, and so he grows from not relishing, to loathing."
Full text of book here
In All Things, Charity
I would like to draw readers' attention to a pastoral letter here,
jointly signed by the bishops of the Anglican Province of America and the Reformed Episcopal Church in which they plea for greater unity among traditional Anglicans.
In particular, it draws attention to the Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas here, which it says "has been created to allow separate organizational structures.
The letter says that, "through FACA we want to forge a deeper union between us. It will facilitate growing into the unity that we possess."
In addition to the APA and the REC, the federation also encompasses the Anglican Church in America and the Anglican Mission in America.
I am not nearly the theological expert that are Fathers Hart and Kirby, but it would seem to me that the FACA might provide the vehicle for the unity we so desperately need within the continuing movement, at least in terms of full inter-communion and cooperation in evangelistic and charitable works, if not full structural unity. In short, that it might prove to be the haven to which those now preparing to flee the apostate Episcopal Church might flee.
In that respect, I direct your attention to a recent speech">details here to the Forward in Faith synod in London by the Rt Revd Keith Ackerman, Bishop of Quincy.
This piece says, in part, "outlining the difficulties Anglo-Catholics face in North America, Ackerman said there were 53 separate denominations of continuing churches, with some wanting to be in communion with Canterbury, but not all. 'It is difficult for us to know the path we are to take.' (my emphasis)
"The Anglo-Catholic bishop said that half of his class from Nashotah House is now with the Roman Catholic, Antiochian and numerous continuing churches. "There is not a place for the Anglo-Catholic."(my emphasis)
Bishop Ackerman's lament is not the first such comment I have heard, particularly within the Church of England, where there seems to be little awareness even of the existence of the continuing movement. But I have also heard it from America. A very orthodox TEC priest I know there recently commented that he saw his only options as Rome and Constaninople, because there was "nowhere else" for him to go.
I am raising two questions here, the first in two parts. Could the FACA serve as a prototype for a sort of Alternative Anglican Communion, and are the Anglican Catholic Church and the Anglican Province of Christ the King giving thought to joining it? Secondly, as I so often ask, without ever getting much response, why is it that the continuing movement is so poorly known, and so often belittled when it is known?
jointly signed by the bishops of the Anglican Province of America and the Reformed Episcopal Church in which they plea for greater unity among traditional Anglicans.
In particular, it draws attention to the Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas here, which it says "has been created to allow separate organizational structures.
The letter says that, "through FACA we want to forge a deeper union between us. It will facilitate growing into the unity that we possess."
In addition to the APA and the REC, the federation also encompasses the Anglican Church in America and the Anglican Mission in America.
I am not nearly the theological expert that are Fathers Hart and Kirby, but it would seem to me that the FACA might provide the vehicle for the unity we so desperately need within the continuing movement, at least in terms of full inter-communion and cooperation in evangelistic and charitable works, if not full structural unity. In short, that it might prove to be the haven to which those now preparing to flee the apostate Episcopal Church might flee.
In that respect, I direct your attention to a recent speech">details here to the Forward in Faith synod in London by the Rt Revd Keith Ackerman, Bishop of Quincy.
This piece says, in part, "outlining the difficulties Anglo-Catholics face in North America, Ackerman said there were 53 separate denominations of continuing churches, with some wanting to be in communion with Canterbury, but not all. 'It is difficult for us to know the path we are to take.' (my emphasis)
"The Anglo-Catholic bishop said that half of his class from Nashotah House is now with the Roman Catholic, Antiochian and numerous continuing churches. "There is not a place for the Anglo-Catholic."(my emphasis)
Bishop Ackerman's lament is not the first such comment I have heard, particularly within the Church of England, where there seems to be little awareness even of the existence of the continuing movement. But I have also heard it from America. A very orthodox TEC priest I know there recently commented that he saw his only options as Rome and Constaninople, because there was "nowhere else" for him to go.
I am raising two questions here, the first in two parts. Could the FACA serve as a prototype for a sort of Alternative Anglican Communion, and are the Anglican Catholic Church and the Anglican Province of Christ the King giving thought to joining it? Secondly, as I so often ask, without ever getting much response, why is it that the continuing movement is so poorly known, and so often belittled when it is known?
British Airways ... Repent!
I was tempted to head this post "Boycott BA!", but that would have been unfair.
Instead, perhaps justice might be better served by expressing profound disapproval of what the company has done and calling on BA to publicly announce a reversal of its policies.
I refer here to a story in the Daily Mail entitled Christian BA employee suspended for wearing cross necklace. Read it all here
The story reads, in part:
"The airline's uniform code states that staff must not wear visible jewellery or other 'adornments' while on duty without permission from management.
"It makes exceptions for Muslim and Sikh minorities by allowing them to wear hijabs and turbans.
"Under rules drawn up by BA's 'diversity team' and 'uniform committee', Sikh employees can even wear the traditional iron bangle - even though this would usually be classed as jewellery - while Muslim workers are also allowed prayer breaks during work time.
"But Miss Eweida, 55, from Twickenham, insisted her cross, which is smaller than a ten pence piece, was not jewellery but an expression of her deep Christian faith.
"She questioned why she was being forced to hide her religion when BA's Muslim and Sikh workers could express theirs.
"Miss Eweida said last night: "I will not hide my belief in the Lord Jesus. British Airways permits Muslims to wear a headscarf, Sikhs to wear a turban and other faiths religious apparel.
"Only Christians are forbidden to express their faith. I am a loyal and conscientious employee of British Airways, but I stand up for the rights of all citizens..."
"Miss Eweida is suing BA under the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003.
"Her case is being supported by her union, the TGWU, and she has hired Paul Diamond, a barrister specialising in religious affairs and an adviser for the Keep Sunday Special campaign, to represent her at her employment tribunal.
"And a petition of support has been signed by more than 200 fellow workers."
Instead, perhaps justice might be better served by expressing profound disapproval of what the company has done and calling on BA to publicly announce a reversal of its policies.
I refer here to a story in the Daily Mail entitled Christian BA employee suspended for wearing cross necklace. Read it all here
The story reads, in part:
"The airline's uniform code states that staff must not wear visible jewellery or other 'adornments' while on duty without permission from management.
"It makes exceptions for Muslim and Sikh minorities by allowing them to wear hijabs and turbans.
"Under rules drawn up by BA's 'diversity team' and 'uniform committee', Sikh employees can even wear the traditional iron bangle - even though this would usually be classed as jewellery - while Muslim workers are also allowed prayer breaks during work time.
"But Miss Eweida, 55, from Twickenham, insisted her cross, which is smaller than a ten pence piece, was not jewellery but an expression of her deep Christian faith.
"She questioned why she was being forced to hide her religion when BA's Muslim and Sikh workers could express theirs.
"Miss Eweida said last night: "I will not hide my belief in the Lord Jesus. British Airways permits Muslims to wear a headscarf, Sikhs to wear a turban and other faiths religious apparel.
"Only Christians are forbidden to express their faith. I am a loyal and conscientious employee of British Airways, but I stand up for the rights of all citizens..."
"Miss Eweida is suing BA under the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003.
"Her case is being supported by her union, the TGWU, and she has hired Paul Diamond, a barrister specialising in religious affairs and an adviser for the Keep Sunday Special campaign, to represent her at her employment tribunal.
"And a petition of support has been signed by more than 200 fellow workers."
