tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154554192024-03-23T13:06:13.398-05:00Gloria DeoBlog from a United Methodist pastor exploring the Christian faith that is truly catholic, truly evangelical, and truly reformed.Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.comBlogger777125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-36513307988011104602024-02-12T11:06:00.001-06:002024-02-12T11:06:00.146-06:00Jonathan Pageau & Richard Rohlin on "Reading like a Medieval person" ...Or at least, like one of those who actually could read.
<br />Jonathan Pageau and Richard Rohlin are both committed Eastern Orthodox Christians, students of symbolism, iconography, and myth, and they also have some of the most fascinating conversations anywhere on the web.<div><br /></div><div> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CyJaaX60QKw?si=49keCM0Z9-uz7I49" title="YouTube video player" width="470"></iframe></div>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-42158753633821239782024-02-05T10:58:00.001-06:002024-02-05T10:58:00.254-06:00Regime Change with Patrick DeneenSometimes you read a book and immediately feel "This is important, and I should probably read it again right now." I had that experience with Richard Foster's book <i>Prayer<i></i></i> quite a few years ago. More recently I read <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Why-Liberalism-Failed-Politics-Culture/dp/0300240023/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Why+LIberalism+failed&qid=1701450117&sr=8-1">Why Liberalism Failed</a> </i>by Patrick Deneen and immediately thought "Everyone who cares about culture and politics should read this book." <div><br /></div><div>You can pick up a copy of this relatively short book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Why-Liberalism-Failed-Politics-Culture/dp/0300240023/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Why+LIberalism+failed&qid=1701450117&sr=8-1">HERE</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the video below, Deneen discusses his follow-up book <i>Regime Change. </i>Definitely things in here worth chewing on and grappling with.<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe width="470" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0DIS12FgwU0?si=BnVEQssCYhfM6rOa" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-6777558158087150102024-01-28T17:26:00.001-06:002024-01-28T17:26:00.334-06:00Lack of Religion and Mental Illness<p> There is a now a great deal of research showing us that Religious people are happier, more generous, healthier, longer-lived, and more content than non-religious or secular people. I believe a big part of the current cultural craziness is the decline of Christianity in the West. </p><p><br /></p>
<iframe width="470" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DffqK6j-y1U?si=o9uTXPUVUxBuGnJ_" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-91274840567679736282024-01-21T17:21:00.002-06:002024-01-21T17:21:00.132-06:00Can Evangelicals Accept Purgatory?<p> Of course, it comes down to what we mean by "Purgatory". But I do recommend this discussion; rather than simply repeating slogans of the past, they really do explore important questions about our relationship with God and how Bible-believing Christians might approach them. I certainly do not accept the Medieval idea of Purgatory as Christian believers "doing time" and being punished for sins after death before we can enter into Heaven, but there is a sense in which we believe we will be further "purged" at the end of this life so that our hearts will be able to receive the Glory our Father has for us. </p><p><br /></p>
<iframe width="470" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q5VU1Gqmvig?si=o-6xGYPiKGuivUJP" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-23416440043284714402024-01-14T17:16:00.003-06:002024-01-14T17:16:00.139-06:00Doing Apologetics with St. Augustine<p> Interesting conversation: </p><p><br /></p>
<iframe width="470" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mK-Sj2lB5rY?si=FZWK4xVb9PqRB0Oz" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-2864757217798769682024-01-08T17:07:00.000-06:002024-01-08T17:07:00.130-06:00How new Scientific Discoveries are Pointing toward God<p> This is a pretty in-depth look at new evidence from cosmology and from cellular biology and other fields that suggest a Divine Intelligence behind the universe and our own lives.</p><p><br /></p>
<iframe width="470" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2vTdWBzhPNE?si=X4jJh8BLDPAnvw3T" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-85071304853337896182023-12-31T17:02:00.001-06:002023-12-31T17:02:00.136-06:00Family Discipleship in the New Year<p> Here is a good and helpful video:</p><p><br /></p>
