Happy Reformation Day

I've been out of town all week but I am back today which is, happily, Reformation Day (I suppose it is also Halloween) . Today is the day that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the Cathedral Door in Wittenberg Germany, marking the beginning of God's reform of his Church.

Here are two video's to help us celebrate...I love the first one especially:

The Reformation Polka


If that was not quite to your musical tastes here is a Reformation Rap:


Finally, here is a great clip from the movie: Martin Luther


enjoy the day!

Love: The Impossible Law

text: Matthew 22:34-40

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

The question, Matthew tells us, was designed to “test” Jesus (35). It's a question that the Pharisees had debated amongst themselves for years. The Pharisees had identified several different passages they believed summed up the entire bible and various experts among them fought about which one was the greatest. They may have hoped to stump Jesus, get him to stumble over the scriptures, not have a ready passage in mind, or to say something that would reveal an ignorance of the sophisticated sort of theological debates that Pharisees had.

But Jesus answers simply, without hesitation. “'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”

No stuttering, no hesitation. Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:5, you can look it up on your own if you like, as the greatest law.

Jesus is the Word of God. All scripture originated with him, it is God-breathed (2 Tim 3:16). So when the One who inspired every single word in every single book of the bible identifies one command as the Greatest its a good idea to perk up and attend to what it means.

On the surface the command seems rather easy: Love God.

I do that. I have great affection for God.

I was in a debate with an Episcopal Priest who said the Great Commandment means that as long as you love God you can do anything you want; that Jesus replaced all commands with the Great command and if you follow it then you don't have to worry about following the rest.

In a way he was right. If you love God you can do whatever you want without breaking a command...but he was not right in the way he thought. The Greek word is used for love in this text is "Agape." Most of you know what agape is, but for those of you who don't, let's talk about it.

Most of us use the word love when we are talking about the way we feel about something or someone. We fall in “love”. We “love” friends. We “love” family. We “love” ice cream. We “love” movies. We use “love” in many ways but when we do we're almost always referring to our feelings about something or someone.

Agape does not refer to our feelings. To have agape means to will and act self-sacrificially toward another. If you have agape for someone you see that person's good, welfare, as having priority over your own. Agape may come with affection, but affection is not necessary to it. You can agape someone you don't like. You can, as Jesus commands earlier in Matthew's Gospel, agape your enemies. You can “act” sacrificially toward someone for whom you feel hatred. You can act with agape in every relationship.

When you get married, for example, and you promise to love your spouse, you are not promising to feel love for that person until death do you part. No one can promise to feel a certain way. You promise to agape; to set your wife or husband above yourself and to act in their best interest, even if it means your own sacrifice. Imagine a marriage where that is true.

You can feel agape, but you can't “just” feel agape. Agape requires action. So, from a biblical perspective, the husband who says “I love you” but never spends time with his wife or pitches in around the house or takes interest in what his kids are up to, may feel affection for his wife but he does not love her.

And likewise, the woman who says, “I love you” to her husband but spends time belittling him to her friends, disrespecting him, dishonoring him, undercutting his decisions at home, doing nothing to help make his life a little less stressful does not love, agape, her husband even though she may feel great affection for him. Agape is a love that is defined by action and is manifested in works.

Agape is the love that Jesus says we must have for God, a love that sets him above all things, not just in our affections, but in our thoughts, words, and deeds. Every faculty, every fiber of our being, is to be turned toward God in agape love. We are to will to please him in our hearts and that desire is to bear itself out in such a way that it shapes and defines everything we think, do and say.

And in this way that priest I debated was right. If you love God you can do anything you want. But if you love God you will only want to do what pleases him. Far from erasing the rest of the bible, to Agape God means to treasure his Word and seek with all your might to follow the commands that are there because his word is his self-revelation. He tells us what pleases and displeases him. You cannot agape God without seeking to do those things he desires.

Jesus said precisely this in John 14:16 “If you love me, you'll keep my commands” because obedience to God means making God's will your will and setting those other things you love including yourself beneath your love for him. Agape conforms all things to the will of God and what cannot be conformed or reformed, whatever interferes with holiness, obedience, and his call in your life, you'll want none of it. Instead, you will want him, you will seek him, you will hunger and thirst for his presence and delight in his law, he will be your pearl of great price for which you will be willing to sell everything you have.