Monday, October 02, 2006
Trinity XVI and more on the clash of civilizations
Having returned late on Saturday night from Fond du Lac Wisconsin, my Sunday sermon was ad libbed. But, as I read my 2005 sermon for the same Sunday, I saw its relevance to a topic that is of very immediate concern. The date of the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity in 2005 just happened to be September 11th, and my thoughts were very much on the contrast between Christ's compassion, and the madness of Islamic mass murder. Relevant to this are words from the introduction to the first encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI (now available in book form, and adding to the Ratzinger theological corpus), Deus Caritas Est (God is Love). I quote: "In a world where the name of God is sometimes associated with vengeance or even a duty of hatred and violence, this message [of God's love] is both timely and significant." Amen to that. The compassion of Christ that moved Him to overturn the death of a young man in order to relieve the grief of one widow teaches us the nature of our faith. And, it stands in contrast to the spirit of evil, the teaching of antichrist.
We need to know why the first commandment is against worshiping any god other than the true God. In the long history of false religion, everything from paganism to pseudo-Christian cults, the terrible reality is that cruelty has been quite the normal thing. The ancient idols, spoken of in the Bible, were served through such things as human sacrifice, especially the sacrifice of children. When people shun the story of Abraham offering Isaac, and speak about how terrible the story is, they miss the whole point. Aside from the obvious theological truth in which Isaac carries the wood up the hill, and represents the Lord Jesus Who offered Himself for our sins on the cross, is a practical point as well. When God put Abraham through that ordeal, and then told him not to harm Isaac, the point was made to the people of Israel that the true God does not want the blood of children to be offered to Him; that such tragic sacrifices as were made to Molech of the people’s infants, and that are made today whenever children are murdered by abortion, are an abomination to God. It never entered His mind. He has never wanted any such thing to be done. And, since suicide and mass murder are a kind of sacrifice offered by Muslim terrorists to their god, these violent acts belong to the same category of religious abomination.
False religion brings death. And, contrary to the spirit of error and violence, in today’s Gospel Christ acts out of compassion to give life. The difference between true religion and false religion is the difference between revelation and error. The ultimate revelation is the Incarnation; the Person of the Son of God among us as a human being; someone we can see, hear and touch. If I may digress, the entire message of Mohamed was a rejection of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mohamed came along in the 7th Century and created a religion in which God has no Son, and in which the word “Antichrist” achieved its most appropriate usage. For Islam really is Antichrist in the most accurate sense of that word. It rejects the truth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, that is, that He is both fully God of one substance with His Father, and fully man, taking human nature from His blessed Virgin Mother (I John 4:1-3).
They call us idolaters, because we worship Christ. But, the difference between true religion and false religion is the difference of revelation- that is, what God has revealed. And, the greatest revelation is Jesus Christ, God with us, the Word made flesh. So, you see, now that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, and we have come to know the truth of His two natures in one Person, what we embrace in Jesus Christ is the revelation of God. Once we know that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, it would be idolatry to worship only a god that cannot be seen, heard and touched. Let me quote to you the opening of Saint John’s First Epistle:
“1: That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
2: (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
3: That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4: And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”
When God took Abraham up the mountain and taught against human sacrifice (while foreshadowing the crucifixion of His own Son), and later, when He told the people, through His prophet Moses, that they were to worship no other god, these things were done out of compassion for mankind. That compassion reached its highest expression when God the Son appeared in human form. It continues to this day through the Church, which continues the same mission given to Saint Paul, the mission to bring people out of darkness and ignorance into the light of the Gospel. That is your mission and mine. When the Lord Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus, and began to transform him into Saint Paul the Apostle, He called him to take his part in this mission of compassion. The Lord spoke to him about “…the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me (Acts 26: 17, 18).”
Because Jesus showed His compassion for a grieving mother by restoring her dead son to life, we see in this story what the Incarnation means. It means that Christ is, as the Orthodox Church has always put it, “the Lover of mankind.” God is among us in His love and compassion, if we will but free our minds of petty things that reduce our religion into something small. This very day, when you come to the altar rail for the sacrament, you will be touching and tasting Jesus Christ. This is not idolatry; it is the revelation of God. He is among us to give life, as the One Who has the power to give life when others can give only death. He gives us His own life, for His flesh is food indeed, and His blood is drink indeed. The Word, the Life manifested who our eyes will see, and our hands will handle, has come and will come to do what only God can do. He gives life to the dead.
Trinity XVI (2005)
Eph. 3:13-21 Luke 7:11-17
Anyone can speak death, and anyone can inflict death; but, only the word of God has the power to give life. Among the many things we see in today’s Gospel, we see life being given to the dead, and we see compassion. What a stark contrast we see between true and false religion. In Christ we see compassion and the giving of life. We see the opposite, the spirit of Antichrist, in Islamist terrorists who think that by killing us, they do God service. It is fitting to remember that today, only the fourth anniversary of that painful day when over three thousand people were killed in New York, and several more at the Pentagon; and more died heroically by making sure their plane crashed in Pennsylvania instead of hitting its target. It is fitting to remember them in our prayers on this day, September 11th.
We need to know that a false understanding about God has terrible consequences. No wonder, in the first chapter of his Epistle to the Galatians, Saint Paul told his children in the faith that anyone who would preach to them a false gospel is under a curse. That is, such a one has no true power. For true power is not the ability to curse, to inflict death and suffering; and we need not fear those who can do these things. Neither is true power the ability to deceive. If we grant power to such people, we are joining them in a cursed and barren existence. False ideas about God can be fatal. Just ask anyone who has seen a Jehovah’s Witness die an unnecessary death rather than receive something as simple and available as a blood transfusion.
Eph. 3:13-21 Luke 7:11-17
Anyone can speak death, and anyone can inflict death; but, only the word of God has the power to give life. Among the many things we see in today’s Gospel, we see life being given to the dead, and we see compassion. What a stark contrast we see between true and false religion. In Christ we see compassion and the giving of life. We see the opposite, the spirit of Antichrist, in Islamist terrorists who think that by killing us, they do God service. It is fitting to remember that today, only the fourth anniversary of that painful day when over three thousand people were killed in New York, and several more at the Pentagon; and more died heroically by making sure their plane crashed in Pennsylvania instead of hitting its target. It is fitting to remember them in our prayers on this day, September 11th.
We need to know that a false understanding about God has terrible consequences. No wonder, in the first chapter of his Epistle to the Galatians, Saint Paul told his children in the faith that anyone who would preach to them a false gospel is under a curse. That is, such a one has no true power. For true power is not the ability to curse, to inflict death and suffering; and we need not fear those who can do these things. Neither is true power the ability to deceive. If we grant power to such people, we are joining them in a cursed and barren existence. False ideas about God can be fatal. Just ask anyone who has seen a Jehovah’s Witness die an unnecessary death rather than receive something as simple and available as a blood transfusion.