<iframe width="470" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tdV5E99vSts?si=9Ef5w0ZNfhOKBQVD" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-10898191881086343772023-12-24T16:55:00.001-06:002023-12-24T16:55:00.135-06:00Carl Trueman: We Lost the Sacredness of Things<p> This is a really fascinating, at times provocative discussion. I think he is definitely onto some things here...</p><p><br /></p>
<iframe width="470" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/46BMnvVHXiY?si=m3i9bhXb8j7WYdnR" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-49061699046472015052023-12-18T19:34:00.001-06:002023-12-18T19:34:00.133-06:00Identity and Feelings<p> Where does identity come from? Does how we feel determine who we are?</p><p>These are important questions that have a bearing on much of the new gender ideology/LGBTQIANP+ activism that has challenged traditional norms and assumptions and which Mr. Brian Holdsworth takes up in this video. </p><p><br /></p>
<iframe width="470" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jEDp0WV_DHA?si=6nGF_QRMK_6T4c_j" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-73562343652899960642023-12-11T16:47:00.001-06:002023-12-11T16:47:00.241-06:00Non-religious Thinkers rediscover the Bible's Wisdom<p> I've been watching with interest some major "non-religious" thinkers in the last few years rediscovering the importance of Christianity to the vitality of Western Civilization (and the freedoms it brings); some of these same thinkers are also rediscovering that the Bible is not just a poorly-written science book, but a source of amazing (even inspired) wisdom that really does work. <br /><br />May God use this movement to bring many souls back into the fellowship of his Church.<br />Here is the Roman Catholic Bishop and apologist Bishop Robert Barron commenting on the same movement: <br /><br /><br /></p>
<iframe width="470" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/llYrTb4zqFQ?si=rsF7-Nmmb_PVVzTw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-1365580411939543032023-12-04T19:28:00.001-06:002023-12-04T19:28:00.174-06:00Great Video on Eucharistic Theology<p> Mr. Jonah Saller's "Mere Catholicity" YouTube channel is worth checking out. He is a very thoughtful Anglican layman who is well-read. In this video he lays out an approach to the Real Presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper that both takes on board the Lutheran (and Roman Catholic & Eastern Orthodox) concern that the Spirit actually does do something objectively to the elements themselves, to "<i>make them be</i> for us the body and blood of Christ". Yet he also wants to take on board the concern of the Protestant Reformers that we can only receive Christ's presence in the Supper if we have faith. "Make them be <i>for us</i> the body and blood of Christ." </p><p>I broadly agree that an understanding that is both Biblical and informed by universal tradition should include both of these concerns. </p><p><br /></p>
<iframe width="470" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l9hi5Y1g1LQ?si=UcqxV3VS-iZKvG80" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-73236329344900207372023-11-20T19:15:00.001-06:002023-11-20T19:15:00.213-06:00Pope Benedict and "Hard Scriptures"<p> It seems to me that too many people assume a fundamentalist view of Scripture, that ignores genre, ignores allegorical readings, ignores the entire tradition of interpretation, and instead proposes that every bit of the Bible is intended as a History Text book, and must be accepted or rejected as such. There are Christians who try to maintain this position, though it is untenable; and there are non-believers (many of them former Christians) who use this as their reason for rejecting the faith. </p><p>This video examines some of Pope Benedict's writings and his engagement with difficult and dark passages in Scripture. Of course, he's not the only one to do this, or offer this approach. It is well-attested in the universal tradition. Just read, for example, C.S. Lewis' <i>Reflections on the Psalms </i>for some very similar thoughts from another brilliant Christian thinker who was well-grounded in the tradition (Lewis was, of course, an Anglican - nuanced approaches to Scripture are not only found among Roman Catholics).</p><p>If you struggle with the Bible, or what it means to accept it as "the Word of the Lord" - this video could be of great help to you.</p><p><br /></p>
