tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24011230244650241822024-02-20T03:20:48.642-08:00JohnMark's MusingsReflections on life, theology, and history from a middle aged middle school teacher.JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-25014208501863000832018-12-17T16:34:00.001-08:002018-12-17T16:34:53.731-08:00Why did Christians celebrate the Birth of Jesus on the 25th of December?<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Why did Christians celebrate the Birth of Jesus on the
25<sup>th</sup> of December?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
my <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://johnmarkbeazley.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-date-of-christmas.html">previous
post,</a></span> I talked about how Hippolytus of Rome (around the year 200)
took for granted that Jesus was born on the 25<sup>th</sup> of December.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This places the dating of Christmas well
before Theodosius made Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire (380), before
Constantine made Christianity a legal religion in the Roman Empire (312), and
also before Sol Invictus became the Pagan holiday on December 25<sup>th</sup>
(274).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This of course leads to the
natural question, where did early Christians get the idea of celebrating the
birth of Jesus on December 25<sup>th</sup>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
believe the answer to such a question can be gleaned from the New
Testament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Day of Atonement/ Yom
Kippur takes place on the 10<sup>th</sup> day of the month of Tishrei, which is
nine days after Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The joys of working with a Jewish calendar
versus the Julian or Gregorian calendars is that there is not a one to one
correspondence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means that,
according to the calendars of the goyim, Yom Kippur falls somewhere between
middle September to middle October.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All
of this is relevant because of some dating in Luke’s Gospel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
we take that Yom Kippur happens sometime around the beginning of October or late
September, and we add that the priest only entered the Holy of Holies on Yom
Kippur, then we can do simple math to figure out the date when Jesus was born.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
Hebrews 9:7, we are told about the Holy of Holies that “only the high priest
goes, and he but once a year.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
means that only once a year would a priest enter the Holy of Holies to burn
incense and sprinkle blood on the altar inside the Holy of Holies.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Documents/Blogs%20posts/Why%20the%2025th%20of%20Christmas.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Turning
to Luke, we find that Zechariah was “was chosen by lot to enter the temple of
the Lord and burn incense” (Luke 1:9). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luke goes on to tell how “the whole multitude
of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.” (Luke 1:10).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this moment, Zechariah saw the angel of
the Lord standing on the right of the altar of incense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The angel announced that Zechariah and
Elizabeth would have a son in their old age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This all happened between the middle of September and the middle of
October.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we arrive at the important (for the
purpose of their inquiry) statement in Luke 1:23–24:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And when his time
of service was ended, he went to his home. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After these days his wife Elizabeth
conceived.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is important because
Elizabeth conceived after Yom Kippur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But how soon?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the weakest
part of the argument.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that the
best understanding for the phrase “after these days” is that the conception of
John the Baptist took place directly after Zechariah’s time of service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If this is the case, then we can plot out the
timeline fairly easily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Elizabeth
conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, "Thus the
Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach
among people." In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a
city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was
Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Luke 1:24–27)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Following the timeline, Elizabeth was six months
pregnant when Mary conceived Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now
for the math:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">John the Baptist was conceived somewhere between
middle September to the middle of October (tradition puts this on the 23<sup>rd</sup>
of September).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Six months later, Mary conceived sometime in March or
April (tradition puts it at March 25<sup>th</sup>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Nine months after March or April puts us into late
December or early January.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This is terribly imprecise, but it shows that December
25<sup>th</sup> is a biological and mathematical possibility for the birth of
Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus when taken together with
early Christian attestations for the birth of Christ being on December 25<sup>th</sup>,
the onus is put squarely on those who argue for a date other than December 25<sup>th</sup>
for the birth of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an
argument against Scripture and Tradition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Documents/Blogs%20posts/Why%20the%2025th%20of%20Christmas.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
See also: Leviticus 16:12–13<b> </b>“And he shall take a censer full of coals
of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense
beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil and put the incense on the
fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat
that is over the testimony, so that he does not die.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-20144760334632743802018-12-07T18:20:00.000-08:002018-12-08T10:00:06.999-08:00The Date of Christmas<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Date of Christmas</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It
seems as though every year I encounter the assertion that </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;"> the 25</span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;"> of December </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">was chosen
to be celebrate </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Christmas</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> because this day coincided with a
major pagan holy day.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This assertion is
even found in “scholarly works.”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Not too
long ago when reading Strauss' </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Four
Portraits One Jesus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">, I was struck by his statement “the traditional date of
the Western church is December 25, and in some eastern Churches January 6</span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The former seems to have arisen in the time
of Constantine (circa 325).”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20date%20of%20Christmas.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sadly, this is both wrong and oft repeated in
both “scholarly” and unscholarly works.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This argument has several
flaws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Firstly, with a little effort, one could find a pagan celebration occurring on every day of the calendar during
the Early to Middle Roman Empire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Romans accepted every religion of the peoples they conquered (with the
exception of religions that practiced human sacrifice, those were ruthlessly
crushed) and practiced some interesting syncretism with the various pantheons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Secondly, Struss is completely
unaware of the change in calendars and how January 6</span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> is still
December 25</span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> according to the Julian Calendar, which continues to be used
in some ecclesiastical bodies in the East.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Therefore, everyone is still celebrating on December 25</span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">,
they are just relying upon pre-Gregorian Calendars.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Thirdly, his view utterly fails to
account for how early Christians viewed the date of Christmas. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hippolytus, writing sometime around 200,
provided a rather exact dating for the birth and the death of Jesus:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For the first
advent of our Lord in the flesh, when he was born in Bethlehem, was December
25th, Wednesday, while Augustus was in his forty-second year, but from Adam,
five thousand and five hundred years. He suffered in the thirty-third year,
March 25th, Friday, the eighteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, while Rufus and
Roubellion were Consuls.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20date%20of%20Christmas.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hippolytus
here completely dismantles the erroneous assertions about the date of Christmas
being a syncretistic practice to make the newly legalized Christian religion
more syncretic with Ancient Paganism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Indeed, Hippolytus is simply stating the facts as he had received them
at a time when Christianity was still illegal and violently persecuted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This fact then forms the basis for how he interpreted the "days" in Daniel as referring to the entire history of the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
one will always say, “How will you demonstrate to me whether the Savior was
born in the five thousandth and five hundredth year?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be easily instructed, O man. For in the
desert long ago under Moses there were models and images of spiritual mysteries
which concerned the tabernacle and they fulfilled this number, so that having
come to the fulfillment of truth in Christ you are able to apprehend these
things<i> </i>which are fulfilled. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
he says to him, “And you will make an ark of incorruptible wood and you will
cover it with pure gold inside and outside and you will make its height two
cubits and a half and its breadth a cubit and a half and its height a cubit and
a half.” The measure of which added together makes five and a half cubits, so
that the five thousand five hundred years may be demonstrated, in which time
the Savior comes from the Virgin, and then he offered the Ark, his own body,
into the world, covered in pure gold, inside with the Word, outside with the
Holy Spirit, so that the truth may be shown and the Ark may be manifested. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so from the generation of Christ it is
necessary to count the remaining five hundred years to the consummation of the
six thousand years, and in this way the end will be. But because in the fifth
and a half time the Savior arrived in the world bearing the incorruptible ark,<i>
</i>his own body. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John says, “and it was
the sixth hour,” so that half of the day may be demonstrated, a day of the Lord
is<i> </i>thousand years. And so the half of these is<i> </i>five hundred years.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20date%20of%20Christmas.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span></span></span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20date%20of%20Christmas.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></span></span></a></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20date%20of%20Christmas.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Hippolytus' exegetical argument for his dating which in itself is quite revealing. He does not provide an argument for the birth of Jesus on December 25th, but argues that the birth of Jesus was at a set point in the history of the world. He treats the birth of Jesus on December 25th as a given. </span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Whether or not we follow Hippolytus’
numerology and exegesis (he clearly was wrong about when the world will end), his argument for the date of Christmas is not based
upon finding a means to relate the celebration of the birth of Christ to a
pagan holy day, but it is a blanket assertion that he ues to construct a interpretation of an ambiguous passage.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This in itself is an important clue that Hippolytus was not dealing with a
recent alteration to the Church calendar, but something that predated
him.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This means that one cannot point to
Constantine (over 100 years after Hippolytus) as the time when the date for Christmas was set.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rather one finds an early practice of
celebrating the birth of Christ on the 25</span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> of December even when
the Church was still an illegal and persecuted entity within the Roman Empire.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The point from all of this is that
the next time you encounter someone who states that December 25<sup>th</sup> is
a pagan influenced date for the celebration of the birth of Jesus, you can now be aware that the
assertion is silly and baseless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20date%20of%20Christmas.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Strauss, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">Four Portraits One Jesus,</i> 406.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20date%20of%20Christmas.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Hippolytus, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Commentary on Daniel</i>,
23.3.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20date%20of%20Christmas.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Hippolytus,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Commentary on Daniel</i>, 24.1-5<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-7299288586178175902018-11-08T14:34:00.001-08:002018-11-08T14:34:47.699-08:00Second Language Acquisition: by Grammar or by Speech?<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Second Language
Acquisition: by Grammar or by Speech?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I have spent almost the last 4 years
of my life teaching Latin to middle-school students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I have sought to improve my Latin and
teaching abilities, I have looked more broadly at the movements in second language
acquisition and how they can help me improve as a teacher.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">One
of the big movements in second language acquisition is Comprehensible
Input.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>C.I. teaches grammar subconsciously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The expectation is that the learners will
understand how the grammar of the new language works through repeated examples
of the correct grammar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often times,
C.I. is experienced in a partial immersion of spoken language in the class
room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The goal is to produce students
who can speak the language.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
school I teach at uses a grammar based approach to teaching Latin. The
grammatical approach teaches the grammar concepts first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often times, this is done in the first
language of the students and not in the target language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Grammatical Approach relies upon
grammatical rules to produce precise renderings into and out of the target
language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The goal is to produce
students who understand the target language.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There
is yet an older method of total immersion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I like to think of it as incomprehensible input.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this manner, everything is conducted in
Latin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is how Martin Luther learned
Latin (complete with students wearing donkey masks for speaking German instead
of Latin in class).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both the teacher and
the students were expected to speak only in Latin and the grammar rules were
taught using the Latin language. The goal was to produce someone who was fluent
in Latin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
I have reflected upon these methods of second language acquisition, I also
reflected upon first language acquisition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The first several years of my life English was incomprehensible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I entered into the world and knew none of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be fair, I had no language skills at birth
except for assorted levels of crying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Moving into the early childhood years, I entered a stage of
comprehensible input through children’s books and my own family communicating
with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, for some reason C.I. did
not subconsciously produce a correct use of grammar let alone a correct
understanding of grammar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I needed to be
taught the grammar of the language I had already been speaking for years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">How
I learned English ought to influence how I teach students to acquire a second
language. C.I. was the way I first truly learned English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, C.I. in English only taught me to
understand English at a grade school level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Likely around the 3<sup>rd</sup> grade level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though I was immersed on a daily basis
in the English language, my grammar was poor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I needed to be taught grammar in order to become truly adept at the use
of English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, for some strange
reason, schools that promote C.I. as THE way to learn a second language still
teach English Grammar as a part of English acquisition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now,
the real question is what is the goal of second language acquisition?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
we merely want people to converse and read at the level of elementary students,
then C.I. will meet your needs on its own. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
we merely want students to be masters of grammar, then the grammatical method
suffices. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
we want people to master the language, then we really ought to teach both in
the same manner that was done historically: immersion, C.I., and grammatical
instruction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
real question that must be answered is, what is the goal of learning a second
language?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the goal is to actually
know and use the language, then all three of these teaching methods ought to be
utilized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems to be a silly
expectation that a second language will be taught to mastery apart from these
same methods that were used to teach a first language.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Therefore,
I am supportive of C.I. and an immersive Latin experience, but, at the same
time, I am supportive of teaching grammar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I want to teach to mastery, and mastery requires immersion and grammar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-66608786194189363642018-11-01T15:59:00.000-07:002018-11-04T14:33:53.399-08:00Some Thoughts on Second Language Acquisition. Part I: Why Learn a Language?<br />
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<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Some Thoughts on Second Language Acquisition.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Part I: Why Learn
a Language?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Language
is a necessity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apart from language we
lack the most nuanced and versatile means of communication with our fellow
humans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite the centrality and
necessity of language, language is incredibly complex and difficult to
master.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is true for both a first
language and a second language.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
recognition of this, the powers that be have determined that all students ought
to learn another language before graduation from high school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The difficulty is that truly learning a
language is incredibly difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Therefore, in America (other countries do this much better), we have
settled on the practice that requires just a basic introduction to a language
and possibly offer an elective when the actual content of the language becomes
more difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The truth is, our system
does not require competency in another language, but a mere exposure to another
language. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Moving
beyond the failures of the American education system, there are many benefits
to learning a second language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Learning
a second language improves one’s understanding of language in general.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The things which were often half understood
implicitly are now encountered and understood in an explicit manner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was not until I took Greek that I actually
understood the difference between a gerund and a participle (they look exactly
the same in English).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Learning
a second language to a level of fluency allows one to think differently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am functionally fluent in Latin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are ways of speaking and thinking in
Latin that a mind structured in English would have a difficult time
processing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The inverse is also true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means that being able to think in
another language opens up one’s mind to think in different manners.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
second language also opens up a world of literature in another language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Latin has done this for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am ever amazed at what can get lost in
translation when I read a work in Latin which I had previously read in English
translation (this goes back to my statement about the ability to think
differently in another language). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
benefits of learning a language are locked behind a door of ignorance which can
only be opened with the key of hard work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are very few people who can learn a second language without great
efforts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some teaching styles may lessen
or increase the amount of effort required to learn a second language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the sheer amount of work and time
that it takes to achieve a functional level of fluency makes learning a second
language a difficult and long-term proposition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-1950341315928099132018-08-26T14:43:00.000-07:002018-08-26T16:18:29.150-07:00Funeral Oration for my GrandmotherThe passing of my Grandmother, Mary Sue Bennett, on August 21st has been an emotionally difficult time for myself and my family. Long before she passed, she had told me that I was to preach at her funeral. Grammie must have seen something in me as a teenager to entrust me with that task. Of course, at the time, I just told her that I would tell several embarrassing stories about her. Being a man of my word, about half of those stories were included or referenced in this oration.<br />
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Composing her funeral oration was equal parts grieving and smiling. The sorrow and joy are mingled throughout this work. I offer it here as a tribute to my Grammie. May her memory be eternal!</div>
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<b>Funeral Oration for Mary Sue Bennett:</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mary
Sue Bennett was known to most as Sue, but she was always Grammie to me. Sometime in my teenage years, Grammie asked
me to preach at her funeral. Asked is
probably not a strong enough word. If
you knew my Grammie, her asking had all the authority of a divine command. And, if for whatever reason, I might balk at
one of her requests, she would give a brief encouragement often concluding with
“cha cha cha.” Once “cha cha cha” was
uttered, we were committed to whatever plan of action Grammie had in mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I,
being utterly committed to preaching at her funeral, told her that it would
come at the cost of my telling some stories about her. And being of the same stubborn stock as my
grandmother, allow me to share some stories about Grammie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My
earliest notable memory of Grammie was when I spent the night at her house when
I was three. Apparently I felt a little
homesick when I woke up. However,
Grammie knew that ice cream for breakfast was the surefire cure for
homesickness. By the time my mom called
to see how I was doing, life was great because I had ice cream for breakfast! I believe that my pleasure was offset by my
mother’s displeasure. I cannot say for
certain… What I do know is that Grammie
understood the power of ice cream and shared her love of ice cream with all her
grandchildren.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Grammie
showed love to all of her grandchildren equally. Each one of us could tell you about the trips
and adventures she took us on. One of my
most memorable trips was our trip to Alaska.
Grammie was driving the motorhome as we were in the Yukon
Territory. Grandad was playing a card
game with Thomas and me in the kitchen area of their motorhome. Then Grammie asked us what a “Can O” was. All three of us guys were stumped. The card game came to a stop as we were
working through just what that could be and what would Canadian slang be like. She told us there was a billboard saying that
there were “Can O’s” for sale. We asked
her how to spell “Can O” and she said, “C A N O E.” We started laughing and said, “You mean canoe;
the little boat you paddle.” At that
moment, with her mistake known to all, Grammie replied, “Oh hush.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now,
having been told in no uncertain terms that I would need to preach, I need to
talk about Grammie’s faith in the Triune God.
I am faced with a great difficulty in this task. Because her faith so pervaded her life, I am
forced to leave out important things and so do an injustice against my own
grandmother. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">After
retirement, Grammie and Grandad decided to give away or sell most of their
possessions and travel around the country serving others. While many might have struggled in a similar
situation, Grammie was ever ready to give. She even gave away furniture twice. Once she gave the kitchen table away and they
ate off of a cardboard table. Several
years later, she gave the couch away to a family who did not have a couch. Grandad retorted, “Well, now we do not have a
couch either.” But, Grammie had the gift
of giving and was blessed for it. Her
possessions never possessed her. It was
more than one occasion that I questioned Grammie about giving something. I do not remember how many times this
happened. I do remember her reply,
however, “Well no one else needs to know.
It will be our little secret.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now,
if you have spent any time with Grammie, you know that her idea of a secret
was; only telling on person at a time!
Yet, our family talked freely about our lives with her. I guess I always knew that everything I told
Grammie could be shared with the family, but I never considered her to be a
gossip. She loved every one of us and
was just happy to tell us all about the people she loved. I remember meeting people who knew me very
well simply because they were friends of Grammie. She always wanted to know about our lives
because she cared about our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Somewhere
below family and yet still linked to her love of God was Grammie’s love of
singing. While she would sing around the
house, she loved to sing at Church. Now
Grammie always liked to have herself put together. Her basic approach was “brush your hair and
put on some lipstick.” Yet, when Grammie
sang in church she carried herself with all the professional seriousness of an
opera singer performing with a philharmonic.
Because Church was a special place that she treated seriously. Church is where we went to worship the
Uncreated Creator, Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
Grammie aged, her faith never waned. She
has read through the Bible every year for much of my life. Her favorite book was the prophet
Isaiah. In the rather long book of
Isaiah, she found beautiful promises that shaped the way she viewed the world
and understood all that happened in life.
Her favorite passage was Isaiah 40:28–31. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the
Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding
no one can fathom. He gives strength to
the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and
weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will
renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and
not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Then
shortly after this passage, and connected to it in her mind was Isaiah 41:10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So do not fear,
for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you
and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Grammie
was formed by these verses in so many ways that I cannot recount them all. The God she worshipped and trusted was the
God who created all that exists out of nothing.
It is this God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Grammie, who does not
grow weary or lack understanding.
Indeed, we cannot fathom his knowledge or His power. Yet this God is not far removed, but He helps
those who hope in Him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
metaphor of soaring on wings like eagles became a guiding metaphor for
Grammie. Grammie loved eagles. She had dozens of figurines and pictures of
eagles. But Grammie did not love eagles
simply because they were eagles. For
her, eagles are a symbol of the promises of God that He is with her in her
weakness and that He will lift her up, as He has done. Grammie put the eagles anywhere she could;
from gravestones, to a scholarship fund, to her own house. Whenever possible she would also write Isaiah
40:31 as a reference or as a full quotation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Grammie
was uncompromising. Whether it was her
standard of what constituted clean, or her faith, or her morals. Grammie practiced her faith. Her faith was a lived faith and a clearly
defined faith. This was especially
evident in moments of disagreement.