We need to know why the first commandment is against worshiping any god other than the true God. In the long history of false religion, everything from paganism to pseudo-Christian cults, the terrible reality is that cruelty has been quite the normal thing. The ancient idols, spoken of in the Bible, were served through such things as human sacrifice, especially the sacrifice of children. When people shun the story of Abraham offering Isaac, and speak about how terrible the story is, they miss the whole point. Aside from the obvious theological truth in which Isaac carries the wood up the hill, and represents the Lord Jesus Who offered Himself for our sins on the cross, is a practical point as well. When God put Abraham through that ordeal, and then told him not to harm Isaac, the point was made to the people of Israel that the true God does not want the blood of children to be offered to Him; that such tragic sacrifices as were made to Molech of the people’s infants, and that are made today whenever children are murdered by abortion, are an abomination to God. It never entered His mind. He has never wanted any such thing to be done. And, since suicide and mass murder are a kind of sacrifice offered by Muslim terrorists to their god, these violent acts belong to the same category of religious abomination.
False religion brings death. And, contrary to the spirit of error and violence, in today’s Gospel Christ acts out of compassion to give life. The difference between true religion and false religion is the difference between revelation and error. The ultimate revelation is the Incarnation; the Person of the Son of God among us as a human being; someone we can see, hear and touch. If I may digress, the entire message of Mohamed was a rejection of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mohamed came along in the 7th Century and created a religion in which God has no Son, and in which the word “Antichrist” achieved its most appropriate usage. For Islam really is Antichrist in the most accurate sense of that word. It rejects the truth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, that is, that He is both fully God of one substance with His Father, and fully man, taking human nature from His blessed Virgin Mother (I John 4:1-3).
They call us idolaters, because we worship Christ. But, the difference between true religion and false religion is the difference of revelation- that is, what God has revealed. And, the greatest revelation is Jesus Christ, God with us, the Word made flesh. So, you see, now that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, and we have come to know the truth of His two natures in one Person, what we embrace in Jesus Christ is the revelation of God. Once we know that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, it would be idolatry to worship only a god that cannot be seen, heard and touched. Let me quote to you the opening of Saint John’s First Epistle:
“1: That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
2: (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
3: That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4: And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”
When God took Abraham up the mountain and taught against human sacrifice (while foreshadowing the crucifixion of His own Son), and later, when He told the people, through His prophet Moses, that they were to worship no other god, these things were done out of compassion for mankind. That compassion reached its highest expression when God the Son appeared in human form. It continues to this day through the Church, which continues the same mission given to Saint Paul, the mission to bring people out of darkness and ignorance into the light of the Gospel. That is your mission and mine. When the Lord Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus, and began to transform him into Saint Paul the Apostle, He called him to take his part in this mission of compassion. The Lord spoke to him about “…the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me (Acts 26: 17, 18).”
Because Jesus showed His compassion for a grieving mother by restoring her dead son to life, we see in this story what the Incarnation means. It means that Christ is, as the Orthodox Church has always put it, “the Lover of mankind.” God is among us in His love and compassion, if we will but free our minds of petty things that reduce our religion into something small. This very day, when you come to the altar rail for the sacrament, you will be touching and tasting Jesus Christ. This is not idolatry; it is the revelation of God. He is among us to give life, as the One Who has the power to give life when others can give only death. He gives us His own life, for His flesh is food indeed, and His blood is drink indeed. The Word, the Life manifested who our eyes will see, and our hands will handle, has come and will come to do what only God can do. He gives life to the dead.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
The "Clash of Civilisations"
This article is a modified and shortened version of a sermon given by me on Trinity 13 2006 at St Hilda's Mission, Maitland, NSW, Australia.
Sin, like virtue, has many manifestations. And so, when sinners fight, it is often possible to see fault on each side, as one type of selfishness battles another. Unfortunately, the sins and errors of men, though often incompatible with each other, will unite against their common enemy: Christ and the Church. A modern example of this is the so-called “clash of civilizations” between Islam and the post-Christian West.
Sin, like virtue, has many manifestations. And so, when sinners fight, it is often possible to see fault on each side, as one type of selfishness battles another. Unfortunately, the sins and errors of men, though often incompatible with each other, will unite against their common enemy: Christ and the Church. A modern example of this is the so-called “clash of civilizations” between Islam and the post-Christian West.
The modern West, as it sees itself, stands for individual freedoms and human rights, equality, democracy, and for freedom of inquiry and technological advance. Whereas, from the West's perspective, Islamic fundamentalism stands for oppression, tyranny and ignorance.
But the Islamist sees things differently. He sees politically active Islam, at least potentially, as the means to harmony with God and between people through submission to God’s will. And human reason is one of the things that must also submit. He sees respect within families and orderly authority as guarantees of a successful society when in conjunction with Sharia law enforcing moral health. On the other hand, the West is perceived as devoted to sexual corruption, social disorder, impiety, and thus hypocrisy when it claims superiority.
But what does the Church say? Or, more to the point, what does Christ say through the Scriptures? With Islam and against the secular West we reject the idea that freedom means freedom from responsibility or freedom to sin (Gal. 5.13-15). And we also reject putting individual above the community (1 Cor. 5.1-6), ignoring or artificially undermining traditional gender roles (1 Cor. 11.2-16, 14.34-38), and allowing science or industry carte blanche (1 Cor. 6.12) in their manipulations of nature.
But against the Islamism, and with the West that we helped create, we reject the view that virtue can be coerced by all-encompassing law (Mt. 5.5, Rom. 8.3a, Gal. 3.21) and that women's lives must be utterly submerged as inferiors beneath an overwhelming and self-serving exercise of raw male power (Pr. 31.10-31). Similarly, we do not accept that the egalitarianism, liberty and respect for others consciences which underlie democracy are too risky to allow (cf. Gal. 3.28, 1 Co. 7.23, 8.7-13).
Instead, what the church is for is both liberty and moral order within society (Lev. 25.10, Mic. 4.4, Rom. 13.1-7), and both submission and sacrificial chivalry within the family (Eph. 5.22-29). And so we must be willing to criticise both the West's devotion to lust and the Islamist's devotion to coercive violence, while appealing to both sides to abandon their common illusion: that, with enough moral effort or the right social, economic or technological programme, humanity can solve its fundamental problems and establish near Utopian conditions on Earth. In other words, we must preach the Gospel, including the doctrine of Original Sin, and place our trust in God's grace, not human works.
Ironically, as we do this, even if we “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4.15), both the secular West and radical Islam will probably still join in despising us. The Islamists pretend to blame us for the sins of the West, while the secular West often pretends to equate devout Christians with Islamic suicide bombers! And it is pretence or self deception. We should not be surprised. The World hates us, just as Jesus predicted. But “greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world” (1 Jn 4.4). So, let us take courage and remember to pray for all those who are deceived.
Update: I wrote the first version of this more than a fortnight ago. Since then, events have perhaps made it seem to some that the "Clash" is primarily between Islam and the Church, rather than Islam and the West. But it is still worth remembeing that many of those in the West criticising Islam (and its recent reactions) are hungering for a showdown with "Islamofascists" out of unChristian hate and a deeply committed libertarianism, whether of the left or the right. It is dangerous for Christians to think "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". We must be careful with whose rhetoric we ally ourselves. I am sure the Pope understands this, judging from what he has said and how he has handled himself. He knows that some of the Muslim criticisms of the modern West are valid and that Islam retains much of value from its Judeo-Christian background. Indeed, this correlates with the point that the Byzantine quoted by the Pope was making: that it was what was new in Islam that was distorted. He was willing to grant there was good in it, but only insofar as it drew on the true Revelation both Christians and Muslims accepted.