<iframe width="470" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oa_ha9kd0KY?si=ryonAsbeSNtIV9ps" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-51754347592245690462023-11-06T13:50:00.023-06:002023-11-06T13:50:00.146-06:00Is Diversity our Strength?<p>I remember reading a while back about a Canadian Province that changed its traditional motto (Latin, if memory serves) to the multi-cultural mantra "Diversity is our Strength." <br />This is, I would posit, true in some senses or scenarios, but is not always true. Nevertheless it is believed without question - sometimes in spite of the evidence - as an article of faith in the "secular/progressive religion" that is so prominent in our culture (and even more so in Canada, from what I can gather).<br /><br />I've just lived through a denominational split that was caused by... well... diversity. We had a diversity, even a divergence, of beliefs and priorities: We did not all believe the same things about God, Scripture, or Sin; We were not "on the same page"; we could not walk together because we did not intend to walk in the same direction. If we had had a little less "diversity" and a little more "sameness" or commonality, maybe the United Methodist Church would not have split. </p><p>Though "diversity is our strength" is the kind of thing you'd hear at meetings and church conferences; it is precisely what killed our ability to work together cohesively.</p><p>Of course, there is another kind of diversity that <i>is </i>a strength, as the Scripture affirms: different members of the body bring different spiritual gifts, skills, experiences, to the work of the Church, and the whole is stronger because of it. There is a diversity of gifts and even backgrounds, but a common Lord, a common mission, a common faith that shapes a common worldview: One Body, One Spirit, One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism... That God-given diversity is held together by a transcendent Source of unity. That is the Biblical vision. There is a Commonality that makes the diversity "work."</p><p>But what about in secular society? Is Diversity our strength? <br />The sociological evidence seems to indicate that the answer is "No." I remember reading about this from Putnam's research years ago (that gets mentioned in this video) and I was hesitant to even share those articles online, because I thought I might get pushback for even suggesting that - just maybe - this "article of faith" in our secular culture might not be correct after all (and I did get some pushback when I shared the findings on social media).<br /><br />Here is a video from a British conservative talking about this in light of the highly polarized situation. I think the video does a good job raising the questions: how much "sameness" or "commonality" do you need for diversity to work? I think the distinction he makes between a multi-racial society that shares a common culture and a multi-cultural society is an important one to ponder. </p><p><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RmgW8wFzyxc?si=u9LmJMcTGg1DGYiJ" title="YouTube video player" width="470"></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-59464864069903389202023-10-31T01:29:00.002-05:002023-10-31T01:29:00.146-05:00How Materialism limits our thinking (about demons)<p> Here is (another) great conversation with Eastern Orthodox Christian artist Jonathan Pageau. A few minutes into this video he gives a very intriguing description of - or a way of thinking of - demons or dark spirits. Really fascinating stuff that I am still chewing on. </p><p><br /></p>
<iframe width="470" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YA0zN-uBcxA" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-2674556012792864172023-10-23T12:10:00.001-05:002023-10-23T12:10:00.148-05:00Sell the Vatican to feel the poor?<p>There is a pretty good Anthony Quinn movie from years ago called "Shoes of the Fisherman" in which a reform-minded bishop - perhaps somewhat similar to Pope Francis, actually - gets elected pope. To help stop a famine in China that could lead to a major war, he calls upon the world's people to give generously to provide food for the Chinese, even pledging to sell off the art and architectural treasures of the Vatican if need be.<br /> <br />Maybe people have that movie in mind when they visit the Vatican today and make comments like, "Just look at all this gold-gilded opulence; just imagine how many poor people could have been helped with all that money." I admit that I felt some ambivalence visiting St. Peters, not because it was glorious, but because I knew that it was funded, in part, through the sale of indulgences - a corrupt practice that actually was the catalyst of the Protestant Reformation and the shattering of Western Christendom. <br /> <br />Here is another great video from Brian Holdsworth: he heard comments like that ("Why not sell the Vatican to feed the world?") when he visited Rome, and moves beyond the surface level moralism (even sanctimony) to think through the actual implications of what that means, showing just how short-sighted this sentiment actually is.