When he's on the way to Jerusalem and the crowds have thinned and his disciples think they're going to the glorious crowning of Jesus as victorious messiah, he turns to them and says, if you would be my follower, you must deny yourself and take up your cross (Matt 16:24). We're not going to a coronation but to a crucifixion. If you love me you will follow. He meets a rich man (Matt 19) who asks “what must I do to inherit the kingdom of heaven?” who says, “I've kept all of the commandments since I've been a boy.” Jesus looks at him and loves him and says, give away everything you have and come follow me. Your money is your idol, give it up. He was saying to the man, “Love me with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your strength, and you will have eternal life.” What did the man do? He turns away. He cannot do it.

This is a hard teaching isn't it? It makes me wilt. I can't do it. If to agape God with all my heart, soul and mind, means that God must always be first in my life, and if that is what is required to have eternal life, then I don't know about you, but I'm with the rich man. I'm doomed. I can't do it. I can't even do it for a moment. I don't love God like that. I wish I did, but I don't. I want to but I'm powerless.

It is at this point that we come to the sharp end of the law. You read the psalms, psalm 119 for example, and the psalmist speaks about his love for God's law, that it is sweet as honey, a light to his feet, finer than the finest wine, but when I contemplate this greatest commandment, the one that sums up all the others, I'm overwhelmed with the sense of my own inadequacy. I despair.

But then I remember Romans 3:20.Turn there with me: “no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.”

We're fallen people. God did not give us the ten-commandments in the Garden of Eden because we did not need a law there. We were naturally good. God revealed his law when we fell and he did first of all says Paul, so that we would see who we are and what we need. The law is given first not because God thinks we can meet the bar but because God knows we can't but he also knows that if he doesn't show us we can't we'll think we can. And if we think we can, we'll go through our whole life satisfied that there’s nothing wrong and that while we might have our moods every once in a while, we’re basically decent people and surely God will be pleased with us…and if we think that, we'll never do the one thing we must all do to escape standing before his judgment seat immersed in our sins, which is to repent and fall down and surrender our lives to Christ because Christ did what we cannot do. He, and he alone, fulfills the law. He is righteous, without sin. He loves his Father with his heart, mind and soul and strength.

And when you and I turn to him, despairing of our own ability to do what he commands, he loves you, he agapes you--not just as his creature as before, but as his son or daughter--he takes the burden of your sins off your shoulders.

Turn quickly to 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul writes, “God made him who had no sin [Jesus] to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” What does that mean? Does Jesus become a sinner in his nature and being for us? No. Jesus is the unblemished Lamb. But on the cross the Father set our sins on the Son. He imputed our sins to Christ and Christ died in our place to pay the eternal consequence for them so that when anyone commits his or her life to Jesus Christ, Paul says, his sins are transferred to Christ and Christ's righteousness, in the same manner, is transferred to the one who believes.

Does that mean that a Christian becomes righteous? Yes, in the same way that Jesus becomes sin. While Jesus is perfectly righteous he is considered a sinner, credited with out sins by the Father and in the same way, God sets Christ's righteousness on all those who believe. He imputes it, so that while we sin, we are considered by God...we are credited with keeping the entire law. I cannot love the Lord my God with all my heart and all my soul, and all my mind, but Jesus can and Jesus did and he did it for me and he did it for you.

The Law of God then, and this Greatest Law especially, is given first to cause you to despair of your own goodness and ability to please God, and then to drive you to Christ and once you are in Christ, you are free from the consequences of sin.

And when you see that, when come to that point, the bitterness of the Law is removed. The sting is taken away. The law no longer stands over you pronouncing your guilt. It becomes beautiful to the eyes. It is a light to your feet and a lamp to your path, sweet as honey from a honeycomb.

And, moreover, Someone comes to live in you Who gives you the power to do what you could not do before. But we will speak of that next Sunday.

end

New Anglican Minister Ordained in Central New York

Here's an Article from the Syracuse Post Standard on an Anglican Ordination today in Syracuse that I wish I could have attended. Blessings and prayers for Fr. Jeff Altman.

Jeffrey Altman will be ordained an Anglican priest today in a ceremony that reflects Central New York's role in the nationwide growth of a separate Anglican church in the United States.

Altman will lead Sunday services at Westside Anglican Fellowship, a Geddes congregation of about 25 people who began worshipping together after their former congregation, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Syracuse, split from the local Episcopal Diocese. They meet at Syracuse Vineyard Church.

