The Arrow's Path

Today's (Monday's ) article is the next logical extension of the last few doctrinal statements: XIII. Of Works before Justification Works done before the grace of Christ, and the Inspiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant to God, forasmuch as they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ, neither do they make men meet to receive grace, or (as the School-authors say) deserve grace of congruity: yea rather, for that they are not done as God hath willed and commanded them to be done, we doubt not but they have the nature of sin. I have to admit that I pretty much reject this one outright. This one is completely grounded in the notion of total  depravity, which I also reject because it denies that we are made in the likeness and image of God. Yes, we do sin, and, yes, that penchant for sin often corrupts our ability to to what is right. But I have trouble believing that just because someone is not baptized, that a truly good deed on their behalf is in itself offensive to God. I...

Apologies. I had scheduled this one to publish yesterday, but the stupid scheduler on the new Google+ blogger doesn't work apparently. XII . Of Good Works Albeit that Good Works, which are the fruits of Faith, and follow after Justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God's judgement; yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively Faith; insomuch that by them a lively, Faith may be as evidently known as a tree discerned by the fruit. This one is more like it. I can agree with this one for the most part. Yesterday I talked about Justification by Faith.  I am still not quite buying that works have to follow after justification. At least the Articles of Religion throw a bone to the Epistle of James crowd like myself. You can tell a tree by its fruit. That I can swallow. (The Fruit, not the Tree). 

Today's Article deals with Justification, which is a particular hot button Reformation issue. XI. Of the justification of Adam We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith, and not for our own works or deservings: Wherefore, that we are justified by Faith only is a most wholesome Doctrine, and very full of comfort, as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification. For the Homily on Justification, click here and them go to page 24 and 25. It is the 3rd Sermon in the First Book of Homilies, properly as "A Sermon of the Salvation of Mankind by Only Christ Our Saviour From Sin and Death Everlasting." I will only commend that to your reading, but emphasize that bed time reading it ain't. Justification is a major topic that I could not possibly to justice to in so short a blog entry. Justification can be briefly described as God's act of declaring or making a sinner righteous through Christ...

Today in our 39 day march to Pentecost, I am including a reflection on Article X (Article X just reads so much cooler that Article 10):   X. Of Free Will The condition of Man after the fall of  Adam  is such that he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and good works, to faith, and calling upon God: Wherefore we have no power to do good works pleasant and acceptable to God, without the grace of God by Christ preventing us, that we may have a ,good will, and working with us, when we have that good will. This one is pretty Reformed in its theology. Certainly this smacks of Calvinist notions "irresistible grace," which was a common theme of many in the Church of England during the Elizabethan age. By that, I mean the idea that only through God's grace can people begin to have faith and understanding of God. In other words, fallen man cannot turn himself to God. There is prevenient grace needed before we can even hope to do any good work t...

I have been working on a video that the Brookings County Youth Mentoring Program has put together. It was an in service for the mentors back in April. I finally got the video editing and up on YouTube for anyone interested in learning about being a Youth Mentor:

Today's article is one of the longer of the Articles of Religion, and it begins the series of articles completely concerning doctrine. They first two sections involved the Unity of God and the Rule of Faith. Today's article has all manner of odd turns of phrase and strange theological fingerprints all over it: IX. Of Original or Birth-sin Original Sin standeth not in the following of  Adam,  (as the  Pelagians  do vainly talk;) but it is the fault and corruption of the mature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam; whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the spirit; and therefore in every person born into this world, it deserveth God's wrath and damnation. And this infection of nature Both remain, yea in them that are regenerated; whereby the lust of the flesh, called in the Greek,  phronema sarkos,  which some do ...

The article for today is itself very short. The creeds to which it refers to, however, are not: VIII. Of the Three Creeds The Three Creeds,  Nicene  Creed,  Athanasius's  Creed, and that which is commonly called the  Apostles'  Creed, ought thoroughly to be received and believed: for they may be proved by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture. The Apostles' Creed, which I talked about a few days ago in regards to the Harrowing of Hell issue, was basically the Baptismal formula catechism in the early centuries. It is pre-Nicene, so the issues of Christology that the Council of Nicea were arguing about are not there. The Nicene Creed is (or should be) familiar to most Anglicans. It is usually said on Sundays and other Feast Days, whereas the Apostles' Creed is said during Morning and Evening Prayer. I will likely come back to the Nicene Creed again in subsequent articles in this series. The Athanasian Creed is a horse of a different color. It ...