TRINITY XV 2006
GALATIANS 6:11-18 MATTHEW 6:24-34
Years ago Diane and I were subjected the spectacle of clergymen who could not think of what to say in their sermons, because the scriptures seemed to them something much too strong for the likes of ordinary people, and they assumed that everyone is afraid of that thing called theology. On a couple of occasions, several years ago, back when I still sat in a pew with my wife, we were treated to exegesis and in depth commentary on a text that appealed to these clergymen more than the passages of scripture that were read in church. And, so it was that they proceeded to expound upon the meaning of a children’s story called The Velveteen Rabbit. Their sermons could be summarized as follows: “hey, like get real, man.” After being tortured by these homilies two or three times, I resolved that, if ever I meet this velveteen rabbit chap I would kill it, and put myself out of its misery. With all of the writers of the Bible, Moses, David, Isaiah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul- to name only a few- why is it that anyone would have trouble thinking of something to say?
The problem that some clergymen have with preaching is that they know they are handling dynamite, and it scares them. “The word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword,” says the writer to the Hebrews. When you and I are facing the real life traumas and struggles that threaten to shake either our lives or our faith, or that seem to challenge the very idea that God is good, merciful and kind, it is that objective thing called doctrine, that unchanging Creed, yes, our theology, that provides an anchor in the storm. When the world presents the illusion that our faith can be threatened by some sophisticated and trendy new “final blow to Christianity” (as opposed to last month’s “final blow to Christianity” which died away as soon as the clear light of reason shone upon it), it is theology that keeps us rooted and unshaken. What the teaching of the word of God does for you is by no means some irrelevant academic exercise divorced from the real world. No indeed. It is, rather, the armor and weaponry by which you advance in the knowledge of God and of His Son Jesus Christ, by which you overcome the world through your faith by the power of the Holy Spirit Who is in you. In times of sorrow, in times of joy, in times of suffering, and in times of merriment, the word of God is our daily bread for the mind and for the spirit; it is the lamp for our feet. It does not divorce us from reality because it keeps us rooted and grounded in the truth.
The scriptures today warn us of two kinds of deception, namely the deception of false religion and the deception of the cares of this world. And, what we see connecting these passages of scripture is summed up perfectly by our Lord when He tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. In that seeking we are not escaping reality, rather we are facing it in its fullest. We can face good news and bad, even the fact of our own mortality, with a brand of courage unknown except by faith.
Saint Paul, as I pointed out last week when we read from this same Epistle to the churches in Galatia, saw the need to correct the heresy of self appointed teachers who proclaimed a new and different “gospel.” In the first chapter he told them: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” These words may sound harsh to people who imagine that all religion is good: But every genuine pastor, every sincere bishop, priest, or deacon, cannot help but agree fully and empathize with the burden that Saint Paul expressed. We cannot simply smile and accept what is taught in cults, or even in churches that are turning away from a clear and faithful adherence to ‘that which has been believed in all times, everywhere and by all” of the true teachers and saints in God’s Holy Catholic Church.
As we learned last week, this heresy was the new teaching that all of the gentiles who had converted to Christ could not be saved unless they were circumcised and kept the Six Hundred and Thirteen Commandments of the Torah as interpreted by the early Talmudic Rabbis of the time. Today we have false teaching of every sort all around us, and it has terrible consequences spiritually, and sometimes physically. For example, the Jehovah’s Witnesses not only teach the Arian and Pneumatimachian heresies by denying the Trinity, by denying the existence of the Holy Spirit, and denying the bodily resurrection of Christ (who appeared to witnesses). They also cause their people to die, and at times have caused the deaths of their own children, by forbidding blood transfusions. It is tragic. For many years my father worked side by side with a good friend, a man we all liked very much, who died at the age of sixty from heart disease. A very simple medicine could have kept him alive to this day; but he was a member of Mary Baker Eddy’s so called “Christian Science Church,” and so he would not take medicine. As a result of his religious beliefs he died before he could retire, before he could meet his grandchildren. The picture we are given of God, by these kinds of doctrines, is very much like the picture given by the teaching that we have to keep the rules of the early Talmudic Rabbis in order to be saved: that is, the picture of God is one of a very unreasonable and harsh taskmaster who demands the impossible without providing grace.
To avoid false gospels we need sound doctrine, and true theology.
In the Gospel Jesus lifts our eyes heavenward. The Book of Common Prayer does something unusual in this passage. It does not use the exact words of the King James Bible, which tells us “give no thought for the morrow.” Instead, this one passage is changed from the King James to translate the words as “be not anxious for the morrow.” Anxiety can take your mind off of the Lord; it can disturb your peace and ruin your whole life. Anxiety is the opposite of faith. Isaiah the prophet tells us: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD, the LORD, is everlasting strength (Isa. 26:3,4).” This strength is real and effective for us here and now in this life, and it is the only strength that lasts forever. No matter what evils come in this life, as people face the death of loved ones, as they face betrayal, economic hardship, illness, and the hostility of an unbelieving world, in the Lord is everlasting strength.
“Look for an example to the suffering of Job” we are told. Let us look as well to the suffering of the Apostles. One of the most moving passages in all of Saint Paul’s Epistles, at least for me, is a personal plea that he wrote near the end of his life to his son in the Faith, Timothy. It is not a deeply theological passage, at least not in an academic sense. It is not a passage that we can use to illuminate our minds with doctrine- and yet is a very useful passage for theology and doctrine if you reflect upon it. In the last chapter of Second Timothy we find two requests. First he wrote: “The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.”
Then he wrote, “Do thy diligence to come before winter.” Think about that. When the Romans locked up a prisoner they did not feed him, or tend to his needs. That had to be arranged by family and friends. At the end of his many years of service, which he once described as involving constant persecutions, and other troubles such as shipwrecks, hunger and cold, he had come to this. The Saint, the former Rabbi who was the father of the Gentile Christians, the man who wrote about charity in words more meaningful than any other passage ever written about love, the man who gave us most of the words of the New Testament, bearing in his body the marks of Christ, glorying only and ever in the cross of Christ, had instead of retirement and a nice pension, a cell in a dungeon and a sentence of death. He was going to face Nero’s executioner. To get through his last Winter on this earth he asked Timothy to bring the cloak, and to hurry up and get it to him before the cold winds of Winter could blow through his dungeon cell.
Well, that may not seem like a very deep theological passage. But it is. We see the faith of this saint who looked above the things of this world, this last witness of Christ’s resurrection facing death without fear, suffering the loss of all things with joy. His needs were real. He needed the cloak. Also, he wanted his books, no doubt hand written copies of the Old Testament scriptures. What good were “the books, especially the parchments,” to a man on death row? The answer is, he wanted to keep his mind fed with the word of God, because he knew, living in prison and facing death, that the truth of the word of God was his anchor.
“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” Everything you need for this life will be added. You have no cause for anxiety as unbelievers do. But more than that, more than food and drink, clothing and a place to lay your head, in the Lord is everlasting strength, the gift of sharing immortality with the Risen Christ, and the hope of partaking of the Divine nature through grace. You need not fear that the one who died to take away your sins, and who has promised in His resurrection to be with us forever, will change His mind and break His promises. What you need in this life will be provided as you seek first His kingdom and righteousness. But, even more so, “in the Lord is everlasting strength.” The pledge is eternal life through the risen Christ who has overcome death.
This is the faith that takes you through a life of real struggles and temptations. To feed and strengthen this faith you need to know what to rest your hope upon. For that you need the teaching that God has given by the revelation of His word. Dare I say it, you need theology and sound doctrine, because that alone- and no where else- is where you discover the truth of God’s love.
