I noted in an earlier post that Reformed folks like Keith Mathison condemn Evangelicals for not caring about Ecumenical Creeds and Councils, while rejecting the teachings of those same Creeds and Councils themselves. Before, I talked about the Second Council of Nicea, which Calvin openly rejected. But let’s consider the First Council of Nicea, the… Continue reading Can Protestants Accept the First Council of Nicea?
Tag: church structure
Should We Fear an “Authoritative” Church?
In yesterday’s post, I noted that Mathison contrasted what he described as the Evangelical view of the Church, which he claims leads to “anarchy,” and the Catholic view of the Church, which he claims leads to “tyranny.” My friend Cary writes in response: love it, great timing too, as I have a discussion going w/… Continue reading Should We Fear an “Authoritative” Church?
Pope Peter, Part V: Upon This Rock
This is the fifth and final post in the “Pope Peter” series which set out to establish Peter’s primacy from Scripture. Monday looked at the ministry Jesus assigned Peter to, in caring for the Twelve, in Luke 22; Tuesday showed that Peter was the shepherd Jesus promised in John 10; Wednesday showed Jesus tethering Himself to Peter,… Continue reading Pope Peter, Part V: Upon This Rock
Pope Peter, Part IV: “Peter and the Eleven”
This is the fourth in what I hope will be five daily posts on Peter’s primacy this week. Monday’s post explored Peter’s unique ministry from Luke 22 to lead and care for the other Apostles; Tuesday’s post followed it up by showing that Peter is the shepherd that Jesus promised in John 10; and yesterday’s post looked at… Continue reading Pope Peter, Part IV: “Peter and the Eleven”
Pope Peter, Part III: Jesus Tethers Peter to Himself
This is part three in (God-willing) a daily five-part series laying out the Biblical evidence for Peter’s primacy from the Gospels. Monday’s post was on Luke 22, showing how Peter’s ministry to the Twelve paralleled the relationship between the Twelve and the laity. Yesterday showed how in John 10, Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd,… Continue reading Pope Peter, Part III: Jesus Tethers Peter to Himself
Pope Peter, Part II: The Good Shepherd Calls a Shepherd
This is part two in what I hope will a daily five-part series laying out the Biblical evidence for Peter’s primacy from the Gospels. Yesterday, we looked at how Peter was called to lead and care for the Twelve in Luke 22, in the same manner that the Twelve were to lead and care for… Continue reading Pope Peter, Part II: The Good Shepherd Calls a Shepherd
Pope Peter, Part I: Strengthen Thy Brethren
This is my birthday week, and my confirmation saint is St. Peter. So to celebrate, I’ve decided to try and do a post a day demonstrating Peter’s primacy from different parts of the Gospel. I. What Scripture Says Today’s is one of the simplest. In Luke 22:24-32, Jesus tells the Apostles which of them is the… Continue reading Pope Peter, Part I: Strengthen Thy Brethren
Luther and Sola Scriptura
Robert Ritchie said on my latest post on sola Scriptura: Reading through your Sola Scriptura tagged posts, the thing that has most struck me is that the official doctrine of Sola Scriptura (i.e. a denial of (2)) is so obviously problematic that the most thoughtful of Protestants–people like C.S. Lewis, Alvin Plantinga, and Timothy Keller–would… Continue reading Luther and Sola Scriptura
The Servant Church
In John 4, Jesus is on His way back from Judea to Galilee, and He “had to go through Samaria.” John 4:5-9, quoted below, begin to tell what happened next: So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was… Continue reading The Servant Church
The All-American Church of Me
A couple disturbing revelations I’ve run into of late, suggesting a grave misunderstanding of what “Church” is: Many of America’s Protestant megachurches don’t have Christmas services. This means that, when Christmas falls on a Sunday (like it will next year), this second-holiest of Sundays of the year is one these churches don’t celebrate. In place… Continue reading The All-American Church of Me