Corpus Christi: Real Presence in Holy Communion

Tomorrow is the feast of "Corpus Christi" (The Body of Christ), commemorating the institution of the Lord's Supper.  Here are two videos:
First is Pastor and Theologian Gavin Ortlund describing how the classical Protestant view of Spiritual Real Presence compares and contrasts with the Roman Catholic view, Transubstantiation.  While some centuries-old theological debates are so complicated that I hesitate to "come down hard" on any side, I do think the Reformers were being consistent with Scripture and ancient Tradition by rejecting Transubstantiation while still affirming the Real Presence of Christ's Body and Blood in Communion, as I discuss in the second video. 


 

Commentary on Ukraine War Funding

 Last month the US Congress approved a huge new war-funding/military aid package for Ukraine (and another one for Israel).  I've been critical with friends and family about our Ukraine aid funding.  Like many, I have wondered aloud why our political leaders seem to be more concerned about Ukraine's boarder integrity than our own boarder integrity in the USA.  I've also wondered aloud what the "endgame" is - it seems extremely unlikely that Ukraine will retake all of their territory without a direct US military intervention, and I absolutely oppose our going to war with Russia over Ukraine.  A country with whom we have no military alliance or treaty obligations is simply not worth the risk of global nuclear annihilation.  

This is not to say that I oppose any and all funding to Ukraine, but I do think it use be used as leverage to push Ukraine toward a negotiated settlement with Russian as soon as possible.  

This video is a commentary from Jeffery Sachs who explores several of these issues.  He is probably more opposed to Ukraine funding than I am, but I share this video because he does explore some of the same questions or objections that I also share: 

Scott Hahn on Jesus as the New Moses

 One Roman Catholic theologian that I have enjoyed reading and profited from is Scott Hahn, a former evangelical Presbyterian pastor (having been at one time a Protestant is a common factor in many of the Roman Catholics that I really like).  In this discussion Hahn discusses the "typological" interpretation of Scripture we frequently find among the Early Church Fathers.  He uses the example of how the Gospels present Jesus as a "new Moses" to illustrate this.

 

Plainspoken Conversation on Bishops in the GMC

 Rev. Jeffery Rickman has done a good job raising awareness and highlighting issues within the United Methodist Church and the Global Methodist Church (from his own perspective, of course).

In this video he talks with Rev. Chris Ritter about some of the "behind the scenes" movement and planning that went into the special UMC General Conference of 2019.  Ritter was involved in preparing 2 of the three plans that were considered by the 2019 General Conference.  The first half of this video discusses that history and how it played out with the UMC split.

The second half of the video discusses the proposals for the role of bishops within the new Global Methodist Church.  As I discussed in my last post I certainly believe in bishops, and see them as essential especially for the long-term movement toward reunion of the Christian churches.  With that in mind, I certain hope and pray that the Global Methodist church will indeed adopt (as the "Lambeth Quadrilateral" puts it) "The historic Episcopate, locally adapted." 

They also have a good discussion about what accountability will look like for GMC bishops.