Years ago Diane and I were subjected the spectacle of clergymen who could not think of what to say in their sermons, because the scriptures seemed to them something much too strong for the likes of ordinary people, and they assumed that everyone is afraid of that thing called theology. On a couple of occasions, several years ago, back when I still sat in a pew with my wife, we were treated to exegesis and in depth commentary on a text that appealed to these clergymen more than the passages of scripture that were read in church. And, so it was that they proceeded to expound upon the meaning of a children’s story called The Velveteen Rabbit. Their sermons could be summarized as follows: “hey, like get real, man.” After being tortured by these homilies two or three times, I resolved that, if ever I meet this velveteen rabbit chap I would kill it, and put myself out of its misery. With all of the writers of the Bible, Moses, David, Isaiah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul- to name only a few- why is it that anyone would have trouble thinking of something to say?
The problem that some clergymen have with preaching is that they know they are handling dynamite, and it scares them. “The word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword,” says the writer to the Hebrews. When you and I are facing the real life traumas and struggles that threaten to shake either our lives or our faith, or that seem to challenge the very idea that God is good, merciful and kind, it is that objective thing called doctrine, that unchanging Creed, yes, our theology, that provides an anchor in the storm. When the world presents the illusion that our faith can be threatened by some sophisticated and trendy new “final blow to Christianity” (as opposed to last month’s “final blow to Christianity” which died away as soon as the clear light of reason shone upon it), it is theology that keeps us rooted and unshaken. What the teaching of the word of God does for you is by no means some irrelevant academic exercise divorced from the real world. No indeed. It is, rather, the armor and weaponry by which you advance in the knowledge of God and of His Son Jesus Christ, by which you overcome the world through your faith by the power of the Holy Spirit Who is in you. In times of sorrow, in times of joy, in times of suffering, and in times of merriment, the word of God is our daily bread for the mind and for the spirit; it is the lamp for our feet. It does not divorce us from reality because it keeps us rooted and grounded in the truth.
The scriptures today warn us of two kinds of deception, namely the deception of false religion and the deception of the cares of this world. And, what we see connecting these passages of scripture is summed up perfectly by our Lord when He tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. In that seeking we are not escaping reality, rather we are facing it in its fullest. We can face good news and bad, even the fact of our own mortality, with a brand of courage unknown except by faith.
Saint Paul, as I pointed out last week when we read from this same Epistle to the churches in Galatia, saw the need to correct the heresy of self appointed teachers who proclaimed a new and different “gospel.” In the first chapter he told them: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” These words may sound harsh to people who imagine that all religion is good: But every genuine pastor, every sincere bishop, priest, or deacon, cannot help but agree fully and empathize with the burden that Saint Paul expressed. We cannot simply smile and accept what is taught in cults, or even in churches that are turning away from a clear and faithful adherence to ‘that which has been believed in all times, everywhere and by all” of the true teachers and saints in God’s Holy Catholic Church.
As we learned last week, this heresy was the new teaching that all of the gentiles who had converted to Christ could not be saved unless they were circumcised and kept the Six Hundred and Thirteen Commandments of the Torah as interpreted by the early Talmudic Rabbis of the time. Today we have false teaching of every sort all around us, and it has terrible consequences spiritually, and sometimes physically. For example, the Jehovah’s Witnesses not only teach the Arian and Pneumatimachian heresies by denying the Trinity, by denying the existence of the Holy Spirit, and denying the bodily resurrection of Christ (who appeared to witnesses). They also cause their people to die, and at times have caused the deaths of their own children, by forbidding blood transfusions. It is tragic. For many years my father worked side by side with a good friend, a man we all liked very much, who died at the age of sixty from heart disease. A very simple medicine could have kept him alive to this day; but he was a member of Mary Baker Eddy’s so called “Christian Science Church,” and so he would not take medicine. As a result of his religious beliefs he died before he could retire, before he could meet his grandchildren. The picture we are given of God, by these kinds of doctrines, is very much like the picture given by the teaching that we have to keep the rules of the early Talmudic Rabbis in order to be saved: that is, the picture of God is one of a very unreasonable and harsh taskmaster who demands the impossible without providing grace.
To avoid false gospels we need sound doctrine, and true theology.
In the Gospel Jesus lifts our eyes heavenward. The Book of Common Prayer does something unusual in this passage. It does not use the exact words of the King James Bible, which tells us “give no thought for the morrow.” Instead, this one passage is changed from the King James to translate the words as “be not anxious for the morrow.” Anxiety can take your mind off of the Lord; it can disturb your peace and ruin your whole life. Anxiety is the opposite of faith. Isaiah the prophet tells us: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD, the LORD, is everlasting strength (Isa. 26:3,4).” This strength is real and effective for us here and now in this life, and it is the only strength that lasts forever. No matter what evils come in this life, as people face the death of loved ones, as they face betrayal, economic hardship, illness, and the hostility of an unbelieving world, in the Lord is everlasting strength.
“Look for an example to the suffering of Job” we are told. Let us look as well to the suffering of the Apostles. One of the most moving passages in all of Saint Paul’s Epistles, at least for me, is a personal plea that he wrote near the end of his life to his son in the Faith, Timothy. It is not a deeply theological passage, at least not in an academic sense. It is not a passage that we can use to illuminate our minds with doctrine- and yet is a very useful passage for theology and doctrine if you reflect upon it. In the last chapter of Second Timothy we find two requests. First he wrote: “The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.”
Then he wrote, “Do thy diligence to come before winter.” Think about that. When the Romans locked up a prisoner they did not feed him, or tend to his needs. That had to be arranged by family and friends. At the end of his many years of service, which he once described as involving constant persecutions, and other troubles such as shipwrecks, hunger and cold, he had come to this. The Saint, the former Rabbi who was the father of the Gentile Christians, the man who wrote about charity in words more meaningful than any other passage ever written about love, the man who gave us most of the words of the New Testament, bearing in his body the marks of Christ, glorying only and ever in the cross of Christ, had instead of retirement and a nice pension, a cell in a dungeon and a sentence of death. He was going to face Nero’s executioner. To get through his last Winter on this earth he asked Timothy to bring the cloak, and to hurry up and get it to him before the cold winds of Winter could blow through his dungeon cell.
Well, that may not seem like a very deep theological passage. But it is. We see the faith of this saint who looked above the things of this world, this last witness of Christ’s resurrection facing death without fear, suffering the loss of all things with joy. His needs were real. He needed the cloak. Also, he wanted his books, no doubt hand written copies of the Old Testament scriptures. What good were “the books, especially the parchments,” to a man on death row? The answer is, he wanted to keep his mind fed with the word of God, because he knew, living in prison and facing death, that the truth of the word of God was his anchor.
“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” Everything you need for this life will be added. You have no cause for anxiety as unbelievers do. But more than that, more than food and drink, clothing and a place to lay your head, in the Lord is everlasting strength, the gift of sharing immortality with the Risen Christ, and the hope of partaking of the Divine nature through grace. You need not fear that the one who died to take away your sins, and who has promised in His resurrection to be with us forever, will change His mind and break His promises. What you need in this life will be provided as you seek first His kingdom and righteousness. But, even more so, “in the Lord is everlasting strength.” The pledge is eternal life through the risen Christ who has overcome death.