<br /><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nUEtTEKdIm0?si=P7ENwX4Ha-YfpArD" title="YouTube video player" width="440"></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-11174697838285914272023-10-16T12:02:00.001-05:002023-10-16T12:02:00.152-05:00Branch theory: A Cursory Defense<p> One YouTuber I've recently run across and really profited from/enjoyed is Jonah Saller at the Mere Catholicity channel. I believe that Mr. Saller is an Anglican layman and has lots of really thoughtful videos advocating for a "reformed catholicity". Here he discusses the view held by many (but not all) Anglicans called "Branch theory" - the idea that the original undivided and catholic church founded by Christ has divided into (at least) three branches that can all claim to be legitimately "catholic" continuations of that original "trunk" with the same validity of ordinations and sacraments: the Eastern Orthodox, the Roman Catholic, and the Anglican branches. While some Anglicans use "Branch Theory" to "de-church" other Protestant churches, Mr. Saller - in this an other videos - takes a more generous (and, I would argue, a more realistic) approach: other Protestant churches are clearly real parts of Christ's church that really experience the saving grace of Jesus Christ; but there are gifts of catholicity (such as Apostolic bishops) that God intends for them to have, which they currently lack. <br /><br /><br /><br /></p>
<iframe width="440" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mbR7OHMo808?si=_Wvcdun9oD0b-0jn" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-63516022891054154492023-10-09T11:28:00.001-05:002023-10-09T11:28:00.168-05:00Why so much mental illness and gender confusion among young people?<p>Many of us, especially those with children, have grave concerns about the dramatic rise in mental illness, anxiety, depression, suicide and other "deaths of despair", and also gender confusion and LGBTQPIAN+ lifestyle among young adults, and even children. <br />This is a great discussion between Megyn Kelly and mental health professional, Dr. Nicolas Karadras. The good doctor is willing to say exactly what the evidence points toward, even if some may be afraid to state the obvious. It is worth your time: <br /><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-x0nDR3nHrU?si=Yvz1QXfMKminIuSG" title="YouTube video player" width="440"></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-12425830814326844502023-10-02T11:23:00.001-05:002023-10-02T11:23:00.154-05:00The union of Creator and Creature<p> This is a truly fascinating discussion with Jonathan Pageau about the way Christ means that God has taken the Creature into his own life in eternity - outside of time. This is worth chewing on: <br /></p><br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/667Nc7Ia4iY?si=QRm4r3p8ZDuKSodG" title="YouTube video player" width="440"></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-28899976323634886332023-09-27T11:22:00.004-05:002023-09-27T11:22:53.022-05:00Holdsworth: It's not about Relationship, It's about Religion<p> Here is a provocative video from Roman Catholic lay apologist Brian Holdsworth. While I don't usually see things 100% the same way he does, he makes some excellent points in a compelling way here. <br />I have a video on YouTube called "Consumeristic Christianity" that offers my "take" on these ideas. Here is a glimpse: it is, as he says, not simply about "relationship," but rather "right relationship;" and in the Bible that always means "covenant relationship."<br /><br /><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BMjvq3Q8VC0?si=rGTb_syC4PjoSxRk" title="YouTube video player" width="440"></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-70298979694596131972023-09-26T14:35:00.000-05:002023-09-29T16:48:23.757-05:00Nolley Methodist Church: What We Believe & Teach<p align="center" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="text-align: left;">The following statement of faith and theology was adopted by the Administrative Board of the Richmond Nolley Memorial Methodist Church in August of 2023:<br /></span><span style="font-family: Bookman Old Style, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />The
Articles of Religion</span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Originally
adopted by the Anglican Church in A.D. 1571; the Articles of Religion
were abridged by John Wesley, the 'father of Methodism,' in 1784 and
adopted by the first General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church later that same year. The Articles have remained an
authoritative 'standard of doctrine' for various Methodist Churches
since that time.</i></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The
Richmond Nolley Memorial Methodist Church accepts these Articles,
along with the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, as authoritative
standards for Biblical interpretation and Christian teaching:</i></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><b>Article
I—Of Faith in the Holy Trinity</b></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">There
is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body or parts,
of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the maker and preserver of