It is one of dozens of breakaway congregations that have started Anglican communities in the five years since the U.S. Episcopal Church consecrated an openly gay bishop. FourÕ7AltmanÕ groups from three churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York have split from the 2.2 million-member national Episcopal Church.

The Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch of the 80 million-member worldwide Anglican Communion.

The breakaway groups have aligned themselves with orthodox Anglican branches, most of them in Africa.

Earlier this month, the Diocese of Pittsburgh left the Episcopal Church. The Diocese of San Joaquin, Calif., has also done so, and at least two more dioceses expect to vote to leave the denomination....more

A Great Debate between an Atheist and a Christian

Below is an excerpt from an article in the Spectator regarding a series of debates between Atheist Richard Dawkins, author of "The God Delusion" and Christian apologist John Lennox.

One error on Dr. Dawkins part is his assertion that Anglicans do not believe in Creationism. There are Anglicans all over the spectrum on this question. Personally, I hold to the arguments for Intelligent Design and reject the concept of macro-evolution.

The debate can be viewed here:

http://www.dawkinslennoxdebate.com/

here is the Spectator article:

On Tuesday evening I attended the debate between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox at Oxford’s Natural History Museum. This was the second public encounter between the two men, but it turned out to be very different from the first. Lennox is the Oxford mathematics professor whose book, God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? is to my mind an excoriating demolition of Dawkins’s overreach from biology into religion as expressed in his book The God Delusion -- all the more devastating because Lennox attacks him on the basis of science itself. In the first debate, which can be seen on video on this website, Dawkins was badly caught off-balance by Lennox’s argument precisely because, possibly for the first time, he was being challenged on his own chosen scientific ground.

This week’s debate, however, was different because from the off Dawkins moved it onto safer territory– and at the very beginning made a most startling admission. He said:

A serious case could be made for a deistic God.

This was surely remarkable. Here was the arch-apostle of atheism, whose whole case is based on the assertion that believing in a creator of the universe is no different from believing in fairies at the bottom of the garden, saying that a serious case can be made for the idea that the universe was brought into being by some kind of purposeful force...more

Some very bad news...

Yesterday the New York State Appeals Court ruled in favor of the Episcopal Church in her lawsuit against a Rochester parish in a position similar too (but not exactly like) ours:

Here is the article in the Press and Sun:

"The parish in suburban Irondequoit quit supporting the diocese and the Episcopal Church of the USA after the 2003 ordination of its first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.

“We conclude that the Dennis Canons clearly establish an express trust in favor of the Rochester Diocese and the National Church, and that All Saints agreed to abide by this express trust either upon incorporation in 1927 or upon recognition as a parish in spiritual union with the Rochester Diocese in 1947,” Judge Theodore Jones Jr. wrote. The other six judges agreed.

All Saints’ attorney Eugene Van Voorhis had argued that the Dennis Canons, adopted in 1979 by the General Convention of the National Church, should not apply since they came nearly 30 years after it joined the diocese. He said the land and church were bought and built by the parishioners...more

While Jones agreed there was nothing in the original deeds or certificate of incorporation indicating the church property was held in trust for the diocese or National Church, he said applicable case law set in 1979 by the U.S. Supreme Court requires looking to the constitution of the general church."

This decision is not a good one. It essentially affirms property theft; that on the basis of a 1976 Canon a denomination may claim the property of parishes in existence long before. It is as if a CEO were argue that all of his employees' personal property belongs to his corporation so that when any one of them resigns, he takes their home and car.

We will be discussing this decision and the possible ramifications for Good Shepherd between services this coming Sunday.

Thursday Notes

Dear Good Shepherd,

Good Morning and happy Thursday. We've had a great series of events lately, the Blessing of the Beasts, the Harvest Dinner, the Health Fair/BBQ/Rummage sale and the community impact from these along with the Shepherd's Bowl and our outreach efforts is beginning to make an impact and impression on the community. As you'll see below we are growing and there is a lot of energy here. It's important not to be distracted or to grow proud but to stay humble and to keep our focus on the Source of all blessings and abundance. The primary mission of the Church is to tell the world about Jesus Christ, to make disciples and teach them to obey the commands of the Lord (Matthew 28:18-end) Second, we are to take the grace, love, strength, wisdom, power and knowledge that he provides and pour all of it out in service to those around us.

