Pastoral reflections on the Coronation of King Charles

 It is about a year and a half now since the Coronation of King Charles III.  I have been wanting to do a video or commentary on the service, because it is actually a very rich example of Christian political theory "in action."  I haven't gotten to that just yet, but here is another commentary I ran across a while back, that some may find interesting: 

Pageau on Beowulf

 

Do you have assurance of your salvation

 The question of "how can I be assured that I am saved, that I am receiving and standing in God's grace?" was one of the burning questions in the heart of John Wesley at the time of his heart-warming "Aldersgate experience," and it is an important question for anyone who takes seriously the claims of Christ and the Bible. 

 

Spiritual implications of the Internet

 

NT Wright on Power, Kings, and God's glory

This message was preached back in November of 2016 at the beautiful First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio. 

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. 

Why should a church have bishops?

 I believe in bishops.  I've had both really good and really bad experiences of Episcopal oversight, but experience is not what drives my belief system: the Bible interpreted through the historic church is.  That is why I believe in bishops.  

I know that this is an active topic of discussion among Methodists - and the Global Methodist Church in particular will decide later this year about whether to accept bishops at all and, if so, what sort of bishop it will be.

In this video I explain some of the reasons (there are others) why I think bishops are essential for the flourishing and especially for the unity of the whole church, and the congregations within it. 

Why I moved to the Anglican Church

Since leaving the United Methodist Church (UMC) last year I'm no longer attached to any Methodist or Wesleyan denomination.  Yet I still consider myself a Methodist/Wesleyan pastor in the way of John Wesley himself.  He was the founder of the Methodist movement, but never part of a Methodist denomination.  As a matter of fact, John Wesley remained a lifelong member (and priest) in the Anglican church and said explicitly that he hoped Methodists would remain an organized spiritual movement inside the Anglican church.  

For Wesley, being "Methodist" was about a theological and spiritual approach to pursuing holiness, not about being part of a denomination in the modern sense.  The sad reality is that it is perfectly possible to be have the word "Methodist" on the sign in front of a church, but have no living connection to the spirituality and aims of the early Methodist movement.      

Following Wesley's hopes, I've recently been received into the Anglican Church in North America and have been ordained in the Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast.  Here is a video in which I go into detail about why and how I made that decision.   

Jonathan Pageau & Richard Rohlin on "Reading like a Medieval person"

...Or at least, like one of those who actually could read.
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.

  

Regime Change with Patrick Deneen

Sometimes 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 Prayer quite a few years ago.  More recently I read Why Liberalism Failed by Patrick Deneen and immediately thought "Everyone who cares about culture and politics should read this book."  

You can pick up a copy of this relatively short book HERE.  

In the video below, Deneen discusses his follow-up book Regime Change.  Definitely things in here worth chewing on and grappling with.

Lack of Religion and Mental Illness

 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. 

Can Evangelicals Accept Purgatory?

 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. 

Doing Apologetics with St. Augustine

 Interesting conversation: 

How new Scientific Discoveries are Pointing toward God

 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.

Family Discipleship in the New Year

 Here is a good and helpful video:

Carl Trueman: We Lost the Sacredness of Things

 This is a really fascinating, at times provocative discussion.  I think he is definitely onto some things here...

Identity and Feelings

 Where does identity come from?  Does how we feel determine who we are?

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.  

Non-religious Thinkers rediscover the Bible's Wisdom

 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.  

May God use this movement to bring many souls back into the fellowship of his Church.
Here is the Roman Catholic Bishop and apologist Bishop Robert Barron commenting on the same movement: 

Great Video on Eucharistic Theology

 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 "make them be 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 for us the body and blood of Christ." 

I broadly agree that an understanding that is both Biblical and informed by universal tradition should include both of these concerns.  

Pope Benedict and "Hard Scriptures"

 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. 

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' Reflections on the Psalms 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).

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.

Is Diversity our Strength?

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."  
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).

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.  

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.

Of course, there is another kind of diversity that is 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."

But what about in secular society?  Is Diversity our strength?  
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).

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. 

How Materialism limits our thinking (about demons)

 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.  

Sell the Vatican to feel the poor?

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.
  
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. 
    
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.

Branch theory: A Cursory Defense

 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. 

Why so much mental illness and gender confusion among young people?

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.
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: 

The union of Creator and Creature

 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: 

Holdsworth: It's not about Relationship, It's about Religion

 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. 
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."

Nolley Methodist Church: What We Believe & Teach

The following statement of faith and theology was adopted by the Administrative Board of the Richmond Nolley Memorial Methodist Church in August of 2023:


The Articles of Religion

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.

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:

Article I—Of Faith in the Holy Trinity

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.

Article II—Of the Word, or Son of God, Who Was Made Very Man

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.