all things, both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead
there are three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity—the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
II—Of the Word, or Son of God, Who Was Made Very Man</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
Son, who is the Word of the Father, the very and eternal God, of one
substance with the Father, took man's nature in the womb of the
blessed Virgin; 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, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile his
Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but
also for actual sins of men.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
III—Of the Resurrection of Christ</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Christ
did truly rise again from the dead, and took again his body, with 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.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
IV—Of the Holy Ghost</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">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.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
V—Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
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
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. The names of the canonical books are:</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, The
First Book of Samuel, The Second Book of Samuel, The First Book of
Kings, The Second Book of Kings, The First Book of Chronicles, The
Second Book of Chronicles, The Book of Ezra, The Book of Nehemiah,
The Book of Esther, The Book of Job, The Psalms, The Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes or the Preacher, Cantica or Songs of Solomon, Four
Prophets the Greater, Twelve Prophets the Less.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">All
the books of the New Testament, as they are commonly received, we do
receive and account canonical.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
VI—Of the Old Testament</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">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 who feign that the old fathers did
look only for transitory promises. Although the law given from God by
Moses as touching ceremonies and rites doth not bind Christians, nor
ought the civil precepts thereof of necessity be received in any
commonwealth; yet notwithstanding, no Christian whatsoever is free
from the obedience of the commandments which are called moral.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
VII—Of Original or Birth Sin</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Original
sin standeth not in the following of Adam (as the Pelagians do vainly
talk), but it is the corruption of the nature of every man, that
naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam, whereby man is very
far gone from original righteousness, and of his own nature inclined
to evil, and that continually.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
VIII—Of Free Will</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
condition of man after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turn
and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and 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.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
IX—Of the Justification of Man</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">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.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
X—Of Good Works</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Although
good works, which are the fruits of faith, and follow after
justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of
God's judgment; yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in
Christ, and spring out of a true and lively faith, insomuch that by
them a lively faith may be as evidently known as a tree is discerned
by its fruit.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
XI—Of Works of Supererogation</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Voluntary
works—besides, over and above God's commandments—which they call
works of supererogation, cannot be taught without arrogancy and
impiety. For by them men do declare that they do not only render unto
God as much as they are bound to do, but that they do more for his
sake than of bounden duty is required; whereas Christ saith plainly:
When you have done all that is commanded you, say, We are
unprofitable servants.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
XII—Of Sin After Justification</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Not
every sin willingly committed after justification is the sin against
the Holy Ghost, and unpardonable. Wherefore, the grant of repentance
is not to be denied to such as fall into sin after justification.