What we are able to give others depends wholly on what we receive from God. If we do not seek him, love him, honor him and endeavor to obey him, we will have nothing to give to others. This is true both corporately, as a church, and personally as an individual. Your ability to produce fruit depends on the depth and strength of your roots. Those rooted in Christ and his Word bear good fruit and are regularly renewed and strengthened by God.

"God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.”

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God." (2 Corinthians 10:9-11)

If you are feeling worn thin, exhausted, like you have given all you can give, it may be a sign that you need to get back to the Source, to seek Christ and receive the rest and power that only he can provide.

And so must we as a body, return over and over again, week by week, day by day to Christ and his Word, in study, worship and fellowship and be renewed to fulfill the mission we've been given in this city and in this neigborhood.

Thursday notes:

1. Noon Communion: Please remember, there will be noon communion today (Thursday).

2. Christmas Pageant: the First Christmas Pageant organizational meeting is tonight at the rectory. Just a reminder for those who are involved.

3. Halloween Outreach: Please bring bags of individually wrapped candy to the church this Sunday October 26th. We will use these to prepare Goodie Bags for delivery to our neighbors . These will be our Treat (no Tricks) to express our love and to invite any who wish to Good Shepherd on Halloween for hot chocolate. This Open House will be hosted by our college students.

4. Article in the Press and Sun on the Episcopal Church Crisis: There was a great article this week on the crisis in the Episcopal Church by George Will. If you have not read it, I encourage you to do so. I link it here along with a minor correction.

5. Attendance and Growth: Just a note to say that we are overall doing very well. We had over 100 this Sunday for the first time in probably two decades on a regular non-religious holiday Sunday (not Easter or Christmas). The Blessing of the Beasts was a big success in drawing people in. This is also due to the fact that we are growing in numbers as well. We've probably added (and I have not counted this up but the vestry was talking about it last night) about 12-15 people so far this year and about six (again, this is rough) are or were "unchurched." In general we've been breaking 80 on a Sunday regularly which is quite good. Our goal this year, if you remember, was to break 100 consistently...and we still have about three months to meet it.

6. Sunday School: While Good Shepherd is being blessed in so many areas, I do think there is one area that needs attention: Sunday school for pre-school and elementary age children. About half of the kids that age who attend to Good Shepherd also come to Sunday School. Some say that if Sunday School were later in the morning it would be easier to get the kids there. I agree. And yet what time does school start? 8:00am? 8:30am? Others say that Sunday School was boring for them as children...well, okay, lots of kids think school is boring too. Are we going to keep them out of school so that they will be rescued from boredom? No. Why not? Because we know school is important.

The message we communicate to our children when we decide that Sunday school is unnecessary, and I know this is completely unintentional but the message is sent nonetheless, is that learning about Jesus is not as important as learning about math or science or history. In fact, these are important..but not nearly as important as the eternal destiny of your son or daughter.

Well, shouldn't we let children make up their minds about faith? Well, do you let your children make up their minds about school? Do you let them decide what is right and wrong behavior in your home? Do you let them decide whether they will treat people with respect and be polite? No, you teach them. When they get older, they can decide whether they want to follow what you have taught. When they are young, they need to have the information that will later inform their decisions. If you do not let them have access to the knowledge of God, your rob your children of the very things they need to make a mature and adult decision about faith. The bible is very clear on this. Parents are given binding instructions by God for raising his children:

"...And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates..." (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)

God has commanded us to raise our children to know about him and to love his Word. It is our responsibility as parents to do that. No one learns about Jesus through osmosis. Faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word of God (Romans 10) So, how many parents at Good Shepherd read scripture with their children daily? If not, (and we should) at the very least we should make every effort to get our kids to Sunday School.

7. Cooking: Don Dean is scheduled to cook for the Men's Breakfast and Bible Study

8. Weekly Podcast: Justification: This week's Weekly Podcast is on the question: Are all human beings Justified through Christ?

This week's podcast discusses this doctrine and answers a question about it that came up on Sunday:

Here also is a good video presentation on the topic.

9. Last Sunday's sermon: If you missed last Sunday's sermon on whether Animals go to heaven, here it is again:

Download "Sermon: Do Animals Go to Heaven?" in MP3 format

I'll have the text up as soon as I get it corrected.