This is the faith that takes you through a life of real struggles and temptations. To feed and strengthen this faith you need to know what to rest your hope upon. For that you need the teaching that God has given by the revelation of His word. Dare I say it, you need theology and sound doctrine, because that alone- and no where else- is where you discover the truth of God’s love.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Read It and Grin
Being American, I have a weakness for bumper stickers. Here is one I read about today, found on the car of a member of the ACC:
Episcopalians are keeping the buildings.
We are keeping the faith.
Episcopalians are keeping the buildings.
We are keeping the faith.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Weak gods
I had posted this thought as a comment (Misty Battlefields...), but now think that it ought to be a separate piece, so as to be more visible. All of the killing to defend Allah shows that he must be a very weak god who needs people.
"Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it. And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar. Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar."-Judges 6:30-32
Baal and Allah are both of them very weak gods who need people to kill in their defense.
7:58 PM
"Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it. And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar. Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar."-Judges 6:30-32
Baal and Allah are both of them very weak gods who need people to kill in their defense.
7:58 PM
To All Continuing Hierarchs
In case this has not reached you directly, I am posting it here. This could be an opportunity to take another step toward unity among ourselves and to help shape the future nature and structure of the emerging new Anglican Communion.
Continuers, Covenant and Co-operation
A proposal from two editors – Auburn Traycik of The Christian Challenge and Peter Toon of The Mandate – addressed to orthodox, continuing Anglicans in North America.
We sent this message primarily to those whom we know as the real Continuing Anglicans, who trace their origins via the St Louis Gathering in 1977 to the orthodox Anglican Way, as that had been known in the Anglican Church of Canada and in the Protestant Episcopal Church of the USA. However, we hope that others who have left these two Churches also to become Continuing Anglicans will prayerfully consider what we suggest.
On September 16, 2006, Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, sent out a pastoral letter to the Archbishops and Presiding Bishops of the Anglican Communion of Churches. In it he stated that, as request by the Primates themselves, he had asked Archbishop Drexel Gomez of The Bahamas to chair a committee to draft a Covenant. The purpose of the Covenant is to bring together in basic doctrine, liturgy, morals and polity those Provinces, which will be, in the future, members of the “renewed” Anglican Communion ( and which may or may not be the same as those 38 Provinces which are the current members). [For the origins of the need for a Covenant see The Windsor Report of 2004.]
We believe that in the process of creating this Covenant, there is a unique opportunity for the genuine, orthodox Continuing Anglicans to make a solid and serious contribution to debate and dialogue within the Anglican Family worldwide and also in the present Anglican Communion (some of whose provinces and dioceses still confess the Anglican Way in the same traditional style as do the Continuing Anglicans).
Our suggestion is simple but we believe profound:
• that each of the several jurisdictions, which traces its ancestry back to the exodus of 1977 via St Louis, nominate a couple of persons, one clergy one laity;
• that the two from each jurisdiction join together to form a working party to draft a Covenant for submission to the committee headed by Archbishop Gomez;
• that the initial meeting be under the good auspices of The Christian Challenge in Washington D.C., where a chairman and secretary can be appointed and the work begin;
• that in order to get this started that each jurisdiction contact Auburn Traycik at Christian Challenge (ATraycik@aol.com) and that she uses her knowledge of Washington,the Continuing Churches and persons therein to facilitate the first meeting.
• That Peter Toon be used as a contact person to advise what kind of shape, style and size of document [not content!] is required, and is likely to gain the best reading/hearing.
We see this suggestion as in the providence of God achieving good ends – e.g., the provision on The Table at the centre of the Anglican Family of a fully orthodox, traditional Anglican statement of what truly is the basis, content and genius of the Anglican Way; greater cooperation between orthodox groups that have, through varied circumstances, walked apart in recent decades; and a renewal of mind and purpose for those who engage in this enterprise and which they can share with others in their churches. We cannot see anything negative arising from this way forward; rather, we believe, it is an open door being provided for Continuing Anglicans to share what God has given them with others around the globe.
To discuss this further, please call Mrs Traycik at the Office of Christian Challenge in Washington, DC.
Also, please commend this proposal to the Lord in prayer for his guidance.
Continuers, Covenant and Co-operation
A proposal from two editors – Auburn Traycik of The Christian Challenge and Peter Toon of The Mandate – addressed to orthodox, continuing Anglicans in North America.
We sent this message primarily to those whom we know as the real Continuing Anglicans, who trace their origins via the St Louis Gathering in 1977 to the orthodox Anglican Way, as that had been known in the Anglican Church of Canada and in the Protestant Episcopal Church of the USA. However, we hope that others who have left these two Churches also to become Continuing Anglicans will prayerfully consider what we suggest.
On September 16, 2006, Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, sent out a pastoral letter to the Archbishops and Presiding Bishops of the Anglican Communion of Churches. In it he stated that, as request by the Primates themselves, he had asked Archbishop Drexel Gomez of The Bahamas to chair a committee to draft a Covenant. The purpose of the Covenant is to bring together in basic doctrine, liturgy, morals and polity those Provinces, which will be, in the future, members of the “renewed” Anglican Communion ( and which may or may not be the same as those 38 Provinces which are the current members). [For the origins of the need for a Covenant see The Windsor Report of 2004.]
We believe that in the process of creating this Covenant, there is a unique opportunity for the genuine, orthodox Continuing Anglicans to make a solid and serious contribution to debate and dialogue within the Anglican Family worldwide and also in the present Anglican Communion (some of whose provinces and dioceses still confess the Anglican Way in the same traditional style as do the Continuing Anglicans).
Our suggestion is simple but we believe profound:
• that each of the several jurisdictions, which traces its ancestry back to the exodus of 1977 via St Louis, nominate a couple of persons, one clergy one laity;
• that the two from each jurisdiction join together to form a working party to draft a Covenant for submission to the committee headed by Archbishop Gomez;
• that the initial meeting be under the good auspices of The Christian Challenge in Washington D.C., where a chairman and secretary can be appointed and the work begin;
• that in order to get this started that each jurisdiction contact Auburn Traycik at Christian Challenge (ATraycik@aol.com) and that she uses her knowledge of Washington,the Continuing Churches and persons therein to facilitate the first meeting.
• That Peter Toon be used as a contact person to advise what kind of shape, style and size of document [not content!] is required, and is likely to gain the best reading/hearing.
We see this suggestion as in the providence of God achieving good ends – e.g., the provision on The Table at the centre of the Anglican Family of a fully orthodox, traditional Anglican statement of what truly is the basis, content and genius of the Anglican Way; greater cooperation between orthodox groups that have, through varied circumstances, walked apart in recent decades; and a renewal of mind and purpose for those who engage in this enterprise and which they can share with others in their churches. We cannot see anything negative arising from this way forward; rather, we believe, it is an open door being provided for Continuing Anglicans to share what God has given them with others around the globe.
To discuss this further, please call Mrs Traycik at the Office of Christian Challenge in Washington, DC.
Also, please commend this proposal to the Lord in prayer for his guidance.
I Will Not Submit
Various commentators on the reactions in the Muslim world to Pope Benedict's address last week have noted how increasingly media savvy the protestors are, at least in the West. Witness the impeccably printed signs in English proclaiming, for example, that "Jesus is Allah's Slave."
Okay, so they got it wrong. Jesus is the Son of God, Incarnate. He is the Lord of the Universe. And I am His slave, Christodoulos, as the Greeks would say.