After we have received the Holy Ghost, we may depart from grace
given, and fall into sin, and, by the grace of God, rise again and
amend our lives. And therefore they are to be condemned who say they
can no more sin as long as they live here; or deny the place of
forgiveness to such as truly repent.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
XIII—Of the Church</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
visible church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men in which
the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments duly
administered according to Christ's ordinance, in all those things
that of necessity are requisite to the same.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
XIV—Of Purgatory</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
Romish doctrine concerning purgatory, pardon, worshiping, and
adoration, as well of images as of relics, and also invocation of
saints, is a fond thing, vainly invented, and grounded upon no
warrant of Scripture, but repugnant to the Word of God.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
XV—Of Speaking in the Congregation in Such a Tongue as the People
Understand</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It
is a thing plainly repugnant to the Word of God, and the custom of
the primitive church, to have public prayer in the church, or to
minister the Sacraments, in a tongue not understood by the people.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
XVI—Of the Sacraments</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sacraments
ordained of Christ are not only badges or tokens of Christian men's
profession, but rather they are certain signs of grace, and God's
good will toward us, by which he doth work invisibly in us, and doth
not only quicken, but also strengthen and confirm, our faith in him.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">There
are two Sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord in the Gospel; that is
to say, Baptism and the Supper of the Lord.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Those
five commonly called sacraments, that is to say, confirmation,
penance, orders, matrimony, and extreme unction, are not to be
counted for Sacraments of the Gospel; being such as have partly grown
out of the corrupt following of the apostles, and partly are states
of life allowed in the Scriptures, but yet have not the like nature
of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, because they have not any visible
sign or ceremony ordained of God.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
Sacraments were not ordained of Christ to be gazed upon, or to be
carried about; but that we should duly use them. And in such only as
worthily receive the same, they have a wholesome effect or operation;
but they that receive them unworthily, purchase to themselves
condemnation, as St. Paul saith.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
XVII—Of Baptism</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Baptism
is not only a sign of profession and mark of difference whereby
Christians are distinguished from others that are not baptized; but
it is also a sign of regeneration or the new birth. The Baptism of
young children is to be retained in the Church.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
XVIII—Of the Lord's Supper</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
Supper of the Lord is not only a sign of the love that Christians
ought to have among themselves one to another, but rather is a
sacrament of our redemption by Christ's death; insomuch that, to such
as rightly, worthily, and with faith receive the same, the bread
which we break is a partaking of the body of Christ; and likewise the
cup of blessing is a partaking of the blood of Christ.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Transubstantiation,
or the change of the substance of bread and wine in the Supper of our
Lord, cannot be proved by Holy Writ, but is repugnant to the plain
words of Scripture, overthroweth the nature of a sacrament, and hath
given occasion to many superstitions.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the Supper, only after a
heavenly and spiritual manner. And the mean whereby the body of
Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not by Christ's ordinance
reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshiped.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
XIX—Of Both Kinds</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
cup of the Lord is not to be denied to the lay people; for both the
parts of the Lord's Supper, by Christ's ordinance and commandment,
ought to be administered to all Christians alike.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
XX—Of the One Oblation of Christ, Finished upon the Cross</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
offering of Christ, once made, is that perfect redemption,
propitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world,
both original and actual; and there is none other satisfaction for
sin but that alone. Wherefore the sacrifice of masses, in the which
it is commonly said that the priest doth offer Christ for the quick
and the dead, to have remission of pain or guilt, is a blasphemous
fable and dangerous deceit.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
XXI—Of the Marriage of Ministers</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
ministers of Christ are not commanded by God's law either to vow the
estate of single life, or to abstain from marriage; therefore it is
lawful for them, as for all other Christians, to marry at their own
discretion, as they shall judge the same to serve best to godliness.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
XXII—Of the Rites and Ceremonies of Churches</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It
is not necessary that rites and ceremonies should in all places be
the same, or exactly alike; for they have been always different, and
may be changed according to the diversity of countries, times, and
men's manners, so that nothing be ordained against God's Word.
Whosoever, through his private judgment, willingly and purposely doth
openly break the rites and ceremonies of the church to which he
belongs, which are not repugnant to the Word of God, and are ordained
and approved by common authority, ought to be rebuked openly, that
others may fear to do the like, as one that offendeth against the
common order of the church, and woundeth the consciences of weak
brethren.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Every
particular church may ordain, change, or abolish rites and
ceremonies, so that all things may be done to edification.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
XXIII—Of the Rulers of the United States of America</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
President, the Congress, the general assemblies, the governors, and
the councils of state, as the delegates of the people, are the rulers
of the United States of America, according to the division of power
made to them by the Constitution of the United States and by the
constitutions of their respective states. And the said states are a
sovereign and independent nation, and ought not to be subject to any
foreign jurisdiction.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
XXIV—Of Christian Men's Goods</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
riches and goods of Christians are not common as touching the right,
title, and possession of the same, as some do falsely boast.
