By Faith Alone! Really???
Posted: October 30, 2017 Filed under: Etcetera | Tags: Against the Protestant teaching of Sola Fide, Faith and the works of faith: necessary for salvation, One is not justified by faith alone: James 2: 14 - 26, Sola Fide is unscriptural, We are to walk in good works of faith: Eph 2: 8 - 9, Work out your own salvation: Phil 2; 12 - 13 Leave a comment
Martin Luther
October 31, 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation initiated by Martin Luther’s posting of his 95 theses against the contemporary expression of the Roman Catholic Church. Granted, many of his objections were justified, but Luther could not maintain control of the forces of the Reformation. Because of other radical personalities of the day, the consequences of his actions — ultimately — led not to a reformation, but a deformation of the Christian faith.
The resulting theological assumptions of the Reformation include, among others, Sola Fide (meaning justification/salvation by faith alone). In this posting I will only discuss “by faith alone.”
“The Only Living Boy in New York” — Here I Am
Posted: October 21, 2017 Filed under: Music and Guitars, The Eucharist and Living the Eucharist | Tags: "Here I am", "Let us attend!", Being present in the moment, Isaiah 6: 5 - 8, Simon and Garfunkel's "Only Living Boy in New York Leave a comment
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel
“The Only Living Boy in New York” is my favorite song by Simon and Garfunkel. It was one of their final songs as a duo being recorded in late 1969. Its origin comes from Art Garfunkel’s departure from New York to Mexico to film “Catch 22” (“Tom, get your plane ride on time / I know your part’ll go fine / Fly down to Mexico…”). It is a great acoustic guitar song, with wonderful melody and lush vocals. The song’s bridge in its final presentation is fantastic fun to play, but it’s the lyrics of the bridge that win my attention:
“Half of the time we’re gone / But we don’t know where / And we don’t know where.”
Henry Walpole: English Martyr and Saint, and Model for Our Day
Posted: October 17, 2017 Filed under: Etcetera, The Eucharist and Living the Eucharist | Tags: Carved relics in the Tower of London, Contemporary persecution of western Christians by secular societies, persecution of American Christians, Pray for your Enemies, Salt Tower of the Tower of London, Solidarity with contemporary culture, St. Henry Walpole and the Tower of London, St. Henry Walpole Martyr and Saint, The 40 Martyrs of England and Wales, Tower of London and Henry Walpole Leave a comment
The Tower of London. It has quite a name. It is quite a place. From it you see the London Bridge and the Thames and a great deal of modern, bustling London. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a tourist destination. However, its name for most denotes imprisonment, pain, and death. That was not its initial purpose. It was built to show the wealth and power of William the Conquerer. In actuality, few met their deaths within its walls, but it did serve as a prison and a very dark place for many. Among those imprisoned and tortured in the Tower was St. Henry Walpole.
The Raising of the Son of the Widow of Nain: Life Intersects Death
Posted: October 7, 2017 Filed under: The Eucharist and Living the Eucharist | Tags: "Touching the bier" serving Christ daily in our lives, and serve Christ in our daily lives., consent and denial - choosing life or death by our actions, Processing in life as Christ, Raising of the son of the widow of Nain, The Eucharist empowers us to live as Leave a commentIn the gospel reading for the 18th Sunday after Pentecost, we read of the raising of the only son of a widow in a town called Nain. It is interesting to note that we read of two processing groups of people. These processions contrast greatly.
The first procession is led by and centers around Jesus — he, his disciples, and a great crowd are moving to Nain. This procession is a procession of life and light. The second and contrasting procession is led by those bearing the dead body of the only son of a widow. This procession is one of death: they are bearing this young man to his grave. His mother, a widow, faces a “death of destitution” now that she has no support in life. The widow who conceived her son in the hidden, dark stillness of her womb now delivers him to the hidden, dark stillness of his tomb. (That tomb, though, will serve as a second “womb” in another day when he dies again. From this “womb” he will emerge in the new, eternal life of the resurrection.)
Father Irenaeus Williams 