Article III—Of the Resurrection of Christ

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.

Article IV—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.

Article V—Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation

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:

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.

All the books of the New Testament, as they are commonly received, we do receive and account canonical.

Article VI—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 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.

Article VII—Of Original or Birth Sin

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.

Article VIII—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 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.

Article IX—Of the Justification of Man

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.

Article X—Of Good Works

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.

Article XI—Of Works of Supererogation

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.

Article XII—Of Sin After Justification

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.

Article XIII—Of the Church

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.

Article XIV—Of Purgatory

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.

Article XV—Of Speaking in the Congregation in Such a Tongue as the People Understand

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.

Article XVI—Of the Sacraments

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.

There are two Sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord in the Gospel; that is to say, Baptism and the Supper of the Lord.

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.

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.

Article XVII—Of Baptism

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.

Article XVIII—Of the Lord's Supper

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.

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.

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.

The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not by Christ's ordinance reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshiped.

Article XIX—Of Both Kinds

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.

Article XX—Of the One Oblation of Christ, Finished upon the Cross

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.

Article XXI—Of the Marriage of Ministers

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.

Article XXII—Of the Rites and Ceremonies of Churches

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.

Every particular church may ordain, change, or abolish rites and ceremonies, so that all things may be done to edification.

Article XXIII—Of the Rulers of the United States of America

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.

Article XXIV—Of Christian Men's Goods

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.

Article XXV—Of a Christian Man's Oath

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.

[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).]

Of Sanctification

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.

[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.]

Of the Duty of Christians to the Civil Authority

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.

[The following statement on Gender, Sex, Marriage and Family is taken from "The Jerusalem Declaration" of 2008]

Of Gender, Sex, Marriage and Family

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.

Lutheran and Reformed differences on Assurance

 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 huge 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).

The Case against the Sexual Revolution

 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?  

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.

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.

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. 

 This is a very interesting discussion and very timely, and well-worth your time.   

The mysteries of "Beowulf"

 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, Beowulf, and its many parallels with the apocryphal Book of Enoch in the Hebrew tradition.  Lots of really interesting and thought-provoking stuff here.  

5 Proofs of the Real Presence of Christ's Body and Blood in Communion

Here 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).

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.  

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.  

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?

  

Tucker Carlson on Physical Books

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?"

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.  

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."

If nothing else, this line of reasoning gives us a justification for the purchase of yet another book. 

Jordan Cooper on the "Filioque"

 Here is a great video from Lutheran pastor and theologian Rev. Dr. Jordan Cooper defending the Western view of the "filioque."

'What in the world is that?', you may be asking.  In the Nicene Creed (which churches I pastor recite occasionally) we affirm that "We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son..."  

 That phrase "and the Son" is, in Latin, "Filioque" and it was not included in the original form of the Creed that was approved by ecumenical councils representing the whole of the Early Church.  It was added later by the Western Church to emphasize the divinity of the Son.  What is being affirmed is that, from all eternity, the Holy Spirit is proceeding both from the Father and from the Son within the Life of the Holy Trinity forever.

Eastern Orthodox Churches and other Eastern Rites have tended to reject this understanding of the relationship of the Spirit and the Son within the life of the Holy Trinity, and have vociferously rejected the addition of this phrase to the Creed.  

I believe that the "filioque" actually is good theology: it is consistent with the Biblical witness and makes sense of the nature of God, as Cooper explains in the video below.  However, I also agree that an ecumenical creed, authorized by an Ecumenical Council and shared in common by the whole universal/catholic Church of Jesus, ought not be unilaterally changed by only one part of that church without an Ecumenical Council authorizing the change.  

I'm glad to see that, beginning with the Lambeth Conference of 1978, churches of the Anglican Communion have begun to allow the original form of the Creed to be used - but without denying the truth that the "filioque" teaches.  Thus the 2019 Book of Common Prayer allows the phrase "and the Son" to be omitted with the Nicene Creed is recited (see page 768).  The brand new Methodist hymnal, Our Great Redeemer's Praise, follows the 2019 BCP and puts this phrase in [brackets] to indicate that it may be omitted.  Perhaps this approach will become more widespread within the Western Church and may contribute to warmer relations with the Eastern Church as well.

Gavin Ortlund on "That Hideous Strength"

Baptist pastor & scholar, Rev. Gavin Ortlund, produces great and edifying videos - many defending the historic continuity and catholicity of classical Protestantism over against charges that Protestant theology is something totally novel that emerged only in the 16th Century as a departure from the Great Tradition of the ancient church.  As someone who cares greatly about the catholicity of our faith - that my beliefs are shared by Christians across every age (and not only the last 500 years) I greatly appreciate his work in this area.