Grammie did not bend what she believed to get along with others. And, at the same time, she continued to love
and care for those with whom she disagreed.
This was yet another of the ways she lived out her hope in the living
God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Even
after Grammie’s stroke, her faith was not shaken. She continued reading through the Bible every
day. She regularly went to Church on
Sunday. She did this even though she
could not hear much of what was said because she disliked wearing her hearing
aids. In many ways, her stroke took away
much of her personality. Yet her faith
remained as did her love of ice cream.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Grammie
is now free to, once again, sing the praises of her savior Jesus Christ who
lives and reigns with the eternal Father and the life giving Holy Spirit. She has moved from our company to the
companies of angels and the faithful of the ages past. She has joined them in
enjoying the uncreated light, the very glory of God; and worshipping the only
God with them forever. She also joined
her beloved husband Bill, or Grandad as I knew him. Together they await the resurrection of their
bodies and the final judgement, whereupon they will be like the angels in that
they will not marry or be given in marriage, but their love for each other
remains. This is just as the Apostle Paul
said, “<i>now these three remain: faith,
hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.</i>” These three things: faith, hope, and love,
the things that made Grammie who she was and is yet remain with her for
eternity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There
are some stories which Grammie strictly forbade me to tell at her funeral. I cannot tell you about the time that the
gray water backed up into the motorhome bathtub and got the clean laundry extra
dirty. And the word which Grammie said
when she found that mess. I cannot tell
you about the time she misspoke while ordering and received hot water and
freshly brewed decaf instead of hot freshly brewed decaf and a glass of water. There are many, many other stories which time
does not permit me to share. The
importance of these stories is found in the fact that Grammie lived her life
with her family. We have our Grammie
stories because she was present with us sharing in our lives and loving us as
much as she was able. We remember these
stories because we loved her in return.</span> <o:p></o:p></div>
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JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-34999740398458479172018-05-25T14:35:00.001-07:002018-05-25T14:35:57.060-07:00Becoming un-Baptist Part 7: Becoming Orthodox<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Becoming un-Baptist Part 7: Becoming Orthodox<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At
the end of my theological journey, I found myself facing two choices: Roman
Catholicism or Orthodoxy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I bumbled
around and found myself listening to </span><a href="http://www.ancientfaith.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ancient Faith Radio</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> and Scott Hahn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I admit that Scott Hahn had some compelling
arguments for Roman Catholicism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
his most compelling arguments did not lead me to Rome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My study of Church History showed me that
Rome had made some moves away from Biblical and Early Christian thought and
practice.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Becoming%20unBaptist%20Part%205.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This then left me with one valid option: go
to an Orthodox church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So,
I went to an Orthodox Church and shocked the local priest by telling him that my
wife and I had come for the purpose of becoming Orthodox.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The priest replied that we should start by
coming to liturgy first for a few weeks, which we did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had already reasoned my way to the
conclusion that Orthodoxy was true and I needed to be a part of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
first thing I noticed was how much Scripture I encountered in the Liturgy<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Not
only that, but some exegetical work I had done in my earlier studies actually
showed up in the liturgy, translated into English just as I had earlier argued
that it should be translated.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Becoming%20unBaptist%20Part%205.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was stunned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same, I found that reading the Fathers
became less and less like I was reading a foreign text and more like I was reading
someone who shared in the same things in which I was sharing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not feel the need to read the Fathers with
an implicit distrust of their conclusions and methods as I once had done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">After
my initial impressions, I realized something quite important; becoming Orthodox
was not a mere rearranging of my mental assent about various points of doctrine
or practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an entrance into a
way of life that was quite distinct from what I had experienced as a
Protestant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found myself with set
fasting, which we practiced as a community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I entered into a worship that did not cater to my feelings, but was
centered upon the worship of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Becoming
Orthodox was also a significant shift in my world-view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One example of this is how I lost my Baptist
Salvation Calculus Formula that allowed me to determine the state of another
person’s salvation, and I found myself praying for God’s mercy upon others and
upon myself. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I began to practically
understand that God is the Judge and that I will be judged along with everyone
else.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
would like to say that since becoming Orthodox, I have purged myself from all
sin and am a resplendent example of how all others should be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such is decidedly not the case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I managed to maintain all my personal flaws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I have entered into an ancient (yet
new to me) way of living as a Christian with a set and proven pattern for
spiritual growth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Becoming%20unBaptist%20Part%205.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
The first thing that comes to my mind are the liturgical deviations which have
come to pass since Vatican 2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To these I
would add the addition of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Filioque</i>
to the Nicene Creed, forced clerical celibacy, the ability to merit God’s
grace, and Papal Supremacy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Becoming%20unBaptist%20Part%205.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
In particular the passage from James 1:17.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The ESV reads “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights” I argued that the text ought to be
translated as: “All good giving and every perfect gift…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then to my amazement, the priest comes out and
states exactly what the Greek actually states!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-86929146937016241652018-05-17T16:12:00.000-07:002018-05-17T16:42:20.427-07:00Becoming un-Baptist 6: When Protestant Theology Crumbles Or, How Gerry Breshears Helped Me Become an Orthodox Christian<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Becoming un-Baptist 6: When
Protestant Theology Crumbles<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Or, How Gerry Breshears
Helped Me Become an Orthodox Christian<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
my previous series of posts entitled “Becoming un-Baptist,”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Becoming%20unBaptist%20Part%205.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
I recounted how I went from being a confessional Baptist to no longer even
being baptistic in my theology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
crumbling of my Baptist theology was not the end of my reconsideration and
shifting of my theological views.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Indeed, it was part of a larger shift in my theological paradigm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
consider myself to have been privileged to have studied at Western
Seminary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the professors there
who helped me become a better thinker was Gerry Breshears.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Becoming%20unBaptist%20Part%205.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><sup><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes this came through my own
disagreement with some of his positions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, this came primarily through his practice of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sola Scriptura</i> (even though he would
likely be displeased by my use of a Latin phrase instead of the English
“Scripture Alone”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gerry constantly and
helpfully pressed me and others to support our beliefs and opinions directly
from Scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
still remember one comment he made on a doctrinal statement I submitted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gerry’s</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">brief comment was, “Do you have a
Bible verse for this?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fact was,
that I did not have a Bible verse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had
reached a point where I could not find a passage of Scripture that would
clearly support limited atonement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While
I know it is very dangerous to speculate about another’s feelings and thoughts,
I strongly suspect that Gerry took no small satisfaction in compelling his
students to completely reevaluate their theological positions in light of the
biblical texts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He set me upon a
trajectory of critically examining every doctrine I had held in light of
Scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ideally, I suppose that I
should have figured this all out during my 5½ years that I was a student at
Western Seminary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was decidedly not
the case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
found that reading the Bible continued to crumble my doctrinal views.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time as this process was ongoing,
I entered into a journey of studying the Church Fathers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This resulted in even further problems for my
doctrinal positions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Fathers were
quoting verses and interpreting them in ways that were often utterly foreign to
my doctrines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This led me to reread the
Bible and find that those verses which I had overlooked (or interpreted around)
suddenly came to bear upon my understanding of doctrine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
went through a theological crisis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
one doctrine crumbled after another, I found that I was less certain of more
and more things which led me to question ever further and find even yet more
questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a ridiculous time in
my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found that simply reading the
Bible became difficult because I was constantly beset with the problem of a
shifting paradigm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Passages which once
made sense, suddenly did not; and passages which were once overlooked gave
answers which were not compatible with what I had believed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Being
beset with questions, I decided to find answers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answers I found were significantly
unsettling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was my journey to find
answers that led to the collapse of my Protestant theology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first my questions and answers in no way
threatened my Protestant beliefs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
should note that none of my questions arose from any sort of
perniciousness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These were sincere
questions as I was attempting to discern the Truth which I should believe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
first issue that I had was imputed righteousness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could find no textual support for this
understanding of righteousness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
answer I was given was that if righteousness is not imputed, than it must be
imparted, and that view is clearly wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Meanwhile I was thinking that perhaps both were wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There
were several other fairly significant theological questions that I had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the most important came when I was
sitting at the kitchen table reading the New Testament in the Greek, and I
realized that I could not support Sola Scriptura from Scripture alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was troubling, and doubly so, because I
realized I could make a better argument for tradition from the New Testament
(especially when I was reading the Greek) than I had previously thought
possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
fact, by following Scripture, I ended up realizing that Paul taught that He had
handed down an unwritten tradition.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This
can be seen in:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">2<sup>nd</sup>
Thessalonians 2:15 “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions
that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">1<sup>st</sup>
Corinthians 11:2 “Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and
maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
looked at these and other verses and I realized that the Bible taught that that
unwritten traditions handed down from the Apostles were to be kept. This then
was the moment when it all imploded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
very exegetical method I had been taught led me to a point where it killed
itself and thrust me into the arms of Tradition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found myself pondering the probability that
there was an Apostolic Tradition beyond the books of the New Testament and I began reading the writings from the Early Christians with an eye towards discerning
what these unwritten Apostolis Traditions were.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
was all happening while I was almost Anglican.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, as I was entering into the Apostolic Tradition, Anglicanism seemed less and less like a valid option, I was
left with two real choices: Roman Catholicism or Orthodoxy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Becoming%20unBaptist%20Part%205.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> <a href="https://johnmarkbeazley.blogspot.com/2018/03/on-becoming-un-baptist-part-1.html">Ecclesiology</a>,
<a href="https://johnmarkbeazley.blogspot.com/2018/03/on-becoming-un-baptist-part-2-baptism.html">Theology
of Baptism</a>, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and <a href="https://johnmarkbeazley.blogspot.com/2018/03/becoming-un-baptist-part-3-baptism.html">Practice
of Baptism</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Becoming%20unBaptist%20Part%205.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> There were several others, but
this post is about the formative effect that Gerry’s methodology had upon my
own way of thinking about theology.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-29755927423387221812018-05-09T15:28:00.000-07:002018-05-10T14:40:23.249-07:00Becoming un-Baptist Part 5: Almost Anglican<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Becoming un-Baptist Part 5: Almost Anglican<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
my previous posts, I discussed how I had ceased to be a Baptist (church
leadership, theology of baptism, and the practice of baptism).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I was departing the Baptist fold, I nearly
became an Anglican.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Anglican Church,
I found a more ancient from of liturgy than is practiced among Baptists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The worship was centered upon the
Eucharist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a prayer book that
provided a vocabulary and a direction for my prayers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also had (and still have) friends who are
Anglican.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even more important for me, I
found pieces of the Fathers in the worship service and was able to feel
something of a connection with the Christian Tradition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My
wife and I enjoyed our fellowship within the Anglican churches we
attended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, we never quite became
Anglicans (for which I am thankful).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
the same time that we were attending Anglican churches, I was continuing to
undergo some significant doctrinal disruptions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only was I finding myself being
un-Baptist, but in some ways, I was becoming un-Protestant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This can be problematic when attending a
Protestant church. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Could
there have been room for me in the Anglican Communion?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably, if I had found a conservative
Anglo-Catholic parish and remained there for the rest of my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However what I found was a Professor of
Church History at an Anglo-Catholic Seminary talking about how we should
reconsider the conclusions of Chalcedon (the fourth ecumenical council) and the
remainder of the ecumenical councils.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
the parishes I attended, I found Anglicanism to be a rather low church affair because
the worship was tailored to have people feel comfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The doctrine seemed more like the Reformers
than it did the Fathers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luther’s Law
Gospel hermeneutic (this hermeneutic is prone to divide Scripture into the
categories of Law, which condemns, and Gospel, which gives life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luther even opined that the Epistle of James:
“was a right strawy epistle…for it has nothing of the nature of the gospel
about it.”) was on display along with a dash of Calvinism (this was probably
more to a living out of the </span><a href="http://anglicansonline.org/basics/thirty-nine_articles.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">39 articles</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> than anything
else).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These points grew a little
troubling for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was becoming less
and less convinced of the Reformation and the Anglican world is decidedly part
of the Reformation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Coming
from Southern Baptist land, I liked the Anglican Church in North America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were conservatives starting a Church
with true doctrine and practice as opposed to the Episcopal Church which well…
um… would allow anyone to believe anything and remain a bishop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I spent more time, I began to feel as
though the ACNA was simply resetting the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">theological
capitulation to culture clock</i> back to the 1970’s and doing so through a
functional schism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a Baptist, schism
is not a negative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, for an
un-Baptist, schism is troubling, and it gave me a little more pause.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
breaking point for me was listening to Anglican Unscripted and hearing Kevin
and George talk about how the Anglican Church followed the canons of
Nicaea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then on Sunday I went to church
and saw a deaconess pushing around an old priest at the altar because he was
moving too slowly for her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I was
sitting there, I realized that this deaconess would be ordained as a priestess
and that the canons of Nicaea were not followed when they were inconvenient or
at odds with modern sensibilities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
very things that I loved about the Anglican Communion was the very thing that
they were doing their best to down play or ignore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I loved the pre-Reformation streams of
thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, as I encountered it,
these came through a Reformation grid and a further American evangelical grid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a liturgy that at times was strikingly
beautiful, yet was also divorcing itself from the shared worship practices of
the Old Testament and the Early Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This was not the place I was looking for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, during my time there, I began to
appreciate the formative nature of liturgy and written prayers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-15870637825092976172018-04-07T10:26:00.002-07:002018-04-07T10:26:26.154-07:00On Becoming un-Baptist Part 4: Why I am glad to have been a Baptist<br />
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<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">On Becoming un-Baptist Part 4:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Why I am glad to have been a Baptist<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
my previous posts, I have explained how I ceased to be a Baptist (<a href="https://johnmarkbeazley.blogspot.com/2018/03/on-becoming-un-baptist-part-1.html">ecclesiology</a>, <a href="https://johnmarkbeazley.blogspot.com/2018/03/on-becoming-un-baptist-part-2-baptism.html">theology of baptism</a>, and <a href="https://johnmarkbeazley.blogspot.com/2018/03/becoming-un-baptist-part-3-baptism.html">practice of baptism</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do not want to give anyone an impression
that I have nothing but stones to hurl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am very grateful for many things that I learned and experienced in
baptistic circles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are virtues and
practices I observed in others which I continue to admire and aspire to attain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Knowledge of the
Bible<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">While
I may differ on how I interpret and understand the Bible, Baptists (at least
most the ones I was exposed to) placed a great emphasis on knowing and reading
the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I often find myself
whispering along with Bible readings in church because I have the entire
passage nearly memorized from repeated encounters in my youth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Love of God and neighbor<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
met many people who loved God and their neighbors far better than I did or do
now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Tithing<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
may sound strange to some, but it was quite a culture shock when I was in
church and we were given pledge forms for how much we were going to give in the
calendar year (this has happened in more than one non-baptistic church I have
attended).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From my youth I had learned
and practiced that I ought to give 10 percent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That is tithing 101, which I heard explained from the pulpit on several
occasions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Importance of
owning one’s faith<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Baptistic
circles stress the importance of owning your faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was taught that it was important to know
what I believed, make it my own, and live it out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sincere people and
good friends<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
met many people of simple and pious sincerity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I made friends that will last a lifetime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if I disagree with them on many points,
I know that they come to their views honestly and without any maliciousness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-64256271719490801452018-03-29T14:41:00.002-07:002018-03-29T14:45:10.682-07:00Becoming un-Baptist Part 3: Baptism Continued<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Becoming un-Baptist Part 3: Baptism Continued<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">In my previous posts on becoming un-Baptist, I wrote about how my <a href="https://johnmarkbeazley.blogspot.com/2018/03/on-becoming-un-baptist-part-1.html">ecclesiology shifted</a>, and then how my <a href="https://johnmarkbeazley.blogspot.com/2018/03/on-becoming-un-baptist-part-2-baptism.html">theology of baptism shifted</a>. In this post I provide a sketch of how my understanding of the practice of baptism shifted.</span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Valid Baptism<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">On
my journey out of a baptistic understanding of baptism, I reflected on the
practice of baptism as well as the theology of baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was asking questions about what made a
valid baptism, who ought to be baptized, and when they ought to be
baptized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I found in Scripture
ended up having more correspondence to the practices of the Early Church than I
had expected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
question of what made a valid baptism came up for me when I was considering
doing missionary work (theological education overseas) through the
International Missions Board (the Southern Baptist missionary agency).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Technically, I would have had to have my
baptism regularized, which means that I would have to be (re)baptized because I
was not baptized in a church that was Southern Baptist and also did not affirm
the “perseverance of the saints.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
adamant that my baptism was valid; I was baptized by immersion in water, by a
believing Christian, after a confession of personal faith, and in the name of
the Trinity.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
I dug into this, I found that often times Baptists would leave out any
statement about the person doing the baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even when Grudem wrote about baptism in his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Systematic Theology</i>, he did not state that a baptism needed to be
administered by a believer for it to be valid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Instead he states, “Scripture simply does not specify any restriction on
who can perform the baptism ceremony.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem I found here is that this
does not comport with the way I had been taught to reason from the Bible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
had been taught that since there was no (overt) example of an infant ever being
baptized in Scripture, then the practice is unbiblical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Using that same logic, I found that every
example of Christian baptism in the Bible had an already baptized person performing
the baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means that, logically,
it takes a baptized person to baptize biblically (i.e. validly) another person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I had left it at this point, I may very
well have remained a Baptist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I
connected the dots:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Biblical
baptism requires a baptized person to baptize.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Only
someone who is baptized after coming to faith has a valid baptism (from a
Baptist perspective).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For
at least 1,400 years of Church History (likely longer), only converts would be
baptized after a profession of faith (the practice was to baptize infants and
at times delaying baptism until the deathbed).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">These
points led to a problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unless one can
trace a line of baptized converts baptizing other converts (which cannot be
done),<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
then there is no one, at the present, who can validly baptize another person.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[4] </span></span></span></span></a> This lack of a succession of "biblically" baptized people means that Baptist churches are</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;"> unchurched (a</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">long with every other denomination
of Christians).</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">However, if infant
baptism is valid, then there are valid baptisms at the present, but this would
also mean that I (and all other Baptists) was wrong about who can be properly
baptized.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This left me with either
affirming infant baptism is true and right, or affirming that no one at the
present is validly baptized.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mode of Baptism</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Growing
up, I remember my dad (a Baptist pastor) had baptized people on a couple of
occasions by means other than full immersion because of the particular needs of
that moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is in contrast with
many Baptists who would hold such baptisms to be invalid because the baptized
were not fully immersed in the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
position was cemented when I took a trip to Greece with The Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped at the
place in ancient Philippi where Paul (probably) baptized Lydia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There as I listened to a lecture on baptism
and how it always meant full immersion I was looking at the creek where Paul
did his baptizing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was nearly full to
its banks and maybe would come up to my knees in the deepest location.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what should there be but an icon showing
Lydia kneeling in the water as Paul scooped water and poured it on her head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of these views comported with
reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other did not comport with
reality.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
still agree with my dad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The meaning and
symbolism of baptism is best captured through immersion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, immersion is not necessary for a
baptism (done in the name of Trinity with water) to be valid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Household Baptisms<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Apostles did things which no clear thinking Baptist would do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They baptized entire households.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And following the text of Scripture, these
households were not entirely composed of believers!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This practice of household baptisms did not
appear to be an outlier but is a fairly common theme in the New Testament (at
least when speaking about who was baptized).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">With
household baptisms recorded in the Bible, it is not possible to prove that
infants or toddlers were present in the households who were baptized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is probable, but not demonstrable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time, it appears that not
everyone in the household necessarily believed prior to their baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
Acts 18:8 there is an example of an entire household believing and being
baptized:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Crispus,
the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire
household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
demonstrates that Luke can speak of an entire household believing and being
baptized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, when he does not mention
it, we can either read into the silence that the household believed and Luke
just failed to mention it, or we can read the silence as intentional (but
authorial intent is so passé these days).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There
are two instances in which the text states the household was baptized, but does
not state that the entire household believed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is the example of Lydia in Acts 16:14–15.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The text does not say anything about her
household believing, only that they were baptized with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A more explicit example is found in Acts 16
with the baptism of the Philippian jailer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Paul and Silas used a singular imperative “believe” when they said “Believe
in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts
16:31).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no apostolic command
for his household to believe only for the jailer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We read that the jailer <b>“</b>was baptized
at once, he and all his family” (Acts 16:33).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then the singular faith of the jailer is again revealed in 16:34, where
we are told that the jailer “rejoiced along with his entire household that he
had believed in God.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luke was quite
capable of saying “that they had believed in God.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, Luke did not record that they
believed, only that the jailer believed, yet he and his household were baptized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does not appear that personal faith is
necessary for each person baptized in a household.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
cannot prove that there were infants/toddlers in these households that were
baptized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, slaves were baptized
as part of the household (for Lydia to have a household, she would have had to
have slaves).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This leads to the question
of how would a slave (who had not made a profession of faith) would receive
baptism as part of the household and an infant would not?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Slaves were considered part of the household
in both Roman and Hebrew society (In fact, according to Torah, the slaves of a
priest could eat the food that the laity were forbidden to eat because it was
reserved for the priests<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>).