I will never submit to the sub-Christian sect that is Islam, which denies the Trinity, the Incarnation, the passion and death of Christ on the Cross and His Resurrection. Deo volente, I will also not submit to the bullying carried out by the more extreme members of that sect nor be intimidated by the terror they seek to sow in an attempt to cow us into submission.
That is what the Arabic phrase above says: "I will not submit."
If you never learn any other Arabic, which would be a shame, learn this: "Lan estislam." I will not submit.
And notice that the root of the verb is "islam," which means submission.
So here, for all the Arabic-speaking world to see is my message to them, in their own language: I will not submit.
And now, unto God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, be ascribed, as is most justly due, all might, majesty, dominion, glory and power, now and forever. Amen
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Misty Battlefield at Dawn?
I would imagine that most readers here are also regular readers of CANN. If not, they should be. The following is CANN's latest "editorial" on the scandalous Muslim reaction to the Pope's address last week in Germany. I strongly urge you to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest what is said here.
Sober second thought, reasonable caution, and prudence are all good things. Perhaps if some media-sharks hadn’t dumped chum-bait all over the Pope, we’d not have to restate the obvious right now. If not this, it would be something else.
The fact is (pace, Mark Shea, et al.) we are already in a religious and civilizational war that will not go away by our being more reasonable, self-effacing, or scruplulously even-handed in our analysis. The current Pope is pretty much the most reasonable and educated religious leader on the planet.
The Pope quoted somebody. Get over it. He’s allowed: we don’t have to abide by your Islamist rules. THAT’S THE POINT. This is yet another attempt to make us construct our own inner borders and fences on their behalf.. forbidden thoughts & words.. fear.. self-destruction. It’s the habit inculcated by any tyranny: Communism, Nazism, Islamism, and by the various flavours of secularist Westernism. The bully wants the victim to worry and act always in terms of the will of the bully.
Islamist ideology is an opportunistic infection; unholy ebola. Disproportionate drama-queen controversy, deliberate outrage, sympathetic media attention, staged protests are all good for the cause. Any excuse in a storm, for the bullying scumbags, soundrels and rabble-rousers– however sincere– who want Western Civilization on the eternal defensive, then enslaved.
Militant Islamists want to finish the Big Jihad, paused in the 1600s at the gates of Vienna. It will involve erasing and defacing everything in accord with their views. All shall submit: history, nations, churches, secularity, literature, art, philosophy, archaeology, music. Yes, it’s even worse than an infestation of liberal Christian liturgists and clergy. Europe stand on the verge of implosion, having lost the native population and the civilizational nerve to know what to do, in the face of massive internal Islamist threats.
Oh, and the nuclear sword may already be at our necks. Got Caliphate?
That Emperor-guy had more than enough reason, and 700 years of Byzantine bumbling and Islamic predation (and the destruction of Christian North Africa, much of what is now Israel, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and chunks of modern-day Turkey) over which to make his comment to the muslim Persian professor with whom he was talking– and that final collapse was aided and abetted by the Catholic West, over and over again. The ruins of cities and blood of Christians and the loss of most of the Eastern Roman Empire were testament enough to his view. History may repeat itself in the next century.
The Pope (a witness and survivor of Hitlerism) does not need to be reminded that the world is a dangerous place. Despite the idea that John Paul II was more of a “Peace, peace! Where there is no peace” kind of soul, one need only remember that he lit the spark that imploded the satanic secularity of the USSR. Assassin’s bullets showed that the Kremlin recognized the dangerous power of Christianity, and of JP2’s papacy.
Benedict laid down a gauntlet before both the irrationalism of modern secularity, and a resurgent pre-modern heresy with Jewish and Christian roots, and a violent past and present. Political correctness and jihad are twins, of a sort. Both refuse rationality and religion, and insist on their own absolute autonomy, and the submission of all else to their particular claim. Western cultural skirmishes over Islam, and many social-cultural issues like abortion or homosexuality are all signs of the bigger battle– not to mention that in the end, it’s not flesh and blood we’re fighting, but powers & principalities and spiritual darkness that seeks to eat up everything: Christian, secularist, and Islam alike, and make Hell on earth in whatever form. Our enemy Satan is not picky.
And once again.. our eyes are off very nearly nuclear Iran. Anybody notice that?
Nobody likes such a time as this. Hearts quake, knees shake, all are tested beyond their skill, wit, or desire. We want to turn our eyes away, we long for comfort and peace. But this is our time, and like it or not, this burden is ours. As Christians, we need to step up. If we are secularists (as B-16 recently said to someone), the we ought to live and act as if God existed. If moderate muslims, as if the best of our religion and heritage is not going to be stolen and defaced, and our own names and faces dishonoured by the radicals– even if they are, worldwide, a majority.
And even if the battle is a long retreat– well, there are far worse things than dying well, into the arms of God. As for the rest? God rules.
CaNN News Editor
Sober second thought, reasonable caution, and prudence are all good things. Perhaps if some media-sharks hadn’t dumped chum-bait all over the Pope, we’d not have to restate the obvious right now. If not this, it would be something else.
The fact is (pace, Mark Shea, et al.) we are already in a religious and civilizational war that will not go away by our being more reasonable, self-effacing, or scruplulously even-handed in our analysis. The current Pope is pretty much the most reasonable and educated religious leader on the planet.
The Pope quoted somebody. Get over it. He’s allowed: we don’t have to abide by your Islamist rules. THAT’S THE POINT. This is yet another attempt to make us construct our own inner borders and fences on their behalf.. forbidden thoughts & words.. fear.. self-destruction. It’s the habit inculcated by any tyranny: Communism, Nazism, Islamism, and by the various flavours of secularist Westernism. The bully wants the victim to worry and act always in terms of the will of the bully.
Islamist ideology is an opportunistic infection; unholy ebola. Disproportionate drama-queen controversy, deliberate outrage, sympathetic media attention, staged protests are all good for the cause. Any excuse in a storm, for the bullying scumbags, soundrels and rabble-rousers– however sincere– who want Western Civilization on the eternal defensive, then enslaved.
Militant Islamists want to finish the Big Jihad, paused in the 1600s at the gates of Vienna. It will involve erasing and defacing everything in accord with their views. All shall submit: history, nations, churches, secularity, literature, art, philosophy, archaeology, music. Yes, it’s even worse than an infestation of liberal Christian liturgists and clergy. Europe stand on the verge of implosion, having lost the native population and the civilizational nerve to know what to do, in the face of massive internal Islamist threats.
Oh, and the nuclear sword may already be at our necks. Got Caliphate?
That Emperor-guy had more than enough reason, and 700 years of Byzantine bumbling and Islamic predation (and the destruction of Christian North Africa, much of what is now Israel, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and chunks of modern-day Turkey) over which to make his comment to the muslim Persian professor with whom he was talking– and that final collapse was aided and abetted by the Catholic West, over and over again. The ruins of cities and blood of Christians and the loss of most of the Eastern Roman Empire were testament enough to his view. History may repeat itself in the next century.
The Pope (a witness and survivor of Hitlerism) does not need to be reminded that the world is a dangerous place. Despite the idea that John Paul II was more of a “Peace, peace! Where there is no peace” kind of soul, one need only remember that he lit the spark that imploded the satanic secularity of the USSR. Assassin’s bullets showed that the Kremlin recognized the dangerous power of Christianity, and of JP2’s papacy.