Well, that is all for now, please send in any updates you might have for tomorrow's Good Shepherd Update.

In Christ,

Matt

Good News on Attendance

Just a note to say that we are overall doing very well. We had over 100 this Sunday for the first time in probably two decades on a regular non-religious holiday Sunday (not Easter or Christmas). The Blessing of the Beasts was a big success in drawing people in. This is also due to the fact that we are growing in numbers as well. We've probably added (and I have not counted this up but the vestry was talking about it last night) about 12-15 people so far this year and about six (again, this is rough) are or were "unchurched." In general we've been breaking 80 on a Sunday regularly which is quite good. Our goal this year, if you remember, was to break 100 consistently...and we still have about three months to meet it.

Weekly Podcast: Are all human beings Justified in Christ?

This week's podcast is on the topic of "Justification".

To be "justified" is to be declared "just" or "righteous" by God. We know that only those who are righteous will have eternal life:

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”(Luke 10:25-28)

We also know there no righteous human beings.

“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” "There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:10-20)

So there is a big problem. How is it possible for any human being to be declared just before God?

The Doctrine of "Justification" is the doctrine that explains what God has done to give us that righteousness we do not naturally possess.

This week's podcast discusses this doctrine and answers a question about it that came up on Sunday:

Download "Weekly Podcast: Justification of all?" in MP3 format

here also is part (about 5 minutes) of a video lecture by RC Sproul addressing the same topic. The video looks like it was made in the 80's so try to look past the hair. It's good stuff.

An Opinion

The following article by Dr. Douglas Groothius expresses a concern I've had for some time. I'll warn you ahead of time, there is a political opinion expressed below so please do not read any further if that will offend you. I definitely respect and love those of you who may disagree on the question of abortion and politics, but I do think you are mistaken. Please feel free to take this on in the comments if you like. I certainly invite and encourage dialogue.

Recovering from Fetus Fatigue

It appears that millions of evangelicals, especially younger ones, are experiencing fetus fatigue. They are tired of the abortion issue taking center stage; it is time to move on to newer, hipper things--the sort of issues that excite Bono: aid to Africa, the environment, and cool tattoos. Abortion has been legal since they were born; it is the old guard that gets exercised about millions of abortions over the years. So, let's not worry that Barak Obama and Hillary are pro-choice. That is a secondary issue. After all, neither could do that much damage regarding this issue.

Evangelicals (if that word has any meaning), for God's sake, please wake up and remember the acres of tiny corpses you cannot see. Yes, the Christian social vision is holistic. We should endeavor to restore shalom to this beleaguered planet. That includes helping Africa, preserving the environment, and much more. However, the leading domestic moral issue remains the value of helpless human life. Since Roe v. Wade, approximately 50 million unborn humans have been killed through abortion. Stalin said, "One death is a tragedy. A million dead is a statistic." Too many are now Stalinists on abortion. The numbers mean nothing, apparently. The vast majority of these abortions were not done to save the life of the mother, a provision I take to be justified. Things have reached the point where bumper stickers say, "Don't like abortion, don't have one." It is simply a matter of private, subjective taste. But how about this: "Don't like slavery, don't own slaves"? Two human beings are involved in this matter, inescapably...read the whole thing

There are some pro-life Christians who argue that voting pro-life is not important because the president is incapable of effecting change with regard to this issue; that there must be a moral revolution not a legal solution.

But lets put some wheels on that idea and see if it rolls.

Let's apply this thinking to a comparable piece of legislated morality. The law against murder does not, obviously, keep people from murdering. Indeed, preventing murder would require a moral reformation beyond the reach of any legislation. At the same time, the absence of laws against murder would make murder far easier and would reduce our culture to barbarism. Everyone recognizes this.

No one would seriously suggest supporting a candidate who wanted to remove laws against murder from the books. No one would say “we need a moral revolution” not a “legal solution” to the problem of murder. Rational people recognise that both are necessary.

Abortion is quite the same. Yes, stopping abortion will require a corporate moral reformation that no law can effect. At the same time, the state must protect her citizens using appropriate legislation. Overturning of Roe (a possibility with just one or two more Supreme Court appointments) would result in at least some states enacting laws against abortion. Thousands of babies would be preserved from the slaughter. So the question is not an “either/or” one. Both can be done and must be.