We are up to 7 on the Anglican Articles of Religion. We are finally getting to some of the gummy stuff where you can clearly see two different theological schools of thought beginning to play against each other in the wording. Today's language in Article 7 is very subtle but see if you can catch the anti-Roman drift but also the anti-Protestant (Particularly Anti-Lutheran) doctrinal language: VII. Of the Old Testament The Old Testament is not contrary to the New: for both in the Old and New Testament everlasting life is offered to Mankind by Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and Man, being both God and Man. Wherefore they are not to be heard, which feign that the old Fathers did look only for transitory promises. Although the Law given from God by Moses, as touching Ceremonies and Rites, do not bind Christian men, nor the Civil precepts thereof ought of necessity to be received in any commonwealth; yet notwithstanding, no Christian man whatsoever is free from the o...

It looks like war is imminent . There is also good analysis here and here .

Today's Article is Article 6 of the Anglican Articles of Religion. It is rather lengthy, but interesting in Christian discouse: VI. Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for salvation Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be. believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church. Of the Names and Numbers of the Canonical Books Genesis The First Book of Chronicles, Exodus The Second Book of Chronicles Leviticus The First Book of Esdras Numbers The Second Book of Esdras Deuteronomy The Book of Esther Joshua The Book of Job Judges The Psalms Ruth The Proverbs The First Book of Samuel Ecclesiastes or Preacher The Second Book of Samuel Canti...

Article 5 of the Anglican Articles of Religion is likewise virtually identical to the Creed: V. Of the  Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one substance, majesty, and glory, with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God. This seems on the surface pretty straight forward. Some Anabaptists at the time were teaching that the Holy Ghost was not a distinct person of the Trinity, as is the Son or the Father. This has led many historians to believe that this is a clear answer to those kinds of people who believed that the Holy Ghost was some form of God the Father in action and not a distinct person of the Trinity.  Anglicanism is extremely Trinitarian, so this is not a surprise that such an elaboration on the Holy Ghost is considered foundational and primary in Classical Anglicanism.  It should be noted that this article contains the Filioque clause, which has the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son . Th...

The 4th Article of Religion is particularly pertinent to this Easter Season: IV. Of the Resurrection of Christ Christ did truly rise again from death, and took again his body, with flesh, bones, and all things appertaining to the perfection of Man's nature; wherewith he ascended into Heaven, and there sitteth, until he return to judge all Men at the last day. There is not really much to say on this article. Some have argued that this article was intended to needle some Anabaptists a bit, but this is pretty much a recapitulation of the Creed. The wording if that of "did truly rise" (present tense) not he has risen. It also clearly states the centrality of the Ascension and the 2nd coming to "judge all Men at the last day."  There is not much else to say.  This is the heart of the Christian Easter Message.  

An acquaintance of mine has written an excellent sports writing piece comparing Pat Summitt and Bobby Petrino, both of whom have stepped down (or been fired in the case of Petrino) from their sports coaching jobs in the last month. Pat Summitt has for 38 years been the women's basketball coach at Tennessee and is having to step down because she has early onset dementia. She is  the  matriarch of NCAA Women's Basketball in general. Case in point: when I was in college, if you went to the Rite I service at St. John's Cathedral in downtown Knoxville during the basketball offseason, you often walked in and had Pat Summitt hand you a bulletin because she would be often be an usher at the church for the 8AM service. Bobby Petrino has done stints as head football coach in Louisville, the NFL (largely trashing the Atlanta Falcons), and Arkansas and largely been a off the field troll the entire time. Both have extremely high winning percentages, but the case this arti...

Today's article involves a very short Article of Religion (No. 3): III. Of the going down  of  Christ into Hell As Christ died for us, and was buried, so also is it to be believed, that he went down into Hell. This is affirming the Apostles' Creed (... Suffered under Pontius Pilate  Was crucified, dead, and buried;  He descended into hell ;  The third day he rose again from the dead)  and the doctrine of the Harrowing of Hell. The Nicene Creed actually makes no reference to Jesus descending to the Dead ( he suffered death and was buried.  On the third day he rose again  in accordance with the Scriptures...) This is actually been in the news of late in American Evangelical Christian circles. John Piper, the nearest thing to a demi-God to many Evangelical pastors, recently got into a theological squabble over the fact that he thinks the Apostles' Creed is wrong on this count and that he doesn't say that part of the creed when it is r...