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Slaves were culturally considered part
of the household, but the children were considered a significantly more
important part of the household.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does
not make sense that a slave (as part of the household) would receive baptism and
an infant would not receive baptism (as part of the household).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Evangelism Separated
from Baptism<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Baptism
was not always immediate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul appears
to have made this very clear in 1<sup>st</sup> Corinthians 1:14–18:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one
may say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of
Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For Christ did not send me to baptize but to
preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of
Christ be emptied of its power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the
word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being
saved it is the power of God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
baptism was something that was consistently practiced upon belief, then we
would expect Paul to have baptized a lot of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul was in Corinth for a year and a half,<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
but he only baptized 3 (households).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet
he has the audacity to refer to himself as the father of the Corinthian
Christians,<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
when he (if we were to follow the expectation of immediate baptism upon belief)
left Corinth with only three baptized households constituting the church in
Corinth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Further, Paul understands his
call to proclaim the Gospel (even for one and a half years in the same place)
to be a separate thing from the call to baptize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This runs into a significant problem in that
if baptism was supposed to immediately follow a profession of faith, then Paul
should have been a baptizing machine because it would have been a necessary
fruit of preaching the Gospel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">That
Paul did not view Gospel proclamation as requiring him to be involved in
baptisms is an important point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
certain that someone could explain it away (with varying degrees of success).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that it is best understood as the
basis for the practice of the catechumenate (the period of learning about the
faith before one was baptized and became and Christian) in the early
Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only individual who was
immediately baptized that we do not know for certain had been spiritually
formed by Judaism is the Philippian jailer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Every other convert immediately baptized upon their belief, for lack of
a better term, had a biblical worldview.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no clear example of a rank
polytheist converting and being immediately baptized in the entirety of the
Biblical text (the Philippian jailer being a possibility, but not clearly
stated as such).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">These
conclusions about the practice of baptism along with my theological conclusions
(see my previous <a href="https://johnmarkbeazley.blogspot.com/2018/03/on-becoming-un-baptist-part-2-baptism.html"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">post here</span></span></a>) led me to
the point where I uncomfortably accepted the premise and validity of infant
baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This moved me from the
periphery of baptistic circles to a camp outside in a land unknown to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In many ways, I had left my father’s house
and set out for a land that I had not seen in a direction that I did not know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<br />
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> This experience was
part of the catalyst for me to think carefully through the topic of baptism.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> Pages 983-984.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the standard Systematic text used at
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.sbc.net/bfm2000/bfm2000.asp"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">The Baptist Faith and Me<span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">ssage</span></span></span></a></i>
(as revised in 2000) likewise is silent on who can be the baptizer: <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> A movement known as
the Landmarkist movement who argued that Baptists were the true Church and were
always a distinct entity from the Roman Catholic Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://ca2nwo.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/trail-of-blood-chart.jpg"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Here</span></span></a> is a chart of
their interpretation of Church History. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> Some Baptists, such
as John Smyth (the first Baptist), argued that the local congregation has the
full authority and autonomy to carry out the biblical commands as they saw
fit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my estimation, such a practice
removes that body of people from anything that could be considered a historical
or ontological connection to the Church which Christ founded.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> The Greek word
baptizo often means full immersion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
does not necessitate that the Christian practice of baptism slavishly followed
the technical meaning of a word they utilized for a distinctly religious action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus is should not surprise anyone when the
early Christian manual on Church practices, the Didache, provides both
immersion and affusion as valid means of baptism (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0714.htm"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Didache </span></span><span style="color: black; font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">7</span></span></a></i>).<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> One who heard us
was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods,
who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what
was said by Paul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And after she was
baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, "If you have
judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she
prevailed upon us<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> (Acts 16:14-15).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> The baptism of
households ought to be examined in light of Cicero’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">De Domu </i>109 and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> De Officiis</i>
1.54-55 to see how Roman culture understood how religion and the family unit
worked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise, one could consult the
Old Testament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is little doubt
that a biblically faithful Jew would have the entire household following the
prescriptions of Torah because that is what they were commanded to do
(Regarding children there is Deuteronomy 4:10 and 11:19; regarding slaves there
is Exodus 12:44 and importantly Leviticus 22:10–11).<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn8" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Leviticus 22:10-13:<b> “</b></span>A lay
person shall not eat of a holy thing; no foreign guest of the priest or hired
servant shall eat of a holy thing, but if a priest buys a slave as his property
for money, the slave may eat of it, and anyone born in his house may eat of his
food. If a priest's daughter marries a layman, she shall not eat of the contribution
of the holy things. But if a priest's daughter is widowed or divorced and has
no child and returns to her father's house, as in her youth, she may eat of her
father's food; yet no lay person shall eat of it.”<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn9" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Acts 18:11,</span> “And he stayed a year and
six months, teaching the word of God among them.”<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn10" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">1<sup>st</sup> Corinthians 4:15,<b> </b></span>“For
though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I
became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> Lists of those
baptized in Acts:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Acts 2, practicing Jews; Acts 8, Samaritans; Acts 8
Ethiopian Eunuch; Acts 9, Saul; Acts 10, Cornelius the Centurion; Acts 19, the
disciples who had not heard of the Holy Spirit;<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-13152097704426786742018-03-23T17:05:00.000-07:002018-03-23T17:07:46.062-07:00On Becoming un-Baptist Part 2: Baptism<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">On Becoming un-Baptist Part 2: Baptism<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
my<a href="https://johnmarkbeazley.blogspot.com/2018/03/on-becoming-un-baptist-part-1.html"> previous post</a>, I offered a quick sketch of how I conceptually left Baptist
polity behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was okay with bishops
and councils because I could find such in the texts of the New Testament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet I remained a Baptist because I affirmed
believer’s baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least, until the
day when that crumbled as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Believe
what you will about how a body of Christians should lead and govern themselves,
as long as you hold firmly to believer’s baptism (and are not a Pentecostal)
you will remain in baptistic circles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At
the end of my Ph.D. at a Baptist seminary I found my understanding of baptism
shifting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What initially gave me some
pause was the fact that there was not a controversy about infant baptism in the
early Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anytime something new
arose in the early Church, there was a controversy and someone was writing
against whatever the new thing may be (Gnosticism, modalism, etc…)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
only early Christian to write against infant baptism was Tertullian (early
200’s).<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem is that Tertullian did not argue
for believer’s baptism, but a baptism after one had proven themself to be a
steadfast Christian for many years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
was against infant baptism (which he did not treat as a recently arrived
practice) because he thought that there was no forgiveness for sin after
baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore one should only be
baptized after proving capable of living a Christian life without sin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Needless
to say, Tertullian was a lone voice on this point of baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His contemporary Hippolytus, Bishop of Rome,
wrote, “You are to baptize the little ones first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All those who are able to speak for
themselves should speak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With regards to
those who cannot speak for themselves their parents or someone who belongs to
their family should speak.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is a clear example of infant baptism
being practiced and having a pattern for practice around the year 200.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fast forward to the year 253 when Cyprian of
Carthage, writing on behalf of a council, affirmed that infants could be
baptized before they were eight days old.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">These
points amongst many others were in the back of my mind, but did not, in and of
themselves, alter my beliefs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
still operating under the principle that the Bible and not tradition ought to
determine my beliefs.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem was the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had texts that did not quite fit my
theology of baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My theology was
telling me that I had to understand any passage, in which “baptism” is said to
do something, as a non-physical/spiritual baptism. Since baptism is an act of
Christian obedience, any passage that states otherwise must be using the term
“baptism” as a metaphor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I started
to develop the sneaking suspicion that my interpretation could be amiss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
I reflected more and more, I came to the realization that spiritualizing
baptism into a metaphor was not necessitated by the context of the passage but
by my theological predispositions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did
not have a truly good reason to say that 1<sup>st</sup> Peter 3:20–21 was
talking about a non-physical baptism: “they formerly did not obey, when God's
patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which
a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves
you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good
conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lack of a good reason for my
interpretation was troubling to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
fact, this practice ran counter to what I had been (rightly in my opinion)
taught to do when I interpreted Scripture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When
I began to read the “baptism” as referring to baptism, my theology of baptism
began to change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember articulating
in one Ph.D. seminar that I understood baptism to have replaced circumcision as
the mark of the covenant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was based
upon my reading of Colossians chapter 2.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
I still held that faith was how one entered into the new covenant
community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Once
I started down this path, I encountered the idea that baptism is the moment
when one is joined to Christ: “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ
have put on Christ” (<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Galatians 3:27</span>).<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise baptism is the means by which we enter
into the Church: “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body- Jews or
Greeks, slaves or free” (<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">1 Corinthians
12:13).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means that baptism is not
an act that we do solely out of obedience to God, but rather it is something
that God does to us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At this point, suddenly 1<sup>st</sup> Peter 3:21
made sense to me: </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Baptism,
which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the
body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If baptism unites a
person to Christ and to His body (the Church), then it is not wrong to say that
baptism saves.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once I reached this point, I had clearly
moved into the pale thin land on the periphery of Baptist life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was moving into uncharted theological
territory with great uncertainty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> There is an entire<a href="http://www.tertullian.org/"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">
website</span></span></a> devoted to Tertullian with functional links to
excellent resources. For the text of his work <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">On Baptism </i>in an English translation click<a href="http://www.tertullian.org/anf/anf03/anf03-49.htm#P11466_3245563"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"> here</span></span></a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">On the Apostolic Tradition</i> 21.4.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> Cyprian of Carthage
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Epistle </i>58. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
For another view on the same subject see: Thomas
Schreiner and Shawn Wright, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Believer’s
Baptism</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have read this book. While
disagree with the conclusions and many points used to arrive at those
conclusions, I think it is the best representation and defense of believer’s
baptism in publication.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> At the present, I
would argue that the Bible still ought to determine my beliefs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where I have changed, is that I now hold that
the Bible is only rightly interpreted when read through Tradition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Practically speaking, everyone interprets the
Bible through a tradition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Colossians 2:11-13<b> </b></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><sup>1</sup>“In him also you were circumcised
with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by
the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which
you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who
raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven
us all our trespasses.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All quotations
taken from the ESV.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> See also Romans
6:3-5: <sup>“</sup>Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into
Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were buried therefore with him by baptism
into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory
of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For if we have been united with him in a
death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like
his.”<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> Admittedly, this
does start to shift one’s paradigm (from a baptist’s perspective) of how
salvation works.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-1093138723852282682018-03-17T18:07:00.000-07:002018-03-17T18:07:33.213-07:00The Russia Investigation (and why it is really important)<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Russia Investigation
(and why it is really important)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The following is a
post about Politics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have been
warned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For
some (CNN) the Russia investigation is all about how to get rid of Donald
Trump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are missing out on the real impetus for
investigating Russia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Donald Trump is
just a cover for the State Department and the CIA to figure out how The
Russians interfered in our elections so affordably and without assassinating
anyone. The Russians have achieved a feat that American ingenuity has failed to
achieve for over 60 years!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A bloodless
and affordable means of interfering in a sovereign nations internal affairs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Let’s
face it, America has been the preeminent meddler in other nations’ internal
affairs and elections. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was poor
Diem the leader of South Vietnam who was killed in 1963 with the help of the
CIA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is also the Shah of Iran, who
was put into power by the U.S.A.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In all seriousness,
the list goes on and on. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who even knows
or has kept track of our meddling in the continent of Africa!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, the Middle East… because meddling in
elections is best done after subjugating a country and occupying it with
several thousand soldiers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
still chuckle a little when I hear “serious people” complain about Russia
meddling in our elections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not
because I do not take such actions seriously, but because when former directors
of the CIA lodge complaints: all I hear is the pot calling the kettle black.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yes,
the U.S.A. needs to work on securing our elections from foreign involvement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time, it would be nice if we
returned the favor to the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-367601067178542472018-03-16T12:21:00.000-07:002018-03-17T09:12:49.224-07:00On Becoming un-Baptist Part 1: Ecclesiology<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">On Becoming un-Baptist Part 1: Ecclesiology<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
am the son of a Baptist pastor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
parents even have a picture of me as a baby at my dad’s graduation from
Seminary with his M.Div.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My dad pastored
in various baptistic denominations through my youth and young adult life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These were the circles I grew up in and the
doctrines within which I was raised.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Like
most others, I viewed the context of my upbringing as the standard from which
others deviated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not consider
ecclesiology (the study of the Church) in any real sense until I was in my
master’s degree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There I encountered
other points of view with a semblance of seriousness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time I sought to form a robust
defense of my position against those who held contrary opinions. (It is a very
useful exercise to take the best argument from an opposing view and fairly critique
it upon its merits.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
was decidedly not attempting to leave my tradition during my studies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I was rarely content to just accept
an answer without support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upon
reflection, I was probably an annoying student who asked odd ball questions
because I was thinking odd ball thoughts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was always trying to think outside of the boxes to see if things
actually made sense from every perspective I could consider.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
mode of operation was applied to my thinking about what I believed about the
Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remained a firm Congregationalist
until a moment I still vividly remember, when my professor said that Titus 1:5
meant that Titus was to have the churches in Crete hold elections to determine
their elders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem is that this
is not at all what was written in Titus 1:5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“For
this reason I left you in Crete, so that you might set right the things that
are lacking and appoint elders in each city, just as I commanded you.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
word “appoint” in the Greek means “to appoint” (among other meanings which
would not fit the context). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Appoint”
does not mean “elect” (there is another Greek word which means “to elect”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All this Greek knowledge left me thinking
that the Apostle Paul<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
actually wanted Titus to travel around to all the churches on Crete and to
select the men who were to be elders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
congregational voting; just appointment by Titus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At
this point, I realized that I had tacitly accepted the idea of a monarchial
bishop in the time of the Apostles, appointed by an Apostle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, in principal though not in practice,
I became okay with bishops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Besides, the
cool Baptist churches with multiple campuses already had a lead pastor
functioning as a quasi-bishop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
argument that each church in a town was somehow a separate entity functioning
independently and solely under the authority of God’s word, could no longer
pass the test.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Especially when I looked
at Acts 15 and found that the Council of Jerusalem wrote commands to all the
churches in “Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia” (15:36).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The churches in these places are not treated
as one individual entity, but they are all given the same (apparently binding)
command from the council.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Therefore,
it made sense to me when I read the Church Fathers speaking about bishops. It made sense that they
would write about bishops because I had already seen the Apostle telling people
to act as a bishop (Titus and Timothy being prime examples).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they had councils, it made sense that
they would hold a council and issue a decisive ruling for the faithful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not cease to be a Baptist at this point
because I was still firmly convinced of believer’s baptism (the idea that only
those who believe in Christ ought to/ could receive baptism).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore I became a Baptist with serious
questions about polity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> My own translation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/When%20Protestant%20Theology%20Crumbles.rtf#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a> I generally affirm
Pauline authorship of the Pastoral Epistles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If such were to be incontrovertibly proven otherwise, my world would not
be too greatly rocked though.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-29685535684828244382018-03-08T05:56:00.000-08:002018-03-08T05:56:02.367-08:00Solus Christus Christ Alone: and the Ambiguous Doctrinal Statement<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Solus Christus</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Christ Alone:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">and the Ambiguous
Doctrinal Statement<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A while back, I was perusing through
the job openings in my field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a
practice, I check the qualifications and then the statement of faith of the
institution to check my qualifications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Generally,
for one reason or another, I opt out of applying because I cannot affirm something
in the statement of faith/doctrine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
came across one such statement that gave me a bit of a pause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, I am quite confused as to what
exactly was intended by it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without
naming the institution, I will simply quote the line below:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“WE
BELIEVE that salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone; that salvation
involves the redemption of the whole person and is offered freely to all who
exercise faith in Jesus Christ.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
first part before the semi–colon is the problem for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the semi–colon, there is enough
ambiguity for a Protestant, a Roman Catholic, or an Orthodox to affirm it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, “WE BELIEVE that salvation comes
through Jesus Christ alone” is a problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It Coiuld mean several things:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Father and the Holy Spirit are not involved in the work of salvation. (I highly
doubt this was the intended meaning.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
community of saints has nothing to do with salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore Church (or church) is optional and unnecessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(It is possible that his was intended, but
doubtful.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There
is not salvation apart from Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I
sincerely hope this is what they meant.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Salvation
comes through the merits of Christ and not the merits of any other
individual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(This is also probable even
though it falls into the same difficulty that merit theology has.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See my earlier post <a href="https://johnmarkbeazley.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-failure-of-reformation-part-i-merit.html">here</a>
for a further discussion of merit.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Or
this could be a poorly adapted use of the 20<sup>th</sup> Century addition of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Solo Christo </i>(to all my fellow Latin
nerds, the ablative case would be used to express the ablative of agent unless
an active verb is used then we would use the nominative <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Solus Christus</i>) Christ Alone to the earlier <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Solae</i> (Solas) of the Protestant Reformation (Scripture Alone, Faith
Alone, Grace Alone).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, this
application lacks the explanation that a priesthood in Apostolic Succession is
not necessary for the validity of Sacraments. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
only of the above points I could affirm in good conscience would be point
number three.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Point one is heresy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Point two is an absurdity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Point four relies upon an unhelpful and
unbiblical manner of thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Point five
is again an absurdity (even most Baptists would argue that only a baptized
person can baptize another person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
requires a certain form of succession).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
leads to the moral of the post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
are going to require employees to affirm something make certain it not
ambiguous and replete with unintended interpretations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-3326093031230242622018-02-05T14:42:00.004-08:002018-03-19T13:10:52.257-07:00A Visit to a Southern Baptist Church in the South<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Warning to the reader: if you have never laughed as John Stewart made fun of something you hold dear, then this post is not for you. What follows below is a critique in satire and not a scholarly engagement. You have been warned.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> One of the great perks of being an educator is that I
get a vacation at Christmas every year. The
business of the week prior to Christmas break is a small price to pay for two
weeks of vacation. As a student, I took
Christmas break for a time of reading (usually Tolkien). As a teacher, I am still drawn to reading as
a Christmas break past time. This
Christmas was no different.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Over the Christmas break I went south for a vacation with my family. In keeping with my reading emphasis at Christmas,
I was reading through Saint Simeon the New Theologian’s <i>Ethical Discourses</i>. On
Sunday morning, I arose, said my prayers, read some of Saint Simeon and
accompanied my family to a little Baptist Church. The differences between what I was reading in
my book and what I observed in that church were quite stark.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> I had
just read Saint Simeon’s detailed explanation of Ephesians 5 in which he
treated the entire passage as an allegory of Christ and the Church (which is
what the Biblical author actually said it was).