Notwithstanding, every man ought, of such things as he possesseth,
liberally to give alms to the poor, according to his ability.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Article
XXV—Of a Christian Man's Oath</b></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">As
we confess that vain and rash swearing is forbidden Christian men by
our Lord Jesus Christ and James his apostle, so we judge that the
Christian religion doth not prohibit, but that a man may swear when
the magistrate requireth, in a cause of faith and charity, so it be
done according to the prophet's teaching, in justice, judgment, and
truth.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">[</span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><i>The
following Article from the Methodist Protestant Discipline was added
alongside the traditional Articles of Religion by the Uniting
Conference of the Methodist Church (1939)</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">.]</span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><b>Of
Sanctification</b></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sanctification
is that renewal of our fallen nature by the Holy Ghost, received
through faith in Jesus Christ, whose blood of atonement cleanseth
from all sin; whereby we are not only delivered from the guilt of
sin, but are washed from its pollution, saved from its power, and are
enabled, through grace, to love God with all our hearts and to walk
in his holy commandments blameless.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">[</span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><i>The
following provision was adopted by the Uniting Conference of the
Methodist Church (1939). This statement seeks to interpret to
churches in foreign lands Article XXIII of the Articles of Religion</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">.]</span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><b>Of
the Duty of Christians to the Civil Authority</b></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It
is the duty of all Christians, and especially of all Christian
ministers, to observe and obey the laws and commands of the governing
or supreme authority of the country of which they are citizens or
subjects or in which they reside, and to use all laudable means to
encourage and enjoin obedience to the powers that be.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">[</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
following statement on Gender, Sex, Marriage and Family is taken from
"The Jerusalem Declaration" of 2008</span></i></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">]</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Of
Gender, Sex, Marriage and Famil</span>y</b></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">We
acknowledge God's creation of humankind as male and female and the
unchangeable standard of Christian marriage between one man and one
woman as the proper place for sexual intimacy and the basis of the
family. We repent of our failures to maintain this standard and call
for a renewed commitment to lifelong fidelity in marriage and
abstinence for those who are not married.</span></span></span></span></p>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-63770537381478169332023-07-05T15:41:00.003-05:002023-07-05T15:41:19.676-05:00Lutheran and Reformed differences on Assurance<p> This one is "into the weeds" a bit: Dr. Jordan Cooper has a great video on the differences between the Lutheran and Reformed/Calvinist understandings of Assurance. Assurance was a <i>huge </i>issue - both theologically and practically/spiritually - for John Wesley. He ultimately grounds assurance both in the reliability of the promises of God and especially the inner experience of the Holy Spirit "witnessing with our own spirit that we are children of God" (as in Romans 8).</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><iframe width="475" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E11QuYtCGyQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-63741874119752759852023-06-10T15:35:00.001-05:002023-06-10T15:35:00.164-05:00The Case against the Sexual Revolution<p> Anytime you speak about something as wide-ranging as "The Sexual Revolution," you are going to be speaking in broad generalizations that cannot possibly hold true in all cases. Plus we have to define our terms to even know the scope of what we are talking about. Does The Sexual Revolution mean primarily "the pill" and easy access to abortion and a throwing off of classical morals around sexuality? Or does it include things like the women's suffrage movement as well? </p><p>That is the kind of nuance that you cannot squeeze into the title of a book, of course. But the title of Ms Louis Perry's book is deliberately provocative - wanting our whole culture to re-think some things that we have been told to believe from childhood, and asking us to question some of the "orthodoxies" of our society in light of the actual data and sociological research.