Today's reflection on the 2 of the 39 Articles of Religion focuses on Article 2: II. Of the Word or Son  of God, which was made very Man The Son, which is the Word of the Father, begotten from everlasting of the Father, the very and eternal God, and of one substance with the Father, took Man's nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin, of her substance: so that two whole and perfect Natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood, were joined together in one Person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God, and very Man; who truly suffered, war crucified, dead and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for all actual sins of men. This is, for the most part, classic Dyophysite doctrine which comes out of the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in AD 451. This is as opposed to Monophysite and Miaphysite churches. This is extremely obscure Churchspeak for asking and answering the question, "What so...

I am told that there are now 39 days before Pentecost. The Anglican Communion Facebook page suggested reading one of the 39 Anglican Articles of Religion a day for that period. I think I may try that to see what theological discussion I can drum up. I am going to us the original 39 articles. The Episcopal Church and other non-Church of England provinces have altered them slightly over the years, but I will go native, so to speak. Also, the Episcopal church no longer believes the 39 Articles are creedal or binding. They are to be found in the current 1979 prayerbook, but are under the "historical documents" section, and, thus, are not actually binding doctrinally. The 39 Articles came out during the reign of Elizabeth I. For many years were as close to a confession of faith as Anglicans had. You will notice what an interesting amalgam of Reformed and more Traditional doctrine they are. So, here we go: Article I. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity There is but one living an...

I admit that I am one of those baseball fans: the dreaded baseball purist. I loathe the Designated Hitter. (If a pitcher is making $1000000+ dollars a year, is it really too much to ask him to get off his rich, lazy bum and take some batting practice?) I tolerate the multiple league divisions, but have never been a big fan of the wild card (a true baseball champion should be about winning a pennant, not rewarding 2nd place team's mediocrity). I have never particularly liked Interleague play, aside from perhaps an annual series of true geographical rivalries like the Cubs-White Sox, St Louis-Kansas City, or Mets-Yankees, etc. (But the plethora of series like Atlanta-Seattle? Texas-San Francisco? What's the point of series like that?) And don't even get me started on those horrendous (though thankfully now mostly defunct) soulless cookie cutter stadiums from the 1960s that looked like cosmic space ports with fake grass. In an era of baseball progressivism, I remain firmly s...

Here are some wild photos taken by an astronaut from space.

Our Golden Retriever, Maxwell, died the weekend before Thanksgiving last year. I just found a clump of Maxwell hairballs in my office under the bookcase that I was taking down. I am convinced that Golden Retrievers shed from beyond the grave.

I have returned from my Easter blogging break. Hopefully, I will have some new material in the next few days.

I have seen this happen in nursing homes when I have to go do a Chapel service. People who are otherwise comatose but when you start playing or singing an old hymn, they become very animated and start singing. It is really wild how music is really a pre-verbal and post-verbal stimulus that the adult rational brain, when it has long since ceased to function effectively, can keep to the very end.

Neither the Tomb nor this Blog Margin can hold Christ.

  -Music Courtesy of my friend, James Coder, and Holy Trinity, Brussels, Belgium. UPDATE: James also tells me there is the same piece here if you want to follow the sheet music.

O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Prior Peter has done an excellent pair of commentaries on the Exultet of the Easter Vigil  here  and   here . He is, of course, a Roman Catholic monastery prior, so the version of the Exultet he is using is slightly different than what is in the BCP.

Join Us for Holy Week! All are Welcome! Maundy Thursday Eucharist with Foot Washing and the Stripping of the Altar: 7PM  Good Friday liturgy with Veneration of the Cross: 12:15PM  Stations of the Cross: Good Friday at 5:30PM  Easter Vigil with the Lighting of the Paschal Fire, Saturday at 7PM  Easter Sunday: 10AM with Easter Egg Hunt for the Children of All Ages afterwards.

Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other that the way of life and peace; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.