Instead of merely as a discussion of how husbands and wives ought to
relate to each other. Saint Simeon’s
interpretation of Ephesians 5 is now book-marked in my mind as the best
interpretation I have read of Ephesians 5.
I move from a mystical explanation of a spiritual reality to visit a
Baptist church. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> I
confess that it has been a couple of years since I have been to a Sunday
service at a Baptist church. To be fair,
I have visited (and been a member of) many Baptist churches over the
years. This was perhaps the friendliest
greetings I have received as a visitor at a church. Despite the warm welcome, the church had a
lonely feel to it. Perhaps it is simply
part and parcel of Baptist aesthetics; you enter in into a place with no visual
reminder of the history of the faith and find that it is just you, a pew, and
some strangers. It is a noticeable
bareness. It is an entrance into an
empty place where beauty has been banished from sight at the supposed bequest
of truth and goodness. This setting for “worship”
has no small bearing upon the experience of the worshippers. I sensed that I was in a friendly place, but
not a holistic place let alone a holy place.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> I am
still not certain who was being worshipped, or how they would have defined
worship. The sermon was solidly
non-heretical. The same could not be
said of the songs which were chosen to be sung (to be honest this was largely the fault of the "Christmas" songs).
I had to go silent on several portions of the singing for the sake of my
conscience (which probably improved the overall auditory experience). If the worship was defined by the songs, then
they are embracing multiple and mutual contradictory Christological
heresies. If you add the sermon into the
mix, then the worship is really a mishmash of competing Christologies followed
by a potluck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Ah,
the potluck, that ancient and second most important sacrament in Baptist
churches. This church followed the
ancient traditions I witnessed in my grandparents’ church back in California
during the 1980’s. It was complete with
the “special music” and everything. There
was no badly done rock show or power-point presentation. They maintained that great Baptist sacrament
called “potluck” afterwards and have not succumbed to the newer tradition which
replaced the potluck with the sacrament of small groups. They might not have presented a clear
Christology, but they knew their fresh fruit and cookies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-7837923671679092322017-09-02T07:14:00.000-07:002018-03-12T18:18:56.340-07:00Jesus Magic<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jesus
Magic<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> There is an idea that a person can
pray a prayer once with the proper amount of sincerity and be eternally
guaranteed of salvation. It is perhaps
one of the more interesting phenomena that I have witnessed in American
Christianity (and has been exported abroad through missions). I remember when I was in junior high thinking
that this practice smelled wrong. As I
have reflected further upon it, I think that the idea of “eternal security”
(that once you are “saved” you are always “saved”) and its application to the
sinner’s prayer has become a form of magic.
But, not just any magic. It is
Jesus Magic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The sinner’s prayer is one of the most
common expressions of Jesus Magic in our culture.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Jesus%20Magics.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> I call this Jesus Magic because the idea that
I can say words that somehow require God to maintain my salvation through the
uttering of a short prayer at one moment is magical. I am using magic here to refer to the idea
that we alter and shape reality through supernatural power that is invoked
through spoken words. Indeed, the
“sinners prayer” is at times treated as a supernatural invocation, the uttering
of which binds God to provide a certain flavor of the eternal state apart from
that person doing much or anything else.
Imagine the ability to control how God will judge you at the final
judgement through praying a prayer at one point in your life. It is rather preposterous and runs counter to
the things that Jesus and the Apostles actually wrote about the final
judgement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This form of belief is practically evident
after things like mission trips, vacation Bible school, or other such
“outreach” events. After things like
this, the metrics used to measure the success is often based upon how many
people “got saved/ accepted Jesus” through praying the sinner’s prayer. Biblically speaking, this is an aberration
from the teaching of Jesus. Jesus had a
lot to say about what was required to follow Him. None of the things that Jesus said about
following Him or how to be saved ever involved saying a prayer. Jesus had a lot to say about following Him
involving self-denial (take up your cross and follow me) and doing things (such
as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, taking care of the poor, etc...). It is a very interesting exercise to look
through the Gospels and see what Jesus set forth as the requirements to follow
Him. I actually did an exercise like
this during my time in Bible College and the study from writing that paper was
the final scoop of dirt that buried the once saved always saved view for
me. When I read the Gospels, I am rather
intimidated by what Jesus has to say about what is required for those who will
follow Him (self-denial and death Matthew 16:24, sell all your possession Luke
18:12, forsaking your employment Matthew 4:19 and 9:9, etc…).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There are theological systems which
prevent this tragedy. Classically
speaking, the liturgical practices of the early church preclude this notion of
salvation. This continues among both the
Roman Catholics and the Orthodox. More
recently speaking, both Calvinism and Arminianism, through different
approaches, preclude the idea that anything a person could choose once would
require God to offer eternal salvation.
Calvinists (classically speaking) would affirm that God chooses whom He
will save and those people will persevere in the faith. Arminians (again, classically speaking) would
hold those who continue to choose to follow God will be saved. Through an interesting blending of these two
systems divorced from both Scripture and tradition, this form of Jesus magic
has emerged. It is both dangerous and
deleterious to your mind and soul.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div>
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<br />
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Jesus%20Magics.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> I
am aware that some would posit that transubstantiation is also a form of
magic. I do not think that this is a
fair comparison for several reasons.
According to the actual liturgical practice, the Holy Spirit is the one
who does the work just as happened in the incarnation of Jesus and we would not
posit that the angel Gabriel was the one who brought about the incarnation in
his announcement.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-28057398896562897202017-08-24T17:29:00.000-07:002018-03-12T18:18:02.698-07:00Failures of the Reformation: Part 2 Sola Scriptura and Knowing God<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Failures
of the Reformation: Part 2 Sola Scriptura and Knowing God</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> 2017 is the 500<sup>th</sup> year
since the Reformation began. In keeping
with this milestone I have composed a couple of reflections upon how I think
the Reformation failed and or brought about deleterious effects to the practice
of the Christian faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> I have been reading through the
Henri de Lubac’s <i>Medieval Exegesis</i> as
of late. He made a reasonable argument
that Biblical interpretation was fairly consistent until the rise of
scholasticism around 1000 to 1100. I
think that his argument works quite well with the caveat that many in the East
continued in the same manner and did not join the scholastic bandwagon. A prime example is Gregory of Palamas (d.
1359) whose exegesis is dramatically more in keeping with patristic exegesis
than say that of Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Scholasticism altered biblical
interpretation primarily through the types of questions that were asked of the
biblical text. The deeper shift happened
with the rise of the university. With
the rise of university, the study of the Bible began to take place outside of a
contemplative and liturgical life which monasteries provided. These things combined to make the Bible (and
I daresay theology) a topic of study treated as another science (although
ostensibly the highest of the sciences).
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> In all of this shift in practice,
there appears to have been a shift in how the Bible and the study of theology
was viewed. Earlier, there was an
understanding that a correct knowledge of God and His revelation required a
certain type of person in a particular context.
According to Gregory of Nazianzus, theology must be discussed in
stillness when there is opportunity to judge the rightness of what is
said. It should only be heard by those who
consider it a serious undertaking and only then should they listen to those
things which they are capable of understanding.
It should be done with meditation and prayer.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Sola%20Scriptura.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Indeed, Gregory’s points here place true
learning about God in a liturgical setting.
Despite Gregory’s admonitions, scholasticism altered the assumption and
began to make information about God objective.
This added to the newly arisen University meant that Theology became a
common topic. This approach was largely
reaffirmed by the Reformational focus on <i>Sola
Scriptura</i>. Now, Bible became a thing
of study that was open for everyone to read and determine the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> If you are alive and have been
formed in the Western mindset which formed this practice, you are probably
neutral to positive about this current state of affairs vis-à-vis the Bible. Yet, this is not necessarily a biblical view
of knowledge about God. Jesus and Paul
teach that the knowledge of God is not merely objective, but requires a certain
moral character and maturity to understand.
Jesus said, “Blessed <i>are </i>the pure in heart, For they shall see
God.” This is not a very democratic or
egalitarian statement. In fact, the
entire section of who is blessed in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount continues in
this vein of promising special things to people who have a certain character or
experience.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Sola%20Scriptura.docx#_ftn2" title="">[2]</a></span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Sola%20Scriptura.docx#_ftn2" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Paul even has a statement which also
demonstrates that knowledge about God is not a purely objective thing for all
study equally: “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit
of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know <i>them, </i>because
they are spiritually discerned” (1<sup>st</sup> Corinthians 2:10). Indeed, from the greater context in 1<sup>st</sup>
Corinthians, it would even appear that not all Christians are capable of
equally discerning spiritual matters.
This is why Paul wrote of babes in Christ not ready for meat. This means that not every Christian has the
same ability to rightly understand God or even Scripture. Regarding Scripture, this can be seen in Acts
17:10-11: </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“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.” The reason why many Berean Jews were
converted and many of the Thessalonian Jews were not converted (according to
Luke) was that the Bereans were of a more noble character and searched the
Scriptures. I am implying that the
Thessalonians would have had access to Scripture (the presence of a synagogue
makes this safe) and that they could have made recourse to Scripture to
determine if Paul’s preaching fit with their texts. The difference in these two towns then lies
in the character of the people who were reading the texts of Scripture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Returning
to <i>sola Scriptura</i>, the notion of
Scripture alone could preclude an external norm for how Scripture is to be
read. The Reformers were at least
implicitly aware of this and produced creeds and catechisms to serve as
communal rules for theology and biblical interpretation. However, it did not take long for some to
read Scripture outside of these norming documents. At this point, it became a matter of
disputation as to whom was correctly interpreting the texts of Scripture. What is largely lacking from the Reformers
and their heirs is the teaching of the ancient biblical practice of acquiring
spiritual knowledge through a change in the interpreter’s character.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Sola%20Scriptura.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Instead, the practice has been to set forth
in the Scriptures as an objective something and then argue about and divide
over differences of interpretation. This
is far more societally acceptable than considering that prayer and purifying
the soul makes one person a better biblical interpreter and theologian than
another person.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Sola%20Scriptura.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Sola%20Scriptura.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Gregory of
Nazianzus, <i>Oration</i> 27.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Sola%20Scriptura.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <b>Matthew 5:</b>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">3</span></sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> "Blessed <i>are
</i>the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">4</span></sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Blessed <i>are </i>those
who mourn, For they shall be comforted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">5</span></sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Blessed <i>are </i>the
meek, For they shall inherit the earth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">6</span></sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Blessed <i>are </i>those
who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">7</span></sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Blessed <i>are </i>the
merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">8</span></sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Blessed <i>are </i>the
pure in heart, For they shall see God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">9</span></sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Blessed <i>are </i>the
peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">10</span></sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Blessed are those
who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Sola%20Scriptura.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> I would hold that
there were many men and women who practiced this approach to Scripture (such as
Calvin) and benefitted greatly from it.
However the practice of something is quite distinct from the teaching of
something to others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Sola%20Scriptura.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> There are
significant implications for the practice of evangelism in this ancient model.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-67803634611263322312017-08-19T05:12:00.002-07:002018-03-12T18:18:23.119-07:00The Failure of the Reformation: Part I, Merit and Works.<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Failure of the Reformation:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Part I, Merit and Works.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> 2017 is the 500<sup>th</sup> year
since the Reformation began. In keeping
with this milestone I have composed a couple of reflections upon how I think
the Reformation failed and or brought about deleterious effects to the practice
of the Christian faith. I have striven
to avoid the typical critiques and hopefully these posts will bring some fresh
perspectives on a long running debate about the Reformation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> 500 years ago, the Church in the west
was riven in twain by the Protestant Reformation. From my own reading, I would argue that the
impetus of the reformation was rooted in the erroneous concept of “merit.” “Merit” is the idea that the saints somehow
went above and beyond the call of God and that the pope has access to transfer
these merits to those whom he so chose.
This led to the selling of indulgences because the pope has the power to
transfer the accrued extra credit work of the saints to the account of the
faithful. It was this practice of indulgences built off of a faulty
understanding of merits that started the Reformation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The most memorable indulgence
salesman was Johann Tetzel. He is most
often remembered for the saying: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“As soon as a coin
in the coffer rings<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The soul from
purgatory springs.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">To
the best of my understanding, this is not the official view of the Roman
Catholic Church regarding the effect of indulgences purchased for the dead. Although to the credit of Tetzel, he did
appear to be operating under a Papal Bull which was both ambiguous and later
rejected. It was Tetzel’s selling of
indulgences that provided the impetus for Martin Luther to post his 95 Theses
and begin a debate about indulgences. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Even though the practice of
indulgences was rejected by the Protestants and reworked by the Roman
Catholics, the underlying view of merit did not change. The Catholics continued to affirm a doctrine
of merit as did the Reformers. The
difference was not so much in the underlying concept of merit but in the ability of a Christian to merit grace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The Reformers were rather univocal
in their refutation of the concept that a human could earn God’s grace. A corollary point was that they circumscribed
any notion of freewill more than their predecessors either patristic of
medieval (with a couple of possible exceptions) had done. Despite the delimiting of the ability of the
human will, the reformers did not roll back the concept of merit. Rather, they moved the locus of merit from
the human to the Godman. Personal merit
is completely replaced by the merits of Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Luther<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“That
is why faith alone makes someone just and fulfills the law; faith it is that
brings the Holy Spirit through the merits of Christ.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Failure%20of%20the%20Reformation.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Calvin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“By
his obedience, however, Christ truly acquired and merited grace for us with his
Father. Many passages of Scripture
surely and firmly attest to this.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Failure%20of%20the%20Reformation.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> In these brief statements, the
concept remains that grace was merited, but instead of the human meriting God’s
grace through their activity, Christ is the one who merited God grace for the
human. The difficulty is that Luther and
Calvin moved the locus of the merit instead of going <i>ad fontes</i> (to the fountains) on the concept of merit. If they had gone to the fountains of the
Scriptures and the Fathers, they could have arrived at quite a different
conception of merit altogether.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> To the best of my knowledge, the
notion that the Christians is saved by the “work/merit” of Jesus is unbiblical
in that it cannot be found in the Scriptures.
When the Gospels speak about the works of Jesus, they consistently refer
to Jesus’ miracles. Likewise, the
closest one can find in the epistles is that God worked in Christ in his
resurrection (Ephesians 1:20) and how God works through Jesus to complete
Christians (Hebrews 13:20). This makes
the entire discussion about the merit(s) of Christ a type of theologizing that
is not directly connected to the texts of Scripture, nor is it drawn from the
liturgical practices of the Church. This
enters into a realm quite foreign to the theological controversies and debates
of the Patristic era. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Turning to the Patristic era, I have
found the work of Saint Mark the Ascetic (400’s) very helpful to understanding
the relation to works to salvation. The
work is titled, <i>On Those Who Think That
They Are Made Righteous by Works</i>, and provides a break down <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> St. Mark started off by noting that the
kingdom of heaven cannot be a reward for works:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Wishing to show that to fulfill
every commandment is a duty, whereas sonship is a gift given to men through His own blood, the Lord said: ‘When you have
done all that is commanded you, say;
“We are useless servants: we have only done what was our duty”’(Luke 17:10). Thus the kingdom of heaven is not a reward
for works, but a gift of grace prepared
by the Master for his faithful servants.”<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Failure%20of%20the%20Reformation.docx#_ftn3" title="">[3]</a></span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Failure%20of%20the%20Reformation.docx#_ftn3" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Because
we can only ever do our duty, there is no room for any concept of merit in that
a person is capable of doing more than God commanded. Further, works cannot actually satisfy God:
“If we are under obligation to perform daily all the good actions of which our
nature is capable, what do we have left over to give to God in repayment for
our past sins?”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Failure%20of%20the%20Reformation.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Because we cannot do more than God has
commanded and because we have not always done what God has commanded, works are
incapable of providing satisfaction for prior sins.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> While the reformers would likely
have agreed with Mark’s assessment about the ability of works to merit anything
with God, Mark’s assessment of Christ’s role is quite distinct from the
Reformers. Instead placing the onus of
merits upon Christ, Mark places emphasis upon the divinity of Christ and the
fact He is the savior.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">"</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">When Scripture says “He will reward
every man according to his works,” do not imagine </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">that works in themselves merit either hell or heaven.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">On the contrary, Christ rewards </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">each man according to whether his works are
done with faith or without faith in Himself; </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">He
is not a dealer bound by contract, but God our Creator and Redeemer."</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Failure%20of%20the%20Reformation.docx#_ftn5" title="">[5]</a></span></sup></sup></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This
quote is important because of the two points he brings up.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">One, rewards are based upon works, but the
basis for judging works is faith.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Two,
we are not to view works in a contractual manner.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This lack of a contractual understanding of
salvation leaves no place to imagine that Christ must then perform the deeds
which we were incapable of performing.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It is not the merits, but the grace of Christ which saves us (which is technically the Roman Catholic view) according
to Saint Mark:</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Christ is Master by
virtue of His own essence and Master by virtue of His incarnate life.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">For He creates man from nothing, and through
His own blood redeems him when dead in sin; and to those who believe in Him He
has given His grace.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Failure%20of%20the%20Reformation.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">There is no merit, because grace is not
earned; it is given.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It actually seems rather
odd that God would have to merit the thing He gives freely to those who believe
in Him.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">God is unbound and grace is
free.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> St. Mark paints an accurate picture
on the limits of works. However, he does
not fall into the trap of arguing that personal works have no place in our
salvation. Through works we do not deal
with former sins, but through them we make peace with God.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"> <a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Failure%20of%20the%20Reformation.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></a></span> Works (i.e. repentance) is the means through
which the Christian experiences the full illumination of the Holy Spirit who
was already indwelling the Christian. In
short, works are the means by which the Christian strives toward theosis. Or, to put it another way, works are the
means by which we become Christ like. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> St. Mark’s understanding of God not
being bound by contract is quite helpful for understanding how salvation is
presented in the parable of the landowner and the workers in Matthew 20.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Failure%20of%20the%20Reformation.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> In this parable, the landowner hires workers
at different hours of the day. At the
end of the day he pays those who worked just one hour the same wage as those
who worked all day long. This parable is
told as a parable of the Kingdom of Heaven.
At the end of this parable Jesus said that the last will be first and
the first will be last. As a parable of
the kingdom, I am left with a clear impression that recompense for labor (if we
were to imply such a thought into the parable) is not only the same for all the
workers regardless of the length of their labors because it is purely
contingent upon the wishes of the landowner.