Benedict laid down a gauntlet before both the irrationalism of modern secularity, and a resurgent pre-modern heresy with Jewish and Christian roots, and a violent past and present. Political correctness and jihad are twins, of a sort. Both refuse rationality and religion, and insist on their own absolute autonomy, and the submission of all else to their particular claim. Western cultural skirmishes over Islam, and many social-cultural issues like abortion or homosexuality are all signs of the bigger battle– not to mention that in the end, it’s not flesh and blood we’re fighting, but powers & principalities and spiritual darkness that seeks to eat up everything: Christian, secularist, and Islam alike, and make Hell on earth in whatever form. Our enemy Satan is not picky.
And once again.. our eyes are off very nearly nuclear Iran. Anybody notice that?
Nobody likes such a time as this. Hearts quake, knees shake, all are tested beyond their skill, wit, or desire. We want to turn our eyes away, we long for comfort and peace. But this is our time, and like it or not, this burden is ours. As Christians, we need to step up. If we are secularists (as B-16 recently said to someone), the we ought to live and act as if God existed. If moderate muslims, as if the best of our religion and heritage is not going to be stolen and defaced, and our own names and faces dishonoured by the radicals– even if they are, worldwide, a majority.
And even if the battle is a long retreat– well, there are far worse things than dying well, into the arms of God. As for the rest? God rules.
CaNN News Editor
Sunday, September 17, 2006
The Latest from Fr Zeppo Hart
Back in August, I introduced Fr Zeppo Hart Is There a Fourth Hart Brother?
Today I came across the following, from the Press Trust of India, in which Fr Zeppo assures us that "practising Hinduism is in no way incompatible with my faith in Christ."
Read it here
(Thanks to Titusonenine)
Today I came across the following, from the Press Trust of India, in which Fr Zeppo assures us that "practising Hinduism is in no way incompatible with my faith in Christ."
Read it here
(Thanks to Titusonenine)
Friday, September 15, 2006
Here We Go Again?
No sooner do certain Muslims perceive that they are being accused of belonging to a violent religion than they react, well, by resorting to violence.
On a day when voices around the Muslim world were denouncing Pope Benedict XVI for linking Islam with violence, someone threw a hand grenade into the compound housing the oldest church in the Gaza Strip. Mercifully there were no casualties.
Should we now expect another wave of violence, as witnessed following the publication of cartoons of Mohammed, to demonstrate how peaceful Islam is?
Watch this space.
Kyrie eleison.
On a day when voices around the Muslim world were denouncing Pope Benedict XVI for linking Islam with violence, someone threw a hand grenade into the compound housing the oldest church in the Gaza Strip. Mercifully there were no casualties.
Should we now expect another wave of violence, as witnessed following the publication of cartoons of Mohammed, to demonstrate how peaceful Islam is?
Watch this space.
Kyrie eleison.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
All Ye Holy Martyrs, Pray For Us
Taking advantage of a quiet day here in Beirut last Saturday, I was surveying the blogosphere, only to find something that left my head spinning.
Regular readers will recall that, on August 27, I posted an item entitled Fox Journalists 'Convert' to Islam. In it, I raised some questions about the moral implications of 'conversion' at gunpoint, and received some very enlightening answers.
The bottom line was that, as Christians, we are commanded to stand firm in our faith, even to the point of death. But we are also assured that if we crack in the moment of testing, we can count on God's forgiveness.
But it appears that for Canon Andrew White, forced 'conversion' is not a matter of faith but one of political expediency.
An Anglican priest, Fr White is one of the leaders of the Foundation for Reconciliation in the Middle East. He has been accused of actually suggesting to the kidnappers that the release of American Steve Centanni and New Zealander Olaf Wiig might be granted in exchange for their forced conversion.
Over at Get Religion, I found the following, which purports to be a letter written by Canon White and included in an August 27 press release by the FRME. I could not find a link to the press release on the FRME web site, and contacted the organization to enquire. My email was addressed to Canon White, or to anyone at the FRME authorized to speak on his behalf. Having received no reply from anyone, I have decided to publish this post.
Here is the text of the letter, as provided to Get Religion by a commenter:
Dear Friends,
It has been an exhausting few days working flat out on getting hostages released from Gaza. These kinds of things always come at the wrong time. Last Christmas and now the very days we had chosen to have our holiday. Last week I was contacted by Roger Wiig. A Methodist minister from New Zealand who just happens to be working in Bromley. He is in New Zealand at the moment but his son was one of the people taken in Gaza.
I felt we had to become involved after this news.... We eventually made contact with the hostage takers. We then managed to form links between Hamas and the Hostage takers. We had to then find a way out and advising to convert at gunpoint to Islam was the only option. (My emphasis) As in all these cases we must have no publicity. Our work is always behind the scenes.
So my holiday in Disney Land Paris has been mainly hostages but that is part of our life. With the help of Mickey Mouse we succeeded and will return to the Middle East soon.
Blessings,
Andrew
I truly hope that the letter is bogus, and that the accusations against Canon White are therefore unjustified.
It the letter is genuine, and Canon White indeed did propose to the kidnappers a forced conversion, I still welcome him to argue his case here.
Regular readers will recall that, on August 27, I posted an item entitled Fox Journalists 'Convert' to Islam. In it, I raised some questions about the moral implications of 'conversion' at gunpoint, and received some very enlightening answers.
The bottom line was that, as Christians, we are commanded to stand firm in our faith, even to the point of death. But we are also assured that if we crack in the moment of testing, we can count on God's forgiveness.
But it appears that for Canon Andrew White, forced 'conversion' is not a matter of faith but one of political expediency.
An Anglican priest, Fr White is one of the leaders of the Foundation for Reconciliation in the Middle East. He has been accused of actually suggesting to the kidnappers that the release of American Steve Centanni and New Zealander Olaf Wiig might be granted in exchange for their forced conversion.
Over at Get Religion, I found the following, which purports to be a letter written by Canon White and included in an August 27 press release by the FRME. I could not find a link to the press release on the FRME web site, and contacted the organization to enquire. My email was addressed to Canon White, or to anyone at the FRME authorized to speak on his behalf. Having received no reply from anyone, I have decided to publish this post.
Here is the text of the letter, as provided to Get Religion by a commenter:
Dear Friends,
It has been an exhausting few days working flat out on getting hostages released from Gaza. These kinds of things always come at the wrong time. Last Christmas and now the very days we had chosen to have our holiday. Last week I was contacted by Roger Wiig. A Methodist minister from New Zealand who just happens to be working in Bromley. He is in New Zealand at the moment but his son was one of the people taken in Gaza.
I felt we had to become involved after this news.... We eventually made contact with the hostage takers. We then managed to form links between Hamas and the Hostage takers. We had to then find a way out and advising to convert at gunpoint to Islam was the only option. (My emphasis) As in all these cases we must have no publicity. Our work is always behind the scenes.
So my holiday in Disney Land Paris has been mainly hostages but that is part of our life. With the help of Mickey Mouse we succeeded and will return to the Middle East soon.
Blessings,
Andrew
I truly hope that the letter is bogus, and that the accusations against Canon White are therefore unjustified.
It the letter is genuine, and Canon White indeed did propose to the kidnappers a forced conversion, I still welcome him to argue his case here.
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