</p><p>Based on the data we now have, Perry argues that the primary beneficiaries of the changing sexual mores of our culture have been men, and not women. I've read other research suggesting that women tend to be (on the whole) happier, less anxious, less depressed, and so on who live in more traditional ways and in light of more traditional values.</p><p>Rod Dreher is a conservative social commentator and Eastern Orthodox Christian and personal friend of mind. It comes as no surprise that he finds Ms Perry's book a welcome contribution to the public discourse, and also (since Ms Perry is writing from a secular perspective), as a Christian, Dreher wants to push the conversation further in the direction of our need for a cultural and moral transformation - a spiritual conversion - in order to become a society that truly loves the women and children among us. </p><p> This is a very interesting discussion and very timely, and well-worth your time. </p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MYf7aHe_GT0" title="YouTube video player" width="470"></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-15066121293542345442023-06-02T15:54:00.001-05:002023-06-02T15:54:00.144-05:00The mysteries of "Beowulf"<p> The "Universal History" discussions between Jonathan Pageau and Richard Rohlin are, for my money, some of the most interesting content on the whole internet. In this video they discuss the Old English epic poem, <i>Beowulf</i>, and its many parallels with the apocryphal <i>Book of Enoch</i> in the Hebrew tradition. Lots of really interesting and thought-provoking stuff here. </p><p><br /></p>
<iframe width="470" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z48XXFRTerk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-74714405909618048482023-05-25T10:08:00.008-05:002023-05-25T10:08:00.142-05:005 Proofs of the Real Presence of Christ's Body and Blood in CommunionHere is another video from the Rev. Dr. Jordan Cooper, of the Lutheran tradition. Though the Anglicans and Methodists share in common a view of Christ's Real Presence in Communion that is not 100% identical with the Lutheran view, they are in fact pretty close (close enough that some Lutheran bodies are now in "full communion" agreements with both Methodist and Anglican churches).<div><br /></div><div>What all these traditions do agree on (over against some Baptist and non-denomination traditions) is that, as Scripture clearly affirms, when we receive the consecrated elements of the Lord's Supper by faith, we truly receive the Body and Blood and Presence and Grace of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and renewal of our souls. </div><div><br /></div><div>How this works is understood in different ways, I am comfortable leaving it under the heading of "holy mystery". I'm also comfortable with members within the same church holding (with humility) different understandings of how it works, so long as we strive not to contradict the teachings of Scripture. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, while not a Lutheran myself, I would actually concur with the arguments that Cooper makes in this video to demonstrate that the Real Presence in the Eucharist is, on a careful read of the text, a thoroughly Biblical teaching, and ought to be believed. And that is to say nothing of this also being the undisputed teaching of the Ancient Church for many centuries after the age of the Apostles. Who are we - separated by language, culture, and centuries - to know better than the early Church who shared the same language and culture as the New Testament writers themselves?</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe width="470" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sCEP-z4rGSU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15455419.post-64543789423371818412023-05-12T09:33:00.000-05:002023-05-12T09:33:00.146-05:00Tucker Carlson on Physical Books<p>I'm not a regular Tucker watcher by any means, but I was intrigued by the title of this one when I saw it on YouTube. I've become more and more an advocate for keeping physical books, because more and more unseen web-editors are able to "tweak" the information we have access to online - or just remove it. Many of us have seen "Wikipedia wars" as articles are edited and re-edited by contributors with opposite interpretations of a given event. Of course, we all remember the confusion, contradictory messages, and moves toward censorship in 2020. Many of us were left wondering, "Which voices can I even trust?"</p><p>I've been wondering for a while if physical reference books like dictionaries and even physical encyclopedias are going to suddenly become more appreciated, and perhaps even make a little comeback in terms of sales. </p><p>So I was curious about what Tucker would say in this clip. His comment about "only work with things you can smell - pets, people, physical books" in an increasingly digitized world reminds me a bit of Gandalf the Wizard's quip: "When in doubt, always follow your nose."</p><p>If nothing else, this line of reasoning gives us a justification for the purchase of yet another book. </p><p><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T_5CwiF-o8U" title="YouTube video player" width="470"></iframe>Rev. Daniel McLain Hixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314281652215835311noreply@blogger.com0