I think that within this parable, there is an implicit critique of the
notion that one could somehow work so that God owes them more. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Taking all these things together
(the parable of the landowner, St. Mark’s observations concerning the
impossibility to accomplish more than what God requires, and the biblical
language concerning salvation), the concept of merit is foreign and deleterious
to the discussion of salvation. That the
reformers failed to jettison the notion of merit is problematic and should not
be discounted for how it affected their entire soteriological framework and the
soteriological frameworks of those who followed in their footsteps. This also leaves the issue that grace is
still understood to be something that is merited instead of given without
external constraint by God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
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<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Failure%20of%20the%20Reformation.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Luther’s Preface
to Romans full text </span><a href="http://www.ccel.org/l/luther/romans/pref_romans.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">here.</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Failure%20of%20the%20Reformation.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> John Calvin, <i>Institutes of the Christian Religion</i>,
Book II.17.3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Failure%20of%20the%20Reformation.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Saint Mark the
Ascetic, <i>On Those Who Think That They Are
Made Righteous by Works</i> 2.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Saint Mark
the Ascetic, <i>On Those Who Think That They
Are Made Righteous by Works</i> 43.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Failure%20of%20the%20Reformation.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Saint Mark the
Ascetic, <i>On Those Who Think That They Are
Made Righteous by Works</i> 22.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Saint Mark
the Ascetic, <i>On Those Who Think That They
Are Made Righteous by Works</i> 21.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn7">
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“He who repents
rightly does not imagine that it is his own effort which cancels his former
sins; but through this effort he makes his peace with God” (Saint Mark the
Ascetic, <i>On Those Who Think That They Are
Made Righteous by Works</i> 42).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <b>Matthew 20:1-16 </b> <sup>NKJV</sup> "For the kingdom of
heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers
for his vineyard. <sup>2</sup> "Now
when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into
his vineyard. <sup>3</sup> "And he
went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the
marketplace, <sup>4</sup> "and said
to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give
you.' So they went. <sup>5</sup>
"Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did
likewise. <sup>6</sup> "And about
the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them,
'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'
<sup>7</sup> "They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said
to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.' <sup>8</sup> "So when evening had come,
the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them
<i>their </i>wages, beginning with the last to the first.' <sup>9</sup> "And when those came who <i>were
hired </i>about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. <sup>10</sup> "But when the first came,
they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a
denarius. <sup>11</sup> "And when
they had received <i>it, </i>they complained against the landowner, <sup>12</sup> "saying, 'These last <i>men
</i>have worked <i>only </i>one hour, and you made them equal to us who have
borne the burden and the heat of the day.'
<sup>13</sup> "But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am
doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? <sup>14</sup> 'Take <i>what is </i>yours and
go your way. I wish to give to this last man <i>the same </i>as to you. <sup>15</sup> 'Is it not lawful for me to do
what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?' <sup>16</sup> "So the last will be
first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-66148587711594400602017-08-01T15:14:00.002-07:002017-08-09T08:01:02.710-07:00Retractions: The Millennium: Why it Matters and Why it Does Not<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Retractions: The Millennium</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Why it Matters and Why it Does Not</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> In my earlier posts, I wrote about
how and why I do not believe in a rapture.
The reason I did this was because of all the baggage associated with the
doctrine of the rapture. I believe that </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jesus
will physically return to earth, the dead will be raised, there will be a final
judgement, and there will be a new heavens and a new earth.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">What is missing from this is the belief that
between Jesus second coming and the final judgement is that there will be 1,000
years in which Christ will physically reign on earth as king.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This 1,000 year reign is commonly referred to
as the millennial reign of Christ of simply the millennium is something I once
espoused and now no longer do.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> I once was a solidly
pretribulational literal millennium future for ethnic Israel type of guy. The last part of this system to fall was my
belief in a literal/physical millennial reign on earth. When everything else faded, I found great
comfort in the historic premillennial view espoused by George Ladd. However, I abandoned this as well when
confronted with the text of Scripture and how it has been interpreted by the
Church through the ages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The millennium is a fairly difficult
thing to wrestle with. The biblical
support for belief in the millennium is derived from the 20<sup>th</sup>
chapter of Revelation. The actual text
of Revelation 20 does not limit Christ’s reign to a time period of 1,000 years.
The millennium can only be understood to
refer to a physical 1,000 year reign on earth, when Revelation 20 is read in
light of certain other Old Testament prophetic works. The interpretation of a 1,000 year physical
reign upon earth is then dependent upon one’s understanding of how Old
Testament prophecies and promises will be fulfilled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The millennium is important because
it is a result of how one understands the Bible and also how one understands
the working of God with His creation.
Therefore someone who believes in premillennial coming of Christ will
understand the millennium to be the time when God will fulfill all the promises
of land and such from the Old Testament to ethnic Israel. Others would still hold to a physical reign
of Christ on earth, but would understand the OT promises to refer to the Church
and not ethnic Israel. Then there is
what is termed the post millennial view in which the Church will bring about
the millennium prior to the coming of Christ through the spread of the Gospel
and the advance of the Church bringing peace and tranquility to the earth. There is also the amillennial view which
understands the millennium as primarily a spiritual event. This view can be divided between the
understanding that the millennium is a current reality and those who would
posit the millennium is a metaphor for the reign of Christ with His saints in
the New Heavens and the New Earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> There are many complexities that
need to be addressed when considering how to understand the millennium. The millennium is only mentioned in one
passage in the book of Revelation. There
can be some difficulty in rightly interpreting something that is only mentioned
once in Scripture. This difficulty is
compounded if that one passage occurs in Revelation and all the more so if it
involves a number. The reason for this
is that Revelation is a work that is filled with symbols and symbolism, of
which numbers are often used in symbolic ways.
Further complicating this situation are the various theories about how
one should read Revelation (predominantly in the past, mix of
past/present/future, or predominately in the future). These factors can be quite dissuasive for
those attempting to consider eschatology.
Indeed, part of the reason this post took so long was my own process of
wading through these issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Biblical
Evidence<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The really fun part is the biblical
support for the millennium. In
Revelation 20, the phrase “a thousand years” occurs five times.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Millennium%20and%20why%20it%20matters.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a> Yet none of these occurrences refers to Jesus
reigning for a thousand years. Satan is
bound for a thousand years (20:2). The
souls of those beheaded on account of Christ come to life and reign with Christ
for a thousand years (20:4, 6). The rest
of the dead do not come to life until after the thousand years (20:5). After the thousand years, Satan is released
from prison (20:7). From this, we see
that beheaded martyrs reign with Christ for one thousand years, but this does
not necessitate the interpretation that Christ will reign on earth for 1,000
years. Indeed, the textual support for
this reading is rather thin and requires reading these verses within a larger
interpretive framework to arrive at a millennial view. This what the early Christians did who
affirmed a millennial view. They argued
that the seven days of creation were symbolic of the history of the world and
that after 6,000 years, 1,000 years of Sabbath rest would follow with the
righteous being raised to bodies that would eat, drink, and beget children
(click </span><a href="https://johnmarkbeazley.blogspot.com/2017/06/millennial-views-in-early-church.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> for my earlier
post on this topic). In a similar
manner, most who hold to a millennium at the present would also do so in part
because they expect the promises of land made in the Old Testament to be
fulfilled in a literal manner to ethnic Israel (to see my view of this consult
my earlier post </span><a href="https://johnmarkbeazley.blogspot.com/2017/04/retractiones-ethnic-israel-in.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Exegetical
descriptions from Revelation 20<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Exegetically speaking, the
millennium is set forth as a time when the devil has been bound and (a possibly
select group of) martyrs reign with Christ.
The text does not explicitly affirm that Christ’s kingdom will last for
one thousand years. This is important
because it means that the idea of a physical 1,000 year reign of Christ on
earth is derived by implication and not direct assertion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Also I saw the souls of those who
had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image
and had not received its mark on
their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a
thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life
until the thousand years were ended.
This is the first resurrection (Revelation 20:4-5).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Reading
the text literally, the only saints who come to life and reign with Christ
while the devil is bound are those who have been beheaded as martyrs. Again, reading this at face value, this means
that martyrs who died by means other than beheading do not partake of this
millennial reign.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Millennium%20and%20why%20it%20matters.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> This subset of beheaded martyrs also
experience something very unique. They
are the only ones (we are explicitly told) who experience the first
resurrection. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> This level of a literalistic reading
cannot find support in any of the Church Fathers (amillennial or premillennial),
and does not make the most sense out of the text of Revelation. In Revelation 6:10-12, we read about the
martyrs under the throne calling out for vengeance. This group of martyrs is in no way
circumscribed by their mode of death like the martyrs in Revelation 20
are. These two groups of martyrs share
great similarity. They were killed:
“because of the word of God and the testimony” (6:9) and “because of their
testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God” (20:4). However, there are many more details in
Revelation 20 that are lacking from the martyrs in Revelation 6. Indeed, the patristic consensus is that those
who come to life with Christ are not only the martyrs, but all the righteous.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Millennium%20and%20why%20it%20matters.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Therefore, the two groups of martyrs are
understood to be the same group of martyrs and that they represent the whole
number of the saints who come to life in the millennium.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Perhaps one of the most interesting
portions of Revelation 20 is how it speaks about both a first death and a first
resurrection as well as a second death and a second resurrection. The first death is not explicitly identified
for the rather obvious reason that we are all familiar with the definition of
physical death. John is kind enough to
identify the second death: “This is the second death, the lake of fire”
(Revelation 20:14). The second death then
takes place after the final judgement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The interesting part comes when
trying to understand what is meant by the first and the second resurrections: “They
came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. <sup>5</sup> The rest of the dead did not
come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first
resurrection. <sup>6</sup> Blessed and
holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second
death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they
will reign with him for a thousand years” (20:4-6).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The second resurrection is
implicitly defined as the universal resurrection before the final
judgement. The difficulty is then in how
we understand the first resurrection. Irenaeus
and Tertullian both argued that the discussion of two resurrections pointed to
an order of how the righteous were raised in the millennium.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Millennium%20and%20why%20it%20matters.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> The greater the deeds of a Christian, the
sooner one would be raised from the dead to enter into the millennial reign. Needless to say, this view required a
physical millennial reign and fell out of favor with the premillennial view.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The key to understanding the “first
resurrection” is the description of those who experience this first
resurrection, “Over such the second death has not power.” This means that those who experience this
resurrection will not be subject to the second death which awaits those whose
names were not found in the Book of Life.
Some have sought to posit that this first resurrection is baptism on the
basis of Romans 6:5 “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His
death, certainly we also shall be in
the likeness of His resurrection”;
and 2<sup>nd</sup> Timothy 2:11-12: </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“This is </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also
reign with Him.”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> There is some validity to this position. Augustine understands this “first
resurrection” is applied to the Church militant, because they reign with Christ
in His kingdom at the present, and to the Church triumphant, because they are
commemorated at the altar at each Eucharist service.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Millennium%20and%20why%20it%20matters.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> In saying this, Augustine is relying upon
lengthy exegesis of multiple passages (of which a summary would take around a
page) and the practices of the Church to form his interpretation. To the vast majority of Protestants, the
commemoration of the deceased has never been experienced in a liturgy. Despite its absence from current Protestant
worship, it was a universal practice in the early Church in the time of
Augustine and likely had been since the 100’s.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Millennium%20and%20why%20it%20matters.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> In so doing this, Augustine implicitly
affirms the idea that the first resurrection is baptism with his understanding
that only the baptized elect are reigning with Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Christ’s reign
limited to 1,000 years<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> What is utterly lacking from
Revelation 20 is the idea that Christ’s reign is in any way limited to a one
thousand year time period. If anything,
the reign of the saints and the binding of satan are the only two things
limited to a one thousand year period of time.
Indeed, there are exegetical reasons to affirm that Christ’s reign does
not end. This can be seen in a couple of
passages:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“And in the
days of those kings the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom which shall never
be destroyed: and his kingdom shall not be left to another people, but<i> </i>it shall beat to pieces
and grind to powder all kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever (Daniel 2:44).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“And
He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be
no end” (Luke 1:33).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The interpretation that Christ’s
kingdom will have no end is the creedally preserved interpretation. The Nicene Creed concludes with the
statement: “His kingdom shall have no end.”
The problem regarding the millennium is that the support for the view
that Christ will reign for one thousand years on earth and then that kingdom
will end with the end of this earth is not explicitly stated in the texts of
Scripture whereas the affirmation that Christ’s Kingdom will have no end is
clearly affirmed and understood to be the definitive interpretation of this
issue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">An argument for
the millennium<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The strongest biblical argument for
the millennial view is the description of how Satan is bound for 1,000
years. This is a commonsensical
argument: It does not appear as though Satan
is presently bound. Therefore, the
millennium is still yet to come. However,
this view of the binding of Satan does not quite with what Jesus had to say
about his ministry and the interpretation of the early Christians.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> There is a passage in all three
synoptic Gospels (Matthew 12, Mark 3, and Luke 11) in which Jesus spoke about
how he had bound Satan. Jesus cast out a
demon and the Pharisees <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">said, “This <i>fellow </i>does not
cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” But Jesus knew
their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and
every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan
casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by
whom do your sons cast <i>them </i>out?
Therefore they shall be your judges. But
if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God,
surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless
he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” (Matthew 12:24-29, New King Jimmy
Version)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jesus
here refutes the idea that he cast out demons by the power of the devil. Rather, he spoke about himself as the one who
bound the strong man (the devil) and plundered his goods. This interpretation is affirmed repeatedly in
the writings of the early Christians.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Millennium%20and%20why%20it%20matters.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a> Indeed, there are two points at which they
would note that Jesus had bound the devil.
In His incarnation and in His resurrection. In both of these actions, the devil is bound
and Christ frees those who were under the power of the devil and his minions.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Millennium%20and%20why%20it%20matters.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Therefore, with Satan already bound,
the Church reigning with Christ, and Church being the New Israel who have
inherited the promises made to Israel, a physical and literal millennium is
superfluous and awkward. In this sense
the millennium does not matter. At the
same time, we are living in the millennium.
As such, Christians ought to conduct themselves in the knowledge that
Christ has bound Satan and that they have experienced the first resurrection in
baptism. Not even death can separate a
Christin from reigning with Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Millennium%20and%20why%20it%20matters.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <b>Revelation
20:1-20:15 </b>Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand
the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. <sup>2</sup> And he seized the dragon, that
ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand
years, <sup>3</sup> and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over
him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand
years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. <sup>4</sup> Then I saw thrones, and seated
on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the
souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the
word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not
received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and
reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
<sup>5</sup> The rest of the dead did not come to life until the
thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. <sup>6</sup> Blessed and holy is the one who
shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but
they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a
thousand years. <sup>7</sup> And when
the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison <sup>8</sup> and will come out to deceive the
nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather
them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. <sup>9</sup> And they marched up over the
broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved
city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, <sup>10</sup> and the
devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where
the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night
forever and ever. <sup>11</sup> Then I
saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth
and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. <sup>12</sup> And I saw the dead, great and
small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was
opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written
in the books, according to what they had done.
<sup>13</sup> And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and
Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of
them, according to what they had done. <sup>14</sup>
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second
death, the lake of fire. <sup>15</sup>
And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown
into the lake of fire. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Millennium%20and%20why%20it%20matters.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Historically
speaking, the believers who would have been beheaded for the sake of Christ in
the Early Roman Empire would only have been Roman citizens who were
martyred. Thus at the time when John
first penned these words, his audience would have considered this to be a
reference to martyred Roman citizens such as the Apostle Paul. This anecdote offers some clarity as to how
John would have understood this. It is
perhaps ironic that the citizens of the Empire of John’s age who are killed for
their perceived treachery against the Empire are the very ones who are seen to
reign with Christ for one thousand years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Millennium%20and%20why%20it%20matters.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Justin Martyr, <i>Dialogue with Trypho</i> 82; Irenaeus, <i>Adverus Haereses</i>, 5.32.1; Commodian, <i>Instructiones adversus Gentium Deos pro
Christiana Disciplina</i> 45.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Millennium%20and%20why%20it%20matters.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Irenaeus, <i>Adversus Haereses</i> 5.36.2-3; Tertullian, <i>Adversus Marcionem</i> 3.24.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Millennium%20and%20why%20it%20matters.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Augustine of
Hippo, <i>City of God</i> 20.9.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn6">
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Millennium%20and%20why%20it%20matters.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> This is a prime
example of how worship forms theology more than theology forms worship. For an example of this see the Martyrdom of
Polycarp and how the Early Christians treated Polycarp’s remains (<i>Martyrdom of Polycarp</i> 18).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Millennium%20and%20why%20it%20matters.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> A few examples:
Cyril of Alexandria<i> Commentary on Luke</i>
Homily 81; Chrysostom <i>Sermons on Matthew</i>
Homily 41, Augustine of Hippo <i>Harmony of
the Gospels</i> Homily 21 and <i>City of God</i>
20.7; Cyril of Jerusalem <i>Catechetical
Lectures </i>8; see also Irenaeus of Lyons for how Christ bound the demons in
His resurrection <i>Proof of the Apostolic
Preaching</i> 83.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/The%20Millennium%20and%20why%20it%20matters.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">See also
Revelation 12 when the devil is thrown out of heaven around the same time as
Christ ascended into heaven.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-85588755178001576052017-06-29T12:13:00.000-07:002017-08-09T08:03:18.795-07:00Millennial Views in the Early Church <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Millennial Views in the Early Church</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> This post is a brief overview of
views of the millennium in the early Church.
I was going to go up to and conclude with Augustine, but the length
became far too excessive. Therefore I
have covered some of the Ante-Nicene Christian writers and concluded with the
Nicene Creed. As much as possible, I
have provided quotes so that the writers can have their views presented in
their own words. I hope that you, my
reader, find this to be useful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Historical Sequence of events leading up
to the eschatology of the Creed<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> There is a plethora of false news
which has found its way into scholarly works regarding Early Christian views of
the millennium. A prime example of this
comes from a commentary I read a long long time ago in a country far far away
(or when I was in undergrad in Canada).
Alan F. Johnson wrote, “the ancient church down to the time of Augustine
(354-430) (though not without minor exceptions) unquestionably held to the
teaching of an earthly, historical reign of peace that was to follow the defeat
of the Antichrist and the physical resurrection of the saints but precede both
the judgement and the new creation.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a> This view is a gross misstatement of the
facts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> In the first three centuries of
Christianity, there were at least three orthodox views on the millennium. Some believed that there would be a time
period in which Christ would be an earthly king, others believed the millennium
to be symbolic of Christ’s current reign, and other thought that the millennium
would occur in the new heavens and the new earth after the final
judgement. Most of the Pre-Nicene
Fathers, whose writings we still have, espoused various views of a
millennium. The difficulty with these
Fathers is that they did not always fit into the paradigms of the present
conversation about the millennium.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Six days of creation and the history of
the world<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> George Ladd in his creation of an
eschatological view, entitled “historic premillennialism,” left out one of the
pervasive and defining characteristics of the millennial view in the Early
Church. Part of the premillennial view
in the early Church was the idea that the 7 days of creation were a type of the
whole history of mankind and that the millennium would be the 7<sup>th</sup>
day of rest.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a> Thus for those who read things literally, the
millennium would begin 6,000 years after the creation of the world. Others appear to have interpreted the days of
creation as 1,000 year time periods while also understanding 1,000 years not as
a literal period of time, but as a symbol for a long period of time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Justin Martyr<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Justin Martyr clearly believed in a
physical/historical millennium: “But I… feel certain that there will be a
resurrection of the dead followed by a thousand years in the rebuilt,
embellished, and enlarged city of Jerusalem.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a> At the same time, he commented that there
were other pious and right believing Christians who did not affirm his belief
in a coming millennium. Justin stated
his opinion and at the same time noted that his view did not represent the
entirety of the Christian community at his time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Irenaeus of Lyon</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Irenaeus
is often quoted as a Father who espoused millennial views. However, I am not entirely convinced this is
the best interpretation of Irenaeus.