As for this present election, there is far more at stake than overturning Roe. The Freedom of Choice Act, currently working its way through Congress would remove any restrictions on abortion for any cause whatsoever. States would be unable to enact any law that forbidding abortion for any reason. The passage of that bill would lead directly to thousands more babies being killed in states that currently place restrictions on the murderous practice. The votes are there in Congress. The only thing that can stop it from becoming law at this point is a pro-life president committed to vetoing FOCA. One presidential candidate has made that vow and the other has sworn to sign FOCA into law as soon as it comes to his desk.

So I do not think it possible to rationalize support for a pro-abortionist candidate by suggesting that the wholesale slaughter of babies cannot be limited by legal means or stemmed. It very well can.

But hey, that's just my opinion.

George Will on the Crisis in the Episcopal Church

This article by Washington Post columnist George Will is one of the better ones I've read in the mainstream media regarding the division in the Episcopal Church. Will accurately explains the primary cause of the crisis, namely the Episcopal Church's official departure from the truth revealed in God's Word on a whole range of essential matters including but reaching far beyond human sexual behavior...Here's an excerpt:

The Rev. Robert Duncan, 60, is not a Lutheran, but he is a Luther, of sorts. The former Episcopal bishop of Pittsburgh has, in effect, said the words with which Martin Luther shattered Christendom and asserted the primacy of individual judgment and conscience that defines the modern temperament: " Ich kann nicht anders" -- I cannot do otherwise.

The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh recently became the second diocese (the first was in Fresno, Calif.) to secede from the U.S. Episcopal Church since, but not entirely because of, the 2003 ordination in New Hampshire of an openly gay bishop -- Gene Robinson, a classmate of Duncan's at General Theological Seminary in New York in the 1970s. Before the Robinson controversy, other Episcopalians, from South Carolina to Southern California, had disassociated from the Episcopal Church and put themselves under the authority of conservative Anglican bishops who serve where the church is flourishing -- often in sub-Saharan Africa, where a majority of Anglicans live.

It is not the secessionists such as Duncan who are, as critics charge, obsessed with homosexuality. The Episcopal Church's leadership is latitudinarian -- tolerant to the point of incoherence, Duncan and kindred spirits think -- about clergy who deviate from traditional church teachings concerning such core doctrines as the divinity of Christ, the authority of Scripture and the path to salvation. But the national church insists on the ordination of openly gay clergy and on blessing same-sex unions...read the whole thing

I should add that Will is incorrect with regard to Martin Luther's stand. He did not "shatter" Christendom on the basis of an appeal to the "primacy of individual judgment". Rather he shattered the idea that the Church and the Bible possess equal weight and authority.

Luther appealed to the principle of "Sola Scriptura": the bible--as the only infallible or inerrant source of divine revelation--is the supreme source and measure of truth and the standard by which Church teaching, and all thoughts, inclinations, and behaviors must be tested and weighed. Far from asserting the "primacy of private judgment", Luther argued that when God speaks with the intention of communicating to his human creatures, he does so clearly and plainly so that human beings can understand. The bible is clear or "perspicuos" in all essential matters. This does not mean that there are no difficult passages that are hard to understand, certainly there are. It does mean that anyone who diligently studies can understand what is necessary to believe and to do in order to be justified and saved.

This principle of "Sola Scriptura" means that you do not need to believe everything that the Church teaches simply because the Church teaches it. The clerical collar I wear does not give me or anyone else infallible authority. You, as a believer, have a responsibility to test my teachings and the teachings of the Church in light of what the bible teaches. This is what the Bereans were commended for in Acts 17:10-11

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

It is trust in the truth God's Word--that the bible supercedes the teaching of the church--that makes dissent from and opposition to the teachings of the Episcopal Church with regard to homosexual behavior(Romans 1:25-28; 1 Cor 6:9) and the uniqueness of Christ (John 14:6) not only important, but a necessary and essential Christian duty. We must do so, not only to remain faithful to Christ and his gospel, but to help clarify, by the grace of God, the truth about these matters for those who are being decieved and led into the darkness, further from Christ.

Sermon: Do Animals Go to Heaven?

Monday, October 20, 2008

Text: Romans 8:18-25

Download "Sermon: Do Animals Go to Heaven?" in MP3 format

Good Shepherd Update

This week's Good Shepherd Update has just been posted. Follow this link