Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Something Interesting
We're currently in our second week of an intensive subject called 'Reformation Theology'. There's lots to think about. The Church didn't contain any 'denominations' as such until around the time of the 16th Century, when guys like Martin Luther, and John Calvin came around and began to challenge the status quo of the beliefs of the established Catholic Church.
Martin Luther came forward and communicated the idea of 'Justification by grace, through faith', that is the guilt of our sin is covered over, by the grace of God and through our faith in Jesus.
John Calvin, is probably best known because of what the follower's of Calvin focused on, and that was the idea of predestination, that people are chosen before the beginning of time on who's going to heaven and who's not. Hmm...
This blog is about passionately advocating for a 'Revolution' in today's society, like a Reformation, but a Revolution in my mind (is not a violent overthrowing of a government), but a complete change in the lifestyles of those in our communities. People would follow Jesus wholeheartedly, and other would find their salvation in him, and society as a whole would change in front of our eyes. Love, compassion, passion, spirit-led, integrity, justice-minded, joy, just to name a few would be an expression of this Revolution in our midst.
It's time for this Revolution. Will you pray for it?
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Martin Luther also wrote a little volume called "On the Jews and their Lies". Betcha don't study that one in detail in Bible college.
ReplyDeleteGoogle it and read some extracts. It has uncanny parallels in the Nazis and Adolf Hitler. Crystal Nacht and concentration camps come to mind.
I think this one volume is enough to discredit Martin Luther as a person of integrity.
It is disturbing that you ignore this when mentioning Martin Luther. Maybe you can dismiss the horrors of Jewish slaughter in WWII. I can't.
Lest we forget.
It is not "drawing an extremely long bow" as you put it. Many have noted the under-current of anti-Jewishness in Christianity.
ReplyDeleteYou even find it in the Gospels. Martin Luther merely expressed it in writing. Adolf Hitler put it into practice.
Faith communities are just another example of creating "us and them" divisions amongst people, aren't they? If you can't beat people in the status game or in the wealth game, why not join a church and beat them in the eternal destiny game? Become part of the saved and feel sorry for the damned. Who you reach out to occasionally with patronising gestures.
Hi David,
ReplyDeleteAre you just trying to mess with Pete? I am sure that you know the Gospel's and Epistles were written by Jewish people. Paul called himself a Jew among Jews...They were not trying to vilify their own race. Much of the theology of the New Testament assumes the Hebrew Scriptures and there is good dialogue between the Jewish and Christian Faith as we share a common heritage. Look to Roman's regarding the Christians response to the Salvation of the Jewish community. RE: Hitler I think that most Christians would believe (including most Catholics) that the support of Hitler by the Catholic Church was wrong. Read Bonnhoffer for the ethical struggle of a Christian person�s faith during atrocity. Not saying he is right�just that he was a Christian struggling with the real complexity of faith in a concentration camp (ie. to assassinate or not to assassinate- the nature of suffering- and the sin of standing by while others suffer).
David, You seem to have grasped hold of the �clich� of Christianity� and are trying to force us to embody it, whilst criticising us for it at the same time? I am confused about what you are wanting from Christianity or us?
CJG