Irenaeus’s presentation on the millennium does not easily fall into only
one of the present categories. The main
point Irenaeus wished to argue was that the resurrection was a bodily
resurrection. This is the overwhelming
thrust of his argument in Book 5 of <i>Against the Heretics</i>. Indeed, he argued that there must be a
physical place for the resurrected to inhabit since they will be bodily raised
from the dead.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a> This resurrection will take place in a
particular order according to the deeds of the righteous.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a>
That is, those who are more righteous will be raised before those who are less
righteous, which is how he understood the first and the second
resurrection. Another point upon which
Irenaeus is clear is that the millennium will begin 6,000 years from the
creation of the earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> There
is a tension in Irenaeus’ writing which centers upon whether the millennium is
life in the New Heavens and the New Earth which come into being after the final
judgement or whether the millennium is experienced on this Earth before the
final judgement. The following reads as
though he posited the millennium after the end of this earth:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“For in as many days as this world was made, in so
many thousand years it will be concluded. And for this reason the Scripture
says: ‘Thus the heaven and the earth were finished, and all their adornment.
And God brought to a conclusion upon the sixth day the works that He had made;
and God rested upon the seventh day from all His works.’ This is an account of
the things formerly created, as also it is a prophecy of what is to come. For
the day of the Lord is as a thousand years; and in six days created things were
completed: it is evident, therefore, that they will come to an end at the sixth
thousand year.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The way in which Irenaeus spoke about the end of
the world certainly gives the impression that the Irenaeus understood the
millennium to commence after the passing away of this earth in favor of the new
earth. This view is even more explicitly
stated in 5.30.4:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“and then the Lord will come from
heaven in the clouds, in the glory of the Father, sending this man and those
who follow him into the lake of fire; but bringing in for the righteous the
times of the kingdom, that is, the rest, the hallowed seventh day; and
restoring to Abraham the promised inheritance, in which kingdom the Lord
declared, that ‘many coming from the east and from the west should sit down
with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In this passage the millennial
kingdom is clearly placed after the final judgement, which gives every
appearance that Irenaeus understood the millennium to refer to the reign of
Christ upon the New Earth. These two
afore quoted passages clearly present the millennium as an event that occurs in
the new heavens and the new earth after the final judgement. However,
in chapter 32 of the same work, Irenaeus presented a different view on the
subject with a different ordering of events.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“It
behooves the righteous first to receive the promise of the inheritance which
God promised to the fathers, and to reign in it, when they rise again to behold
God in this creation which is renovated, and that the judgment should take
place afterwards.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a>
5.32.1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In this passage, the righteous receive the kingdom
before the judgement whereas before they received the kingdom after the judgement. This does not appear to be an accident
because Irenaeus repeated this different ordering of event again:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“But in the times of the kingdom, the earth has
been called again by Christ to its pristine condition, and Jerusalem rebuilt
after the pattern of the Jerusalem above… For after the times of the kingdom,
he says, ‘I saw a great white throne, and Him who sat upon it, from whose face
the earth fled away, and the heavens; and there was no more place for them.’
And he sets forth, too, the things connected with the general resurrection and
the judgment.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[9]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> From
these brief observations it is possible to conclude that Irenaeus espoused two
distinct and apparently contradictory views of the millennium in the same
book. It is possible that he was unaware
of the conflict, or that he changed his mind on the topic. I suspect that Irenaeus uncritically drew
upon two traditions he had received regarding the millennium and used both of
them to disprove the Gnostics. I cannot
prove this point, but it seems sensible to me.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[10]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a> Perhaps most importantly for our purposes,
this vacillation reveals that there was not a uniformity regarding the
millennium even within the same author.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Caius of Rome<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Caius appears to have been made a
priest in Rome between 198 and 217. This
would place his writing at the beginning of the 200s. He clearly denied the interpretation of the
millennium as a time when Christ would reign over a physical kingdom in which
there is physical eating, drinking, and marrying. He accused a heretic named Cerinthus for
creating this doctrine:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“But
Cerinthus also, by means of revelations which he pretends were written by a
great apostle, brings before us marvelous things which he falsely claims were
shown him by angels; and he says that after the resurrection the kingdom of
Christ will be set up on earth, and that the flesh dwelling in Jerusalem will
again be subject to desires and pleasures. And being an enemy of the Scriptures
of God, he asserts, with the purpose of deceiving men, that there is to be a
period of a thousand years for marriage festivals.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[11]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
greatest flaw of Caius’ view is that he viewed the book of Revelation as a
heretical invention. The rejection of
Revelation was not limited to Caius.
Eusebius himself does not appear to have accepted Revelation. Indeed, the book of Revelation does not
appear to have been near universally accepted until sometime in the 400s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hippolytus of Rome<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Hippolytus is the only Church Father
I am aware of who actually offers a detailed timeline for when the millennium
would occur.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For the first
advent of our Lord in the flesh, when he was born in Bethlehem, was December
25th, Wednesday, while Augustus was in his forty-second year, but from Adam,
five thousand and five hundred years. He suffered in the thirty-third year,
March 25th, Friday, the eighteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, while Rufus and
Roubellion were Consuls. And so it is absolutely necessary for six-thousand
years to be fulfilled, so that the Sabbath rest may come, the holy day, in
which God rested from all his works which he began to do. The Sabbath is a
model and an image of the coming kingdom of the saints, when the saints shall co-reign with Christ,
when he arrives from heaven, as also John in his Apocalypse describes. For a
day of the Lord is as a
thousand years. And so since in six days God made all things, it is necessary for six thousand years to be fulfilled.
For they are not yet fulfilled, as John says, “Five have fallen, but one is,”
such is the sixth millennium,
“the other has not yet come,” saying “the other” he describes the seventh millennium in which there shall be
rest.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[12]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hippolytus
followed the interpretive method of a day equaling a thousand years and the 7
days of creation as a prophetic history of the world. The key difference with Hippolytus is that he
worked out the math and came to the conclusion that the millennium would begin approximately
on the Year of our Lord 500 and end in 1,500.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[13]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a> He viewed the millennial reign on earth as a
foretaste of the eternal state. Thus we
can conclude that he understood the millennium to occur prior to the final
judgement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Commodian<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Commodian was another author in the
third century who affirmed a physical millennium in which those who participate
in the first resurrection will marry and have children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“From
heaven will descend the city in the first resurrection; this is what we may tell
of such a celestial fabric. We shall arise again to Him, who have been devoted
to Him. And they shall be incorruptible, even already living without death. And
neither will there be any grief nor any groaning in that city. They shall come
also who overcame cruel martyrdom under Antichrist, and they themselves live
for the whole time, and receive blessings because they have suffered evil
things; and they themselves marrying, beget for a thousand years. There are
prepared all the revenues of the earth, because the earth renewed without end
pours forth abundantly. Therein are no rains; no cold comes into the golden
camp. . . . But from the thousand years
God will destroy all those evils.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[14]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Commodian
here affirmed that all the righteous would be raised form the dead and enter
into the millennial kingdom. His vision
of the millennial kingdom is decidedly physical with the resurrected saints
marrying and begetting children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Tertullian<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Tertullian supported his belief in
the millennium through both the book of Revelation and a newer prophecy which
he recorded.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[15]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a> His view of the millennium was clearly
physical:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“But
we do confess that a kingdom is promised to us upon the earth, although before
heaven, only in another state of existence; inasmuch as it will be after the
resurrection for a thousand years in the divinely-built city of Jerusalem, “let
down from heaven,” which the apostle also calls “our mother from above;” and,
while declaring that our citizenship, is in heaven, he predicates of it that it
is really a city in heaven.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftn16" name="_ftnref16" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[16]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Indeed, the New Jerusalem he
understood to physically be in heaven awaiting the moment when God will send it
down. Further, Tertullian understood the first and second resurrections to
refer to a gradation of how the saints are raised form the dead:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Of
the heavenly kingdom this is the process. After its thousand years are over,
within which period is completed the resurrection of the saints, who rise
sooner or later according to their deserts there will ensue the destruction of
the world and the conflagration of all things at the judgment.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftn17" name="_ftnref17" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[17]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Following this interpretation, the
order of resurrection in the millennium is based upon the deeds of the
Christian. From Tertullian’s perspective would explain why the martyrs would be
raised first because he viewed martyrdom very highly.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftn18" name="_ftnref18" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[18]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Origen<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Origen comments about the millennium
do not provide great detail about his view of the millennium. Origen’s work appears to be focused on a
rebuttal of the view that the resurrected bodies will be eating, drinking, and
having children. He refutes this by
relying upon 2<sup>nd</sup> Corinthians 15:44 which states, “It is sown a
natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there
is also a spiritual body.” For Origen,
the key to understanding the resurrection is to understand that the body is
raised a spiritual body. For Origen,
this spiritual body does mean that it is incorporeal, but that the spiritual
body will be concerned with spiritual things.
The purpose of the resurrection is not to rule over an earthly kingdom,
but to growing in knowledge of the truth as taught by God. From this summary of <i>On First Principles </i>2.10-11, I think the general consensus that
Origen presented an amillenial view is correct.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
have encountered some who have argued that Origen was the man who destroyed
sound biblical doctrine (such as the premillennial view) by his biblical
interpretation. Such a view is
completely contrary to reality. The
premillennial early Christians whom I have quoted in this post were clearly
reading the Bible with allegory and typology.
However, there is a grain of truth to the accusations against
Origen. During and after the 200s, there
appears to have been a significant interpretive regarding what should be
understood as anagogical /allegorical /typological vis-à-vis the
millennium. Passages that were once
understood the support a physical reign of Christ on earth became understood
differently. This can be seen in
Irenaeus’ statements, where he used Old Testament prophecies to support both
positions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Nicene Creed </span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The most interesting things about
this shift in thought regarding the millennium is that the premillennial view
fell so far out of favor that it was cut off as an orthodox view in 381. When the Nicene Creed was bolstered by the
Council of Constantinople, they added the sentence “His Kingdom will have no
end.” This closed to door to the premillennial
position. There a temporal ordering of
events in the Nicene Creed. This is not
unimportant nor accidental. “And He will
come again with glory to judge the living and dead. His kingdom shall have no end.” There is no millennium in the Nicene Creed. It implicitly precludes belief in a physical
millennial reign of Christ. This
interpretation is also supported by the eschatological statements at the end of
the Creed: “I look for the
resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.”
There is no millennium. There is
a resurrection and the life of the new heavens and the new earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> What I have hoped to demonstrate in
all this is that there were multiple views regarding the millennium among early
Christians. The view of a physical
millennium, while once espoused, fell out of favor and was abandoned as an orthodox
view in the 300’s. I have hinted at the
reasoning for this switch. I am tempted
to do the work to explain with detail how this happened, but such a project
would require a long journal article or short book length effort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <i>Expositor’s Bible Commentary</i>, 578. I am ever suspicious of statements which
place Augustine as the source of a drastic change in a set belief of the Early
Church, as they are nearly always made in ignorance or are an
over-generalization.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <i>Epistle of Barnabas</i> 15.15.4-5; Justin
Martyr hints at this same type eschatology in his interpretation of “day” in <i>Dialogue with Trypho</i> 81; Irenaeus <i>Adversus Haereses </i>5.30.4; Hippolytus, <i>Commentary on Daniel</i> 23.3-23.6;
Commodian, <i>Instructiones adversus Gentium
Deos pro Christiana Disciplina </i>35. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Justin Martyr, <i>Dialoge with Trypho</i>, 80.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“For as it is God truly
who raises up man, so also does man truly rise from the dead, and not
allegorically, as I have shown repeatedly. And as he rises actually, so also
shall he be actually disciplined beforehand for incorruption, and shall go
forwards and flourish in the times of the kingdom, in order that he may be
capable of receiving the glory of the Father” (Irenaeus, <i>Adversus Haereses </i>5.35.2).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Irenaeus, <i>Adversus Haereses </i>5.36.1-2.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Irenaeus, <i>Adversus Haereses </i>5.28.3.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Irenaeus, <i>Adversus Haereses </i>5.30.4.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Irenaeus, <i>Adversus Haereses </i>5.32.1.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Irenaeus, <i>Adversus Haereses </i>5.35.2.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sadly, we know of
works which would have formed Irenaeus, but most of them are only preserved as
fragments quoted by other writers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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in Eusebius, <i>Historia Ecclessia</i> 3.28.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Hippolytus, <i>Commentary on Daniel</i>, 23.3-23.6.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
one will always say, “How will you demonstrate to me whether the Savior was
born in the five thousandth and five hundredth year? Be easily instructed, O man. For in the
desert long ago under Moses there were models and images of spiritual mysteries
which concerned the tabernacle and they
fulfilled this number, so that
having come to the utmost of truth in Christ you are able to apprehend these things which are fulfilled. For he says to him, “And you shall make an
ark of incorruptible wood and you will gild it with pure gold inside and
outside and you shall make its height two cubits and a half and its breadth a
cubit and a half and its height a cubit and a half.” The measure of which added
together makes five and a half cubits, so that the five thousand five hundred
years may be demonstrated, in which time the Savior comes from the Virgin, and then he offered the Ark, his own
body, into the world, gilded in pure gold, inside with the Word, outside with
the Holy Spirit, so that the truth may be shown and the Ark may be
manifested. And so from the generation
of Christ it is necessary to count the remaining five hundred years to the
consummation of the six thousand years, and in this way the end will be. But
because in the fifth and a half time the Savior arrived in the world bearing
the incorruptible ark, that is his
own body, John says, “and it was the sixth hour,” so that half of the day may
be demonstrated, a day of the Lord is
like thousand years. And so the half of these is five hundred years
(24.1-5).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Note
how Hippolytus interprets the Old Testament symbolically and typologically to
support his eschatology. This form of
exegesis was the common practice of early Christians.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The historian
inside of me is tempted to affirm this as correct and to affirm that the
millennium was the time from which Theodosius made Nicene-Christianity the
legal religion of the Roman Empire until the Reformation (1517) and the fall of
Constantinople to the Turks (1453). Of
course such an attempt would overlook the near simultaneous cessation of Mongol
rule of Russia in favor of a Christian state as well as the continual Islamic
conquests or the extirpation of Christianity from China during the same time
period.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Commodian, <i>Instructiones adversus Gentium Deos pro
Christiana Disciplina</i> 45.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[15]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Tertullian, <i>Adversus
Marcionem</i> 3.24. Tertullian was
a part of the Montanist movement (or the “New Prophecy” as Tertullian liked to
call it). This movement placed a great
emphasis upon continued prophecy that was viewed as authoritative for Christian
living and doctrine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftnref16" name="_ftn16" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[16]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Tertullian, <i>Against
Marcion</i> 3.24.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftnref17" name="_ftn17" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[17]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Tertullian, <i>Against Marcion</i> 3.24.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<div id="ftn18">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Ante%20Nicene%20views%20on%20millennium.rtf#_ftnref18" name="_ftn18" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[18]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> See: Tertullian, <i>To the Martyrs </i>for his own depiction of
martyrs and his understanding of martyrdom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-24052882571305590772017-06-28T16:33:00.000-07:002017-08-09T08:02:20.084-07:00Thomas Aquinas On the Mode of Studying<div class="MsoNormal">
Over a decade ago I read a book by
Sertillanges entitled <i>The Intellectual
Life</i>. I found this book to be very
formative in my own thinking and practice of life. I view this work as a large exposition of
Thomas Aquinas’ letter to John the Monk.
My only real complaint about <i>The
Intellectual Life </i>is that Sertillanges did not include a copy of Aquinas’
letter. To this end, I have here posted
the Latin and my own translation into English.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Although Aquinas wrote this
to a monk, his statements contain wisdom that can be applied to anyone approaching
a topic of serious study. Enjoy the
read.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> <i><b>On the Mode of Studying</b></i></o:p></div>
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John, very dear to me in Christ, because you asked me how
you ought to study and acquire the treasury of knowledge, I give you this
advice: do not immediately enter into the sea, but enter through streams. Because it is necessary to arrive at more
difficult things through easier things.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Therefore, this is my advice and your instruction. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Command yourself to be slow to speak and slow to go to the
common room. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Embrace the purity of your conscience. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Do not cease from occupying yourself with prayer. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Frequently love your cell if you want to enter into the wine
cellar. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Show yourself amiable to all people. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Ask nothing about the achievements of others. Because familiarity breeds contempt and supplies
a means of subtracting from study. <o:p></o:p></div>
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By no means put yourself into the study of secular writings
and works. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Flee wandering above all things. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Do not lay aside following the footsteps of good and holy
men. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Do not care from whom you hear, but whatever good may be
spoken, commit to memory. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Those things which you read and hear make
understandable. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Verify what you doubt. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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And busy yourself to store whatever you can gather in the
chest of your mind, as one desiring to fill up a vessel. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Do not seek things above you. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Following Dominic’s footsteps, you will bring forth useful
leaf and you will produce useful fruit in the vineyard of the Lord Sabaoth as
long as you have life. If you follow these things continually, you will attain
that which you seek.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Latin reads as follows:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>De modo studendi</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Quia quaesisti a me, in Christo mihi carissime Ioannes, qualiter te studere oporteat in thesauro scientiae acquirendo, tale a me tibi traditur consilium: ut per rivulos, non statim in mare, eligas introire, quia per faciliora ad difficiliora oportet devenire. Haec est ergo monitio mea et instructio tua. Tardiloquum te esse iubeo et tarde ad locutorium accedentem; conscientiae puritatem amplectere. Orationi vacare non desinas; cellam frequenter diligas si vis in cellam vinariam introduci. Omnibus te amabilem exhibe; nihil quaere penitus de factis aliorum; nemini te multum familiarem ostendas, quia nimia familiaritas parit contemptum et subtractionis a studio materiam subministrat; de verbis et factis saecularium nullatenus te intromittas; discursus super omnia fugias; sanctorum et bonorum imitari vestigia non omittas; non respicias a quo audias, sed quidquid boni dicatur, memoriae recommenda; ea quae legis et audis, fac ut intelligas; de dubiis te certifica; et quidquid poteris in armariolo mentis reponere satage, sicut cupiens vas implere; altiora te ne quaesieris. Illa sequens vestigia, frondes et fructus in vinea domini Sabaoth utiles, quandiu vitam habueris, proferes et produces. Haec si sectatus fueris, ad id attingere poteris, quod affectas.<o:p></o:p></div>
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JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-68664921525382641292017-05-13T06:14:00.002-07:002017-05-13T06:14:13.397-07:00Some Thoughts on Health Care and Politics in the United States of America<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Some Thoughts on Health Care and Politics in the
United States of America<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
you are easily offended please stop reading here. If you would like to consider a non-partisan
view of things please continue reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Politically
speaking, I am a registered independent.
In the Commonwealth of Kentucky, this does not allow me to vote in any
primary races. This is a price that I
grumpily accept for not being associated with either party.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
have followed the “health care” bills and politics of these fiascos since the
1990’s. The situation over the last
decade gives me some concern. To
adequately express my concerns, I need to take you back in time to when the
Affordable Care Act was passed. There
was something deeply troubling about how this legislation was passed. It was passed quickly, with the appearance
that it was not considered carefully, and it was passed purely along partisan
lines. I deeply suspect this is part of
what led to the Democrats losing their majority in both houses. Fast forward to the present and the
Republicans get their turn to be idiots and are in the midst of trying to pass
a bill all by themselves without adequately consideration. I know that it can be difficult, but for the
sake of the American people, I would like to see a full debate and bipartisan drafting
of a plan to address the issues in the healthcare system in America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Our
country needs to have an honest discussion about what type of health care
system we should have. The present
system is a strange amalgam that will not hold together easily. We could have a universal coverage through
the government (many other countries do this, and some do it well) or we could
allow the private market to determine things.