Another passion that Gavin and I share is a love of C.S. Lewis.  Here is Gavin's review/introduction to one of Lewis' most mature novels, That Hideous Strength.  I think that Gavin is right to put this novel alongside Till We have Faces as being some of Lewis' best fiction.

Having read a bit of Charles Williams, I can tell you that you definitely see Williams' influence on this novel by Lewis.  Much of the other things Gavin says in this video strike me as "right on."  Gavin is right to point out that when Lewis talks about "the masculine" and "the feminine" in this work, he is not really talking about what we think of as gender or sex, but rather about something far more "Jungian": archetypal characteristics that - in mythologies, symbols, and typologies across many cultures - have been associated with a "masculine" or a "feminine" spirit for a variety of reasons that I suspect we moderns/post-moderns can only barely begin to appreciate.  I suspect there are depths of wisdom and insight buried there that Lewis would have recognized more readily than most of us.

I like what Gavin has to say about conversion often (especially in a post-Christian culture) being a "multi-stage" process.  This rings true to my experience and that of others I've known, and is refreshing to hear from a significant Baptist thinker.

A final point he makes that I think is very important is the connection between beauty and evangelism.  Roman Catholic Bishop Robert Barron is constantly making this point in his own excellent YouTube ministry (following a thinker named Hans Urs Von Balthazar): beauty points us to God, to the Source and Ground of all beauty, just as discovering truth points us to God who is the Highest Truth. 

It is my hope that in years to come Christians of all denominations and churches will be known by our wholesome and beautiful ways of being and building in this world in a way that will draw people in, as in the early centuries of our faith.  Lewis' work certainly is a great example of exactly that.

Are the Old Testament and the New Testament contradictory?

 An issue that many Christians (and explorers of Christian faith) have struggled with is the apparent disparity between God as described in the Old Testament - who is (at times) a God of war and wrath - and the Lord as he reveals himself in the New Testament.  

I like Holdsworth's approach to this question, though it is by no means a "final" or complete "answer" to all of the difficulties.  I have often pointed out to people that, because the Bible is a progressive or unfolding revelation, you know more about the character and purposes of God by the end of the story than you knew at the beginning.  In other words, St. Peter knows more of the character of God than Abraham did - though Abraham really did know the real God.  

If you think of it like this, we don't get to the later, more complete revelation, without taking those earlier steps in the process: You don't get Jesus, the New Covenant, and the Moral Teachings of the Sermon on the Mount without first getting Moses and the Law.  And so it then is a bit self-contradictory to use Jesus and his teachings as a reason to reject the Old Covenant as being truly from God.  

That still doesn't solve the real difficulties of God who is depicted as commanding what we would call "crimes against humanity" when he tells the Israelites to wipe out the Canaanites completely, (and there are more complications in all of that than is often appreciated - including questions around our attempt to judge ancient & pre-Christian methods of warfare by modern standards, which are very influenced by Christianity), but it does make "space" to look again at the Old Testament as genuine revelation of God. 

Another aspect of how the Tradition has dealt with this question that Holdsworth doesn't get into here is the fact that many of those troublesome passages that horrify us today, were read allegorically by the Early Church Fathers.  They would say to think of the Canaanites as symbols of the sin and idolatry that reside in our hearts and must be completely rooted out.  This tradition of reading much of the Old Testament and the Psalms opens a new possibility of hearing a "word" in these passages despite our concerns.

Calvin Robinson and Paul Kingsnorth on Christ and Culture

 Here is a fascinating conversation as Anglican clergyman Calvin Robinson (Free Church of England) interviews Paul Kingsnorth - writer and environmentalist - who converted to (Eastern Orthodox) Christianity from a kind of neo-paganism just a few years ago.  What they have to say about culture, about the monetization of the 7 Deadly Sins, about the call to steward the Creation is all worth considering.

 

Beauty will Save the Polis

In a secular-materialist worldview Beauty is merely a matter of personal opinion, rather than public good.  It is seen as a luxury which is great for those that can afford it, but truly serving no practical utility.  This is the mentality that gives us hospitals, libraries and (perhaps worst of all) schools that are ugly concert buildings in which the drive to "saving some money" always triumphed over aesthetic concerns. 

We Christians, like the ancient Hebrews and ancient Greek philosophers before us, believe that humans are not mere "meat machines", but that we have a soul, and that feeding and nourishing the soul is every bit as important to human flourishing as feeding and nourishing the body.

If we classical Christians are correct about this, it should follow that communities that actually do "go above and beyond" the bare necessities of our material existence and invest in beauty will actually be healthier, stronger, and - finally - even wealthier than communities that treat us merely as organisms needed food and shelter in order to survive.    

