Matthew Petersen has some very good thoughts here on the quest for Christian unity, and the dangers of being dismissive or patronizing toward Christians in other communions than our own.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Palm Sunday
Rejoice greatly,
Daughter of Zion!
Raise a shout,
Daughter of Jerusalem!
Look! Your king
is coming to you,
Righteous, and possessed of
salvation-victory is he,
Lowly, and riding
on a donkey,
On a colt,
the offspring of beasts of burden.
—Zechariah 9:9
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Mar Paulos Faraj Rahho, archbishop and martyr (1942-2008)
We, Christians of Mesopotamia, are used to religious persecution and pressures by those in power. After Constantine, persecution ended only for Western Christians, whereas in the East threats continued. Even today we continue to be a Church of martyrs.
—Mar Paulos, Nov. 26, 2007
Paulos Faraj Rahho, the Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul in northern Iraq, was found dead on Thursday after having been kidnapped two weeks ago by a group of Islamist gunmen. He had served as archbishop of the Chaldean Catholics of Mosul for seven years. (Mosul, the archbishop's hometown, is the Biblical city of Nineveh.)
Three of the archbishop's companions were killed in a gunfight during his kidnapping, as he returned home after Mass on February 29. There are conflicting reports about the cause of death of Mar Paulos himself; there are some suggestions that he died from preexisting health conditions made worse by the circumstances of his captivity, while others claim he was shot.
(Sources: The Times Online, AFP)
May the God who was preached in Nineveh by Jonah the prophet and by Mar Paulos, and Jesus His Son, bring perfect peace to Mosul and to all Iraq and the Middle East. May He reduce His enemies to obedience to Christ, through the testimony that His servants offer in both life and death.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The marks of the true Church
One of the pressing concerns that resurfaced during the Protestant Reformation was how to distinguish between true and false churches. An answer chosen by the early Reformers was that a true church is one that preaches the Word of God purely and administers the Sacraments properly; these two "marks" are noted in the Augsburg Confession (1530) and in the writings of John Calvin (1509-1564). Later, concern for the continuing purity of the Church led Protestant theologians to add the faithful administration of church discipline as a third necessary "mark of the Church." The resulting "three marks" appear in Article 29 of the Belgic Confession (1561), and a variation on them is suggested in Chapter 25 of the Westminster Confession of Faith (1647).
However, as a means of identifying what is a true church, these "marks" make a somewhat odd and lopsided combination. As pastor Brian McLaughlin points out, the two or three marks have come to represent for many North American Christians the whole essence of the Church, as if the church was a place where you came to hear preaching, eat the Lord's Supper, and (maybe) experience the corrective power of church discipline. For the ordinary Christian, participation in these things tends to be passive, and one's daily life can be largely unaffected.
Shouldn't love be acknowledged as one of the essential elements of any true church? If so, these words of Pope Benedict XVI (from his 2005 encyclical "Deus Caritas Est") provide a better description of the marks of the Church:
The Church's deepest nature is expressed in her three-fold responsibility: of proclaiming the word of God (kerygma-martyria), celebrating the sacraments (leitourgia), and exercising the ministry of charity (diakonia). These duties presuppose each other and are inseparable. For the Church, charity is not a kind of welfare activity which could equally well be left to others, but is a part of her nature, an indispensable expression of her very being.
No matter how correct their preaching and sacraments may be, a church without love is a dead church. If we discuss the essential nature of the Church but ignore the centrality of Christian love and its natural results (which include church discipline, missions, etc.), then we lose everything and gain nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
Monday, February 25, 2008
Obama as America's new religious hope
It is impossible for human beings to be truly irreligious. A person who chooses not to belong to one of the "traditional" religions -- Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc. -- may not express religious devotion in quite the same way, but it will still be very much a part of their life.
An editorial by Kathleen Parker from The Orlando Sentinel suggests that for many young Americans, this religious fervor is now being directed to Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Parker writes, "[Obama's] rhetoric...drips with hints of resurrection, redemption and second comings.... He's a rock star. A telegenic, ultra-bright redeemer fluent in the planetary language of a cosmic generation. The Force is with him."
She goes on to add with frightening insight, "In post-Judeo-Christian America, the sports club is the new church. Global warming is the new religion. Vegetarianism is the new sacrament. Hooking up, the new prayer. Talk therapy, the new witnessing. Tattooing and piercing, the new sacred symbols and rituals.
"And apparently, Barack Obama is the new messiah."
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Who gets the credit?
In his post "Credit where Credit is Due," pastor Evan Wilson argues that judgment for sins and salvation by faith must work on the same principle. He goes on to propose that this principle must be centered on the work of man, not the work of God. In other words, the argument goes, if mankind can be justly held responsible for his sins, he must also be given full credit for his own saving faith--which therefore cannot be caused by God.
The ensuing discussion/debate in the comments section, between Evan and several others including myself, may be of interest to some.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Exorcisms increasing in Australia
According to an article in Australia's Sunday Mail, Roman Catholic exorcisms are currently on the rise in the Queensland area. The report suggested that growing interest in satanism and the occult in Australia was connected to an increase in requests for priests to perform the ritual of exorcism -- which involves holy water, the Eucharist, and Scripture readings in a series of actions intended to force demons out of the people that they have possessed. Father Gabriele Amorth, Exorcist-in-Chief for Pope Benedict XVI, said that bishops are increasingly providing special training in exorcism to groups of priests, who can then respond to this need under the church's authorization.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
African churches take initiative in evangelism
Quoted from a Global Prayer Digest report for 2/20/08.
Just as individual West African nations have been organizing umbrella organizations to facilitate the evangelical efforts by local churches and mission agencies, so too has the continent of Africa organized a group to coordinate the efforts of African nations to reach every corner of the continent with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Movement for African National Initiatives (MANI) is the result.
The 1960s saw a surge for independence among African nations, and there was a parallel shift toward indigenous leadership within the African church. The evangelized were becoming the evangelists! Nationals were organizing efforts to reach both the unreached in their own countries as well as in other countries. The emergence of national movements over the last four decades paved the way for the strategic continental movement. A report from the meeting of MANI 2006 inspired those attending with stories of the progress of Christianity in Africa and the world. Churches are being planted in unprecedented numbers, often in difficult situations. Attendees were captivated by a shared sense of destiny that "this is Africa's hour." Still there remain 1,000 people groups and many unchurched communities on the continent.
Pray for innovative leaders with passion, resilience, and a sacrificial spirit to take the gospel to the remaining unreached people groups of Africa and the world. Pray for unity of purpose for African believers to take Christ's Kingdom to the lost.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Nigeria, a missionary-sending nation
"For every one missionary who enters Nigeria, five nationals are going out as missionaries to other fields."
--from a Wycliffe Bible Translators report
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Mary as a "mirror" of Christ
Here is an online exchange between myself and Matt Petersen, following up on a conversation we had at church this past Sunday.
The starting point for our discussion: Can we say that Jesus now is enclosed within or dependent on Mary, the woman who became His mother? In what way could this be true?
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