We could even have universal government healthcare and allow private
companies to compete with the feds.
Imagine giving socialists and rich capitalists what they both want at
the same time! (Note, lower and middle class capitalists will lose out on this,
but the rich socialists can still buy the best doctors as they do now).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
far as I am concerned, the greatest flaw of the A.C.A. was that it kept
insurance companies and required that individuals have insurance. This is an amazing level of crony capitalism. Not even in Vladimir Putin’s Russia are
people required by law to pay money to a private company for health insurance.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Health%20Care%20and%20Politics%20in%20the%20United%20States%20of%20America.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> The government then need to subsidize plans
and thus the government is also paying (at least in part) private insurance
companies for the required insurance of a portion of its citizenry. And despite these great safeguards of both
government and private citizen being required to give money to private
insurance companies, there are fewer options for health insurance and cost
charged by the companies continues to go up.
This is what happens when you allow the health insurance companies to
influence the creation of a bill. From
what I have seen, the Republicans intend to keep this unnatural beast alive and
well fed in their bill (with the possibilities of making things more profitable
for insurance companies. I will hold off
on full comments until I have read the bill, which like the A.C.A. no one will
actually understand what is in it until after it becomes law). As long as this continues, there will <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
any debate, it would be helpful to separate health insurance from health
care. Health insurance can be very
helpful for affording healthcare.
Healthcare is not insurance.
Insurance does not guarantee access to healthcare nor the quality of
care provided. Insurance does guarantee
effective care. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
am certain that there are more effective and efficient ways to structure our entire
healthcare system than our current model.
Who knows, we could even ask retiring age doctors what would work best
on their end of things. We could even
figure out ways to reduce the paper work involved with health insurance and
watch thousands of paper pushers inside the healthcare system increase the
ranks of the unemployed, thereby reducing the overall costs. There are a multitude of options that should
be carefully considered and weighed.
Congress could take a few years to figure it out. While they do it, they could even listen to constituent
concerns as the bill is being crafted instead of after they passed the thing
they did not read.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
honestly do not expect anything I have discussed above to be taken seriously by
anyone in the decision making process.
Common sense is often and easily overcome by political clout and money
of large corporations, especially when coupled with political expediency. However, I hope that is has proven helpful</span></div>
<br />
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Health%20Care%20and%20Politics%20in%20the%20United%20States%20of%20America.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
Russians actually have a state run healthcare system for everyone as well as
private hospitals that accept private insurance.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-59976745881828413702017-05-07T12:46:00.000-07:002017-08-09T08:01:32.418-07:00History of the Doctrine of the Rapture<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Retractiones<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Preface
to Retractions<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> In the course of my life and
studies, I have undergone some fairly drastic shifts in my own theological
paradigm. Some of these shifts occurred
slowly and others fairly rapidly. I have
decided to take a point from Saint Augustine of Hippo and put together a list
of beliefs that I wish to retract.
Sadly, at one time or another I have both espoused and taught others to
believe the points listed in these posts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Please do not take any of critiques
personally. These posts are an exercise
in theological reflections from a more mature (and hopefully correct)
understanding. I know many people who
are far holier than I am who hold many of the views with which I will disagree.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">History of the Doctrine
of the Rapture<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> A historical defense of the doctrine
of the rapture is incredibly difficult.
There is no support for the rapture in at least the first thousand years
of Christianity. As a basic rule of
thumb, if a doctrine suddenly appears, say 1,800 years into the existence of
the Church, it is a deviation from Christian belief and practice. I have generally ended my historical
arguments against the rapture with that point, because it covers everything
that is necessary. However, for the sake
of argument, I am going to walk through some “historical” arguments for the
doctrine of the rapture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The difficulty of interacting with
the history of the rapture in Christian thought before the 1800’s is that I
cannot find anyone who taught it during those years. After a little searching,
I uncovered the closest thing that could qualify as a scholarly historical
defense of the rapture.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a> I will respond by focusing on the strongest
historical points from my research.
These points are as follows: The Shepherd of Hermas and the
“Tribulation,” (Psuedo) Ephrem’s sermon <i>On
the Anti-Christ and the End</i>, and <i>The
History of Brother Dulcino the Arch-Heretic</i>. Before engaging with these earlier sources,
it is important to sketch when the doctrine of the rapture was first espoused.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Darby and his
Deleterious Doctrine</span></b><a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Here are the historical facts as
best as I have assembled them. The
doctrine of a rapture is a creation from the middle of the 1800’s. John Nelson Darby is the man generally credited
with the idea, but it is likely that he had been influenced by others in his
circle of acquaintances.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> The real issue is on what basis does one
promulgate a hitherto untaught doctrine?
Darby was aware that no other Christian body held to his newly minted
view of eschatology. How he defended the
novelty of it I do not know for certain (at least not the footnoteable level of
certainty). I suspect that his argument
would involve some argument from new revelation but I have not yet tracked down
a reliable source to confirm this suspicion. Regardless of my suspicions, the facts are:
Darby is rightly associated with first promulgating the doctrine of the
pre-tribulational rapture as a part of his dispensationalism,<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> and that he did so in the
middle of the 19<sup>th</sup> century.
Any argument that attempts to find the doctrine of the rapture prior to
the 1800’s is lacking any textual support.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Darby was not alone in reimagining
Christianity in the 1800’s. There are
some interesting parallels during the 1800’s in the religious landscape of the
English speaking world. Between the
1820’s to 1840’s, Joseph Smith reimagined the church and created the new
religion of Mormonism. His basis for
creating Mormonism was the claim that he had received new revelation. The Seventh Day Adventists also trace their
origin to the 1840’s and came into being because of a focus on eschatology and
a new revelation of when the world would end.
Charles Taze Russell founded the group which became known as the
Jehovah’s Witnesses in the 1870’s. He
modified Darby’s dispensationalism with a few of his own special revelations
about when the world would end (which needless to say were somewhat
amiss). At approximately the same time,
Mary Baker Eddy started Christian Science in the 1870’s. She understood herself to be a source of new
revelation, and also reimagined eschatology.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> While it is tempting to delve in to
the causes of this impressive amount of religious and doctrinal innovation in
the 1800’s, it would be somewhat superfluous to this post. What can be stated is that the spirit of that
age was clearly one which produced a great amount of creativity regarding how
the Church was to be understood based upon the practice of new revelation. Dispensationalism entered into the world at
the very time when historical support and continuity was not necessary.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Indeed, creating new doctrines and religious
understandings appears to have been a rather successful model at this
time. I contend that dispensationalism
falls squarely into the category of new and never before seen especially as it
pertains to the doctrine of the rapture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The spread of dispensationalism in
America has its roots in the late 1800’s.
Dispensationalism was spread by Darby himself and then by evangelists
such as D. L. Moody and through schools founded by dispensationalists such as
Dallas Theological Seminary. Part of the
reason for the spread of dispensationalism is that it provided a literalistic
manner to read the Bible (particularly prophecy) and served as a concrete set
of beliefs that could withstand the growing theological liberalism of that
day. Indeed, in the
modernist/fundamentalist controversy of the 1920’s and 1930’s,
dispensationalists proved themselves to be squarely on the side of the
fundamentalists.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Perhaps the largest influence on the
growth of dispensationalism was the publication of the Scofield Reference Bible
(1909), which was filled with dispensational notes. As a bulwark of “orthodoxy,”
dispensationalism continued to grow in numbers and influence especially after
World War II and the founding of the modern state of Israel. The popular expression of dispensationalism
reached a high mark with the publication of <i>The
Late Great Planet Earth</i> by Hal Lindsey in 1970. This was repeated a generation later by the <i>Left Behind</i> (book) series by Tim
LaHaye. These best-selling fictional
works did a lot to form the eschatological expectations and beliefs in American
culture from 1970 until the present.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Pretribulational Rapture in the Patristic Era<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> There were several early Christian
writers who either affirmed or could be understood to have affirmed a literal
millennial reign.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Among these authors, there is no hint of
anything approaching a doctrine of the rapture.
The belief in the millennium in the early Church was nowhere near
univocal until the mid-late 300’s. In
the middle of the second century, Justin Martyr noted that there were other
Christians who did not agree with his millennialism.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> The millennial view quickly faded, and was
implicitly condemned in the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed in 381.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Despite the utter lack of historical
evidence for anyone ever articulating the doctrine of the rapture prior to the
1800’s, there are some who still try to argue this doctrine from the Early
Church. In my conversations with my mother,
she sent me an e-mail of an excerpt of something she had read. It is as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> One of the early Church Fathers, The
Shepherd of Hermas, writing in the early 2nd Century,
makes an interesting observation about “the great tribulation that is coming.”
He says, “If then ye prepare yourselves,
and repent with all your heart and turn to the Lord, it will be possible for you to escape it, if your heart be pure and
spotless, and ye spend the rest of the
days of your life in serving the Lord blamelessly.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Shepherd of Hermas is worthy of some examination because Hermas does speak of
coming great tribulation and how it might be escaped. Prior to the quotation above, Hermas sees a
great beast large enough to destroy cities walk past him without harming
him. The lady who represents the Church
said to Hermas, “You deserved to escape it (the great beast) because you cast
your cares on God and opened your heart to the Lord, believing that you could
not be saved by anything except the great and glorious name. Therefore the Lord sent his angel who has
authority over the beasts, whose name is Thegri, and he shut its mouth so that
it might not hurt you. You have escaped
the great tribulation because of your faith, and because of you were not double
minded, even though you saw such a huge beast.
Go, therefore, and declare to the Lord’s elect his mighty works and tell
them that this beast is a foreshadowing of the great tribulation that is
coming. So, if you prepare yourselves in
advance and turn to the Lord with all your heart, you will be able to escape
it, if your heart is clean and unblemished and you serve the Lord blamelessly
for the rest of the days of your life” (<i>The
Shepherd of </i>Hermas, 23.4-5).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The point Hermas is making in this
passage is not eschatological. Rather,
he is focused on the need for purity in believers. The great beast who represents the
tribulation is escaped through purity of heart and mind. Indeed, we even have a named angel who has
the power to protect Hermas from this beast.
This is not the imagery of a pretribulational rapture, but of how the
pure will be protected in the coming tribulation. Hermas is not removed from the beast, but
only protected as the beast went by.
This tribulation may or may not be eschatological in nature in this
passage. Further, Hermas speaks about
how some Christians require suffering to purify them. Hermas even speaks of an angel of punishment
whose task is to oversee the torment of Christians who engage in luxuries and
evil deeds so that they may turn and be saved (64-66). This has nothing to do with a doctrine of
rapture, but much to do with a doctrine of purity and repentance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Nicene Creed </span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The Nicene Creed<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> is quite important to
consider because in affirming the Creed, a particular eschatology is also
affirmed. There a temporal ordering of
events in the Nicene Creed. This is not unimportant
nor accidental. The most relevant
section for the discussion of the rapture is found in the section on Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Who
for us men and for our salvation<br />
came down from heaven and was incarnate<br />
of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate,<br />
and suffered and was buried;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
He rose on the third day,<br />
according to the Scriptures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
ascended into heaven<br />
and is seated at the right hand of the Father;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
He will come again with glory to judge the living<br />
and dead. His kingdom shall have no end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
ordering of events here is quite important to understanding the Nicene
Creed. There is the incarnation, the
crucifixion, burial, resurrection, ascension, second coming, and an endless
kingdom. These events are all listed in
sequential and temporal order. What is
missing from the creed is any affirmation that His kingdom will end after 1,000
years of reigning on earth. The
significance of this should not be lost.
This means that in the 300’s the Church affirmed an eschatology that
precludes a literal millennial reign. At
the least, this means that the Church confessionally abandoned one of the major
and necessary precursors to belief in a rapture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">(Pseudo) Ephrem’s
Sermon<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> James F. Stitzinger quoted a line
from a sermon by (Pseudo) Ephrem which sounds very much as though the preacher
believed in a pre-tribulational rapture.
Stitzinger’s quote is as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> His important sermon, “On the Last
Times, the Antichrist and the End of the World,” (ca. 373) is preserved in four Latin manuscripts and is
ascribed to St. Ephraem or to St. Isidore.
If not written by Ephraem, it is written by one greatly influenced by him. This Pseudo-Ephraem sermon declares
the following: “All the saints and elect of God are gathered together before the tribulation, which is to come, and
are taken to the Lord, in order that they
may not see at any time the confusion which overwhelms the world because of our sins.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Being
a nerd with Church History skills, I did a double take when I read this
quote. I was quite surprised to
encounter a quote like this. Therefore,
I did some research and found a copy of (Pseudo) Ephrem’s Sermon “<i>De fine extremo</i>: <i>De Antichristo</i>.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> I am immensely thankful that James F.
Stitzinger cited the original document, as this saved me a good deal of time. However,
the text which he cited had no correlation to what he said that the text
said. The Latin utterly lacks anything
that could be considered an affirmation of the rapture. I could not even find something resembling
the quote which Stitzinger gave. I did
find a discussion of how the elect will flee from before the man of iniquity
during the tribulation and how those days would be cut short for the sake of
the elect (10). There is not even a hint
about a rapture. Rather, the preacher
speaks about how Christians will suffer during the last days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The issues with (Pseudo) Ephrem’s
sermon are not even matters of interpretation, but of the actual wording of the
sermon. If another text of this sermon
has been uncovered, which said all the things that Stitzinger affirmed it did,
then there would still be some very serious text critical issues to resolve in
that there would be two texts of the same sermon saying very different things
indeed! As it stands, there is nothing
in (Pseudo) Ephrem’s sermon that clearly affirms a rapture. This sermon does speak about the suffering
which Christians will undergo during the tribulation and how the entire order
of the world will be changed during this time which precedes the Second Coming
(after which there is no millennial reign though according to the sermon).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Medieval Era<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Stitzinger argued that 14<sup>th</sup>
century work entitled <i>The History of
Brother Dolcino the Arch-Heretic</i> presented a pre-tribulational rapture.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> This assessment is shared by Francis X.
Gumerlock who presented a paper entitled “Before Darby: Expanding the
Historical Boundaries of Pretribulationism.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> He was kind enough both
to quote the Latin and to offer an acceptable translation of the Latin as
befits a scholar and gentleman. Both are
quoted below:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Item
[credidit et predicavit et docuit] quod intra illos tres annos ipse Dulcinus et
sui sequaces predicabunt adventum Antichristi et quod ipse Antichristus veniret
in hunc mundum finitis dictis annis tribus cum dimidio et postquam venisset,
ipse tunc et sui sequaces transferrentur in paradisum, in quo sunt Enoc et
Elias et sic conservarentur illesi a persecutione Antichristi, et quod tunc
ipsi Enoc et Elias descenderent in terram ad predicandum Antichristum, deinde
interficerentur ab eo vel eius ministris et sic regnaret Antichristus per plura
tempora. Eo vero Antichristo mortuo, ipse Dulcinus, qui tunc esset papa
sanctus, et sui sequaces reservati descendent in terram et predicabunt fidem
Christi rectam omnibus et convertent eos, qui tunc erunt vivi, ad veram fidem
Iesu Christi.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Again,
[Dolcino believed and preached and taught] that within those three years
Dolcino himself and his followers will preach the coming of the Antichrist. And
that the Antichrist was coming into this world within the bounds of the said
three and a half years; and after he had come, then he [Dolcino] and his
followers would be transferred into Paradise, in which are Enoch and Elijah.
And in this way they will be preserved unharmed from the persecution of
Antichrist. And that then Enoch and Elijah themselves would descend on the
earth for the purpose of preaching [against] Antichrist. Then they would be
killed by him or by his servants, and thus Antichrist would reign for a long
time. But when the Antichrist is dead, Dolcino himself, who then would be the
holy pope, and his preserved followers, will descend on the earth, and will
preach the right faith of Christ to all, and will convert those who will be
living then to the true faith of Jesus Christ.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Before commenting on the
eschatological details, it is important to note that what has been related
above is a second hand report by an author who was not kindly disposed towards
the depart arch-heretic. Dulcino himself
was executed after his followers were crushed by a papal crusade in 1307.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> These statements could be
interpreted to be an event similar to a mid-tribulational rapture. The difficulty with this interpretation is
that is does not fit with the content of the lines directly after the above
quoted portion. Because directly after
this Dulcino is reported to have spoken of how his followers would enter into
paradise if they remained in Dulcino’s teachings when burned (at the stake) or
handed over to death (page 9, lines 5-9).<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[15]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> That is, it is not clear at all that the
first arrival of Dulcino and his followers into heaven would not happen through
physical death in a sort of martyrdom.
In fact, the context of the quotations appear to lend to the reading of
the entrance into paradise coming through physical death and not a “rapture.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Apart from the context demanding an
interpretation other than a rapture, there are further eschatological
difficulties for this text supporting a dispensational understanding of the
rapture. Dulcino returns after the
tribulation (which lasts for a long and indefinite amount of time) and reigns
as pope and preaches the true faith of Jesus. I have yet to find any dispensationalist who
expects the raptured to return to earth and preach the true faith after the
tribulation let alone have a pope leading the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> As I have briefly demonstrated, a
careful reading of <i>The History of Brother
Dulcino the Arch-Heretic</i> does not present a doctrine of the “rapture” prior
to Darby. Hitherto, I have yet to find
an honest and careful reading of any text prior to the 1800’s the clearly
presents the doctrine of the rapture let alone anything approximating that
doctrine as espoused by dispensationalists.
Rather, dispensationalism struggles in vain to find a historic
connection to Christian faith and practice before it entered the scene as a
doctrinal innovation in the 1800’s.
Therefore I view the rapture as a doctrine created in the 1800’s and a
divergence from the faith once and for all delivered to the saints.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Dispensationalism, unlike many of
these other innovations of the 1800’s, did not change the ontology of Jesus, the
Protestant cannon of Scripture, nor the style of worship. This meant Dispensationalism was accepted as
a stream of fundamentalist (and then later evangelical thought). This is the reason why, despite having no
historical antecedents, it was acceptable in American Protestant world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> It is important to note that dispensationalism
did however alter the view of how God relates to humanity, particularly
Christians. That is, dispensationalism
with its doctrine of the pre-tribulational rapture made God into a god who
would protect his people from suffering.
Even though this is a departure from the biblical presentation of
suffering and Christians, it was not so great a departure as to make
dispensationalism appear to be a completely different religion. Indeed, the aspectual alteration to the
relation of God with His people fits with the American religious ethos of the
“god” given rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Despite its natural fit within the American
ethos, the dispensational understanding of a pre-tribulational rapture was
never a part of the Christian faith until it was invented in the 1800’s and has
a deleterious effect upon a biblical understanding of suffering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">T</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">he
closest thing I have found to a “scholarly” presentation of the rapture in
history is this article written by James F. Stitzinger, "The Rapture in
Twenty Centuries of Biblical Interpretation." <i>The Master's
Seminary Journal</i> 13, no. 2 (Fall 2002): 149-71. Here is a link to </span><a href="https://www.tms.edu/m/tmsj13e.pdf"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">the article</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> (this link takes
you to the Master’s Seminary Website).
If you have an interest in seeing someone interact with primary sources
and thoughts from outside the tradition of the writer, do not read the pdf on
the other side of the link. You have
been warned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> For an
explanation of how Darby’ concept of a rapture does not comport with what Jesus
actually said, see my </span><a href="https://johnmarkbeazley.blogspot.com/2017/04/retractiones-rapture-biblically-refuted.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">earlier post.</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Edward Irving
(died 1834) appears to have first developed the theory of a post-tribulational
rapture, but this is still missing some of the nuances which Darby latter
added. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Dispensationalism
is the belief that God divided human history into a series of sections called
dispensations and that the rules of his relation to humanity are different in
each of these dispensations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> For another
example there is the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landmarkism"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Landmarkism</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> that arose in Baptist circles in the
middle of the 1800’s. Landmarkism argued
that Baptists were not Protestant because they were the one true Church which
traced itself back to apostles. This was
done without any shred of historical evidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn6">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Papias, Justin
Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyons, Tertullian, Lactantius, etc…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn7">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Justin Martyr, <i>Dialoge with Trypho</i>, 80. Link </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/01286.htm"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn8">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> I suspect that
the diminishment of the millennial view in the Early Church was tied directly
to the interpretation of prophecy in light of how the Apostles interpreted Old
Testament prophecy regarding the Messiah.
This would likely take an entire dissertation to prove.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn9">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> This is the
Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed which was originally composed at Nicaea in 325
and then expanded at Constantinople in 381.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn10">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> James F.
Stitzinger, "The Rapture in Twenty Centuries of Biblical Interpretation,”
157.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn11">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Starting on
column 188 you can read the sermon here:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://archive.org/details/sanctiephraemsy04lamygoog"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">https://archive.org/details/sanctiephraemsy04lamygoog</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">See, also, the more up to date text critical Syriac
by Edmund Beck,<i> Des heiligen Ephraem des Syrers Sermones III </i>(CSCO 320;
Louvain: <i>Secrétariat du Corpus</i>, 1972<i>), </i>60-71.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Note,
I have not been able to view this newer text critical work because I would need
to drive at least two hours to get to a library to have a look at it. After engaging in such behavior during my
dissertation writing, I have little desire to do it again for the sake of a
blog post.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn12">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Full Latin text </span><a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435067101378;view=2up;seq=64"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">. I have not found an accessible English
translation of this work. The section
quoted begins at the bottom of page 8 on the link.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn13">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Francis X.
Gumerlock, “Before Darby: Expanding the Historical Boundaries of
Pretribulationism” presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Evangelical
Theological Society Colorado Springs, Colorado November 14-16, 2001.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn14">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Among other
interesting aspects of Dulcino reported in the history is that Dulcino did not
believe in all the books of the Old Testament.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn15">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture%20edited.docx#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[15]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> “He believed,
preached and taught that his sect and congregation having been judged heretics
by those who were church leaders and inquisitors of heretics, having been left
to the judges of the world, after having been burned (at the stake), and others
having been handed over to death, they have been saved, if they remain until
the very end in the teaching of Dulcino, they will come into paradise or at
least purgatory.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-11516495308398397992017-05-02T16:54:00.004-07:002017-05-08T05:21:02.971-07:00Hank Hanegraff’s Conversion to Orthodoxy and a Lesson in Charity.<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hank
Hanegraff’s Conversion to Orthodoxy and a Lesson in Charity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
few weeks ago, The Bible Answer Man Hank Hanegraff was received into the
Orthodox Church. Thing like this interest
me, so I followed the story. I was less surprised
by what I found that what I did not find.
What I found out was that the initial story was true (it was even mentioned
on his show, <a href="http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/bible-answer-man/">here</a>,
at around the 10:30 mark is when he is asked the question). What I struggled to find was a response that
examined the Biblical reasons for such a shift (the closest I found was this <a href="https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/orthodoxbridge/hank-hanegraaff-becomes-orthodox/">post</a>
on Orthodox Reformed Bridge, which linked to earlier posts).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What
I initially encountered was from the fake news source entitled Pulpit and
Pen. Sadly, aside from giving fake
theological news, their initial <a href="http://pulpitandpen.org/2017/04/10/the-bible-answer-man-hank-hanegraaff-leaves-the-christian-faith/">treatment</a>
lacked basic Christian charity. To make
matters worse, there were some who responded to that initial work less than charitably
(as evidenced in this <a href="http://pulpitandpen.org/2017/04/21/an-apology-to-the-eastern-orthodoxy-community/">post</a>,
which also was uncharitable it its response).
Anyone who took the time to paste the authors face along with some faces
of the Reformers in the flames of hell should really reexamine what St. John
Chrysostom had to say about fasting.
This is perhaps even more uncharitable than the initial hit piece. Then to really top everything off, I <a href="http://pulpitandpen.org/2017/04/18/visiting-hank-hanegraaffs-new-greek-orthodox-church/">read</a>
that someone actually went to Hank’s Church at the Pascha service in the hopes
of confronting him, and yet left before the service was over. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
makes sense, because if I was hoping to confront someone, I would go to the
Easter service. It is not as though I
would be trying to make a scene at Church.
There would not be a lot of visitors or family visiting on an Easter
Sunday. I would also make certain to
leave before the service was over. I
would then blog about how horrible it all was without trying to understand why
things happened the way they did.
Because all of this makes more sense than trying to have coffee time
with a conversation. Also, if someone
writes un-loving things about me or my beliefs, I would make certain to craft a
pic of them and their children burning in hell.
That is the epitome of fulfilling what Jesus said about turning the
other cheek and how his followers should respond to slander on his account. Just as he said:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Love
your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray
for those who abuse you. To one who
strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away
your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.
Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods
do not demand them back. And as you wish
that others would do to you, do so to them (Luke 6:27-31, ESV).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Christians
should care deeply about doctrine. We
should also care just as deeply about how we treat one another. It is possible to espouse the correct
doctrine and not practice it. It is not
possible to believe the truth and not have it come out in your actions. I think that moments like this should be a
reminder to practice charity even in dispute and especially when
slandered. May God forgive us for the
mess that we have made.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">On
the brighter side of things, Christianity Today had several actually useful
articles on this point. There was this <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2017/april/bible-answer-man-hank-hanegraaff-orthodoxy-cri-watchman-nee.html">post</a>
which gave the details in a news worthy way, which appears to have been both
professional and without any overt agenda.
Ed Stetzer even wrote a <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2017/april/how-should-we-respond-to-hank-hanegraaffs-switch-to-orthodo.html">piece</a>
that was a fair handed response to Hank’s move to the Orthodox Church from a
non-supportive perspective. I think the piece
could have been better written and made several statements that reveal a
certain level of ignorance about the Orthodox Church’s own beliefs. Regardless of misrepresentation, Ed did not
resort to name calling or anathematizing.
He managed to express disagreement without vitriol. This is a commendable and Christian practice
when writing on the internet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2401123024465024182.post-78149906108188207782017-04-22T05:59:00.002-07:002017-05-07T12:46:45.264-07:00Retractiones: The Rapture Biblically Refuted<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Retractiones</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Preface
to Retractions:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> In the course of my life and
studies, I have undergone some fairly drastic shifts in my own theological
paradigm. Some of these shifts occurred
slowly and other fairly rapidly. I have
decided to take a point from Saint Augustine of Hippo and put together a list
of beliefs that I wish to retract.
Sadly, at one time or another I have both espoused and taught others to
believe the points listed in these posts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Please do not take any of critiques
personally. These posts are an exercise
in theological reflections from a more mature (and hopefully correct)
understanding. I know many people who
are far holier than I am who hold to many of the views with which I will
disagree.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Rapture Biblically Refuted<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> In this post I will outline some of
the major points that led to abandon belief in a rapture. I am limiting myself to an argumentation from
the Bible alone at the request of my mom.
This is not my preferred mode of argumentation, but it is more than
adequate to discuss the rapture since it was from the Bible alone that I became
convinced to abandon belief in the rapture.
I will write another post that will address the historical evidence for
the doctrine of the rapture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Before I can begin my critique, I
think it would be helpful to outline the doctrine of the Rapture. The rapture is generally understood to be a
distinct event that precedes the second coming of Jesus. At this event, Jesus comes part of the way to
earth and calls up his followers out of the world. This rapture takes place before, during, or
after a seven year time period of the great tribulation (depending upon whom
you speak with). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> There are two primary theological
considerations that I have encountered with those who try to persuade others of
the veracity of the rapture. The first
is the place of Israel in prophecy, which I have previously addressed
here. The second is the fact that the
tribulation is a time when God pours his wrath out upon the world and because
Christians are not objects of wrath.
Therefore they must be removed prior to the experience of such divine
wrath upon the world as a whole.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The greatest difficulty (biblically
speaking) with the doctrine of the rapture is that it is not explicitly
mentioned in Scripture. Apart from an
explicit teaching, the doctrine of the rapture must be buttressed via various
passages interpreted to support this view.
I will walk through what I consider to be the best biblical arguments
and explain how I found them to be lacking.
Once I found the passages used to support the rapture were not
supportive of the rapture, I quickly abandoned belief in the rapture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Meeting the Lord
in the Air<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The best exegetical argument for the
rapture comes from 1<sup>st</sup> Thessalonians 4:13-17. I have quoted the entirety of this passage
below for the sake of context.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">13</span></sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> But we do not want you to be
uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as
others do who have no hope. <sup>14</sup>
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus,
God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. <sup>15</sup> For this we declare to you by a
word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the
Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. <sup>16</sup> For the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and
with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise
first. <sup>17</sup> Then we who are
alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> For the purposes of discussing the
rapture, the key portion is “And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be
caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so
we will always be with the Lord.” I had
been convinced that the logic of Christians going up to Jesus required that we
continue on up with him. It seemed
utterly ridiculous that Christians would go up to meet Jesus and then just turn
around and follow Jesus the rest of the way to earth. Then I read the Bible and the illogic of this
view collapsed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> What had seemed to be an illogical
action suddenly became a logical understanding when I noticed the biblical and
ancient practices for how one should meet a returning King/conqueror. The first biblical example is the tragic
story of Jephthah, who after defeating the Amorites came home. “</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances”
(Judges 11:34). Then there is the
example after David killed Goliath, “As they were coming home, when David
returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities
of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs
of joy, and with musical instruments” (1<sup>st</sup> Samuel 18:6). Both of these passages reveal that people
came out to meet and rejoice with the returning leader. Even outside of the Scriptural texts, we can
see the Roman Triumphs similarly started outside the city and entered the city
and the people of Rome would exit Rome to meet and watch the triumph (which
could take up to three days). The
conclusion from these points is that from a biblical or even a Greco/Roman
worldview, we would expect Christians to go out to meet Christ and then come
rejoicing with him at his return to earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Resurrection of the Dead<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> There is
also the issue of the resurrection of the dead.
Here in 1<sup>st</sup> Thessalonians 4:16 we read that the dead in
Christ will arise first at his second coming and then those Christians who are
alive will rise up with them and meet Christ in the air. This then leaves not only the living
unbelievers, but also the dead bodies of the unbelievers, who still await their
resurrection. This is a problem, because
it conflicts with what Jesus had to say about the resurrection in John 5:28-29:
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all
who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good
to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection
of judgment.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It is important to notice that Jesus spoke about “an
hour” at which both the dead and the just will be resurrected. If the just are resurrected at the rapture,
then, when are the unjust resurrected?
If one holds to a rapture and literal millennial reign, then the answer
is that the unjust will be resurrected after the end of the millennium at the
final judgement. This is problematic
because Jesus spoke about one moment in time at which the dead are raised and
not to two different events separated by his 1,000 year reign! As a basic interpretive guide, I weight clear
statements made by Jesus significantly more than speculations about eschatology
from other passages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Wrath<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Now, the issue of wrath also occurs
in </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">1<sup>st</sup> Thessalonians 5:9, “For God has not
destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” From a dispensationalist point of view, this
clearly means that God will not allow Christians to undergo the tribulation
when the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth. I disagree with this position. When Paul refers to wrath, he is generally
making a reference to the final judgement.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Examples of Paul’s use of wrath to refer to
the final judgement can be seen in </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Romans 2:5-8, 3:5, 4:15, 5:9, 12:19-13:5,
Colossians 3:6, etc… If then Paul
frequently used the term “wrath” to refer to a negative outcome at the final
judgement, then the natural reading of wrath in Thessalonians 5:9 would be a
statement about how God has not destined Christians for a final judgement
resulting in the experience of wrath.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Therefore this does not directly speak to the
wrath experienced in the tribulation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Indeed,
there is a repeated call in the book of Revelation that makes it sound as though
Christians will endure suffering. An
example is this is Revelation 13:10, “If anyone is to be taken captive, to
captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must
he be slain. <i>Here is a call for the
endurance and faith of the saints</i>” (Italics mine). It is important to note that the suffering of
Christians as described in the Book of Revelation occurs primarily at the hands
of those who oppose God (c.f. Revelation 14:12). However, it would seem more than a little
disingenuous if I did not also note that the description of plagues and or
punishments sent upon the earth would not also effect Christians. For example it would be quite odd to view a
plague or a famine upon the earth that did not afflict Christians. This is part of why there is call for the
endurance and faith of the saints.
Furthermore, the very idea that God would send a calamity upon the earth
and somehow exempt Christians from its effect would be contrary to the way God
has operated in the past. In times of
illness and famine, Christians have not magically avoided the effects of
illness and hunger. In the Early Church,
Christians were the ones caring for the sick and seeking ways to feed the
hungry, while experiencing sickness and hunger themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Promise of
Revelation 3:10<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The understanding of wrath and the
suffering ties directly into a larger Biblical theme that needs to be
addressed. I will being by addressing
Revelation 3:10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Because you
have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of
trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The issue that
is particularly important for this post is the promise made to the church at
Philadelphia that God would keep them from the hour of trial that is
coming. This appears to be a rather
particular promise. It is made to one
out of seven of the churches mention at the beginning of Revelation. Further, there are passages in other New
Testament books which present the idea of trials as something that should
elicit rejoicing from Christians. 1<sup>st</sup>
Peter 4:12 speaks about how Christians should not think it is strange to have a
fiery trial come upon them, but that they should rejoice. Likewise, James 1:2 encourages his reader to count
it all joy when faced with trials. These
two passages appear to speak more generally about trial(s) that the passage in
Revelation does. From this we can see
that trials should be met with rejoicing by Christians and that there was a
particular promise to the Philadelphians that they would be spared an upcoming
trial because they had already kept the word of God with patient endurance. After all, the point of trials is to produce
patience and endurance and so strengthen the faith of those Christians who
undergo trials. Indeed, there are a
plethora of verse in which Jesus and the Apostles warn us about suffering and
how we ought to prepare and receive it.
Indeed, only one of the Disciples even died a natural death after
various forms of imprisonment. The
Christian life a life that should be prepared for suffering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> As we interpret Revelation 3:10, it
is also important to reflect upon the High-priestly prayer of Jesus in John
17:14-15:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I have given
them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world,
just as I am not of the world. I do not
ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil
one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It is very
important to note that the Son of God does not pray for his followers to be
taken out of the world, which is exactly what the rapture would be. Rather, than praying for a rapture, Jesus
prays that his followers would be protected from the evil one. So then we can understand the promise to the
church in Philadelphia to be a particular promise possible tied to protection
from the effects of the evil one.
However, what is lacking from Revelation 3:10 is the idea that God will
take the Philadelphians and all other Christians up from the earth before this
coming hour of trials. Such an idea runs
contrary to the prayer of Jesus, and that is a problem. Again, I would place more emphasis upon a
clear statement from Jesus than an improbable speculation about Revelation
3:10.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Removal of the Holy Spirit<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Perhaps the most bizarre and
down-right confusing belief that I have encountered associated with belief in
the rapture is that the Holy Spirit will be removed from the earth. This belief is based upon an interpretation
of 2<sup>nd</sup> Thessalonians 2:7, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already
at work; only He who now restrains <i>will do so </i>until He is taken out of
the way.” This verse is understood to be
speaking about the Holy Spirit who will depart when the Church is
raptured. This is not a view of the
fringe. John F. Walvoord wrote,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“The fact that
the Holy Spirit has not been taken out of the church is evidence that the Day
of the Lord has not begun. His removal,
however, will mean that the Holy Spirit will be with believers but not in
them.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
interpretation of 2<sup>nd</sup> Thessalonians 2:7 is so replete with unintended
theological consequences that I am nearly at a loss of how to critique it.<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> For sake of simplicity, I will start
with the one that Walvoord mentioned in his comment. That is the idea that the Spirit’s work will
somehow be different regarding believers after the rapture. Even Walvoord acknowledges the stickiness of
the issue in that he changes the prepositions used to describe how the Holy Spirit
relates to believers post-rapture. This
is compounded by his arguments that we know the Day of the Lord has not come
because the Spirit has not been taken out of the church. Well, by his later logic that the Holy Spirit
is still with believers but not in them, then there does not appear to be a
solid argument that the Spirit has not already been taken up, since the removal
of the Holy Spirit is not an actual removal, but an alteration in His relation
with believers. This is further
complicated by the lack of textual support for the idea that the Spirit’s work
in/with believers is expected to change in anyway after Pentecost. Indeed, Jesus stated the exact opposite of
this in John 14:16-17:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> And I will ask the Father, and he
will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him
nor knows him. You know him, for he
dwells with you and will be in you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Notice, how in
this passage Jesus speak both about how the Spirit will be in his disciples and
will remain with them forever. Walvoord
interpretation attempts to divide the promise of the Spirit into two parts
instead of accepting Jesus’ promise of how the Spirit will interact as a
singular explanation. This conclusion is
further support by Jesus statement in John 7:37-39:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out,
"If anyone thirsts, let him
come to me and drink. Whoever believes
in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his
heart will flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit,
whom those who believed in him were
to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jesus is here
speaking in metaphor using water and a sign that signifies the Holy Spirit
(just as he did with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4). We are even told this so that we would not
misunderstand the words of Jesus at this point.
Jesus spoke of the Spirit as water coming forth from the heart of a believer. This image cannot be adequately described as
the Spirit being with and not in a believer.
Therefore, once again, we are faced with a situation in which either
Jesus did not know what he was talking about, or the interpretation of another
passage has gone astray and we should not expect the Holy Spirit to be taken
away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> There is a further problem of
considering how anyone would be able to convert to Christianity if the Holy
Spirit were removed. Jesus stated, “Truly,
truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot
enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit” <b>(</b>John 3:5-6). Apart from the Holy
Spirit, entering the kingdom becomes seriously problematic. Further, the Holy Spirit bears witness about
Jesus (John 15:26) and convicts the world (John 16:8-11). Apart from these actions it is difficult to
understand how there would be conversions among people who did not convert when
the Holy Spirit was present.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> In conclusion, there is no clear
scriptural mandate for a rapture from the texts of Scripture. This lack of clear support is compounded by
the problem that the biblical interpretations which support the rapture are contrary
to statements Jesus made during his incarnation. Therefore, Christians should not expect a
rapture, but should expect to meet Jesus in the air at his Second Coming as
they would greet a returning king. We Christians
should also expect to suffer and undergo trials for the strengthening of our
faith, giving thanks when they come and giving thanks when God spares us from
them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Note, Chrsystom
understands that there will be one resurrection event, Homily 39 on the Gospel
of John. The full text can be found <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/240139.htm">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> This topic is
worthy of its own blog post for a complete exposition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> John F. Walvoord,<i> Understanding Christian Theology</i>, 1267.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jeff/Desktop/Retractions%20Rapture.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> There are
significant Trinitarian issues that I felt obliged to omit due to space
consideration and the fact that they were not necessary for a full rebuttal of
the erroneous nature of this proposition.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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JohnMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15401154553000225437noreply@blogger.com0