Like other Classical Christians I've affirmed lately my trust that, "Beauty will save the world," and here is one case where investing in beauty actually revitalized a community and created a virtuous cycle of improving the local public health, quality of life and 'commonweal.'  

Patterns of Symbolism to understand the Bible

 Here is a great video from Jonathan Pageau "doing his thing" and discussing patterns of symbols in Scripture, and in the ways that we actually perceive reality, and how recognizing these patterns helps us understand the Bible more deeply. 

Evangelical Mis-understanding of Baptism

 Below is a great video from a Lutheran teacher, examining why the New Testament leads us to a sacramental understanding of baptism, in which we believe that God actually offers saving grace through and with the outward sign of water. 

John Wesley is notoriously difficult on baptism.  In some places, such as his Treatise on Baptism, he clearly affirms regeneration and justification are given through baptism; in other places, such as his Notes on the New Testament, he seems only willing to affirm a more modest and symbolic view (the Notes seem to me to be more theologically modest and generic as a general rule). 
In still other places, such as his Sermon "The New Birth" he seems to be skirting the line between a view that holds to baptismal regeneration (for infants) and a view that focuses more on a conversion experience as the point of regeneration (for youth and adults).

What Wesley is trying to hold together is a sacramental and an evangelical view of baptism.  The Sacramental view holds that God really gives saving grace through baptism (as in Romans 6, Titus 3, 1 Peter 3, and John 3), and the evangelical view holds that we really receive God's saving grace through personal faith (as in Galatians 3 and Ephesians 2).  Wesleyan theology - following the Articles or Religion of the Church of England - holds these together by insisting that, while the grace is always given in baptism, it is not fully received until we have faith, which might not (from our point of view) happen until a conversion experience years after our baptism.  

The point is that baptism is an outward and objective declaration of God's promises to us, that we can return to again and again and reclaim throughout our lives - or each day as was Martin Luther's habit.

All of this will run counter to the view - common down here in the American "Bible belt" - that baptism is no more than a symbol of our own profession of faith in Jesus.
The video below examines the major New Testament texts (he doesn't even get into the many Old Testament texts) that show why this "baptism as merely symbolic of our profession" view is not drawn from the Bible, but rather presupposed and then imposed upon it.  He brings forward many of the same texts and arguments that I would use to make the case that Baptism not only symbolizes, but also effectually offers to us cleansing and renewing grace.

  

Theology of Monarchy for the 21st Century

 I recently listened to this lecture as I put together a toddler bed for our 2 year old.  I have said for years, half (but only half) jokingly, that I'd prefer to live in a constitutional monarchy.  While I treasure the values described in our declaration of Independence, I also believe that there is no "perfect system" of government (not in this fallen world, anyhow) and that there are some benefits to a constitutional monarchy with real, but limited powers. 

One of the points that really struck a chord in the lecture is the idea that, in a monarchy, the citizen is related to a person who governs us, rather than a system.  Of course, a person can be bad, foolish, tyrannical, or incompetent to govern, or worse.  But a king is still a person... and we are spiritually wired to relate to persons.  A system can, at best, be impartial and just... or at worse be convaluted, byzantine, unresponsive or dysfunctional.

And, of course, a system is made up of many persons, sometimes working at cross-purposes with one another.  But they are bureaucrats; they are largely anonymous to the people who are governed by them.  At least we know who (for better or worse) the king is. 

I suspect that one reason that many in our country have gravitated toward not only populisms but "big personalities" like, say, Donald Trump (or perhaps even Barak Obama) in recent years is a desire for a personality at the top, and not only a system.  Anyways, those are some random thoughts on this lecture: 

  

A doctrinal proposal for Independent Methodist churches

 Many churches leaving the UMC will choose to join other denominations, which will provide doctrinal guidance and accountability for preaching and teaching in those churches.  Many disaffiliating churches, however, will choose to remain independent - at least for a time - and it is for them that I make this modest proposal.

What follows is a statement of faith that can be adopted by a local church and shared on its website or wherever such information is shared.

What follows is nothing other than the current Articles of Religion shared in common by the UMC, the GMC, and some other Methodist bodies, with one additional article on Gender, Sex, Marriage and Family.  That additional article is taken from the 2008 Jerusalem Declaration, which was adopted by orthodox Anglican leaders from around the world and represents the historic Christian consensus on marriage and sexuality.  

As the introductory note makes clear, these articles can (and I believe should) be adopted along with the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed as basic statements of Christian belief. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Articles of Religion

Originally adopted by the Church of England in A.D. 1571; the Articles of Religion were revised 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 a 'standard of doctrine' for various Methodist Churches since that time.

These Articles should be read alongside the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds as standards of Christian teaching.

Article I—Of Faith in the Holy Trinity

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.

Article II—Of the Word, or Son of God, Who Was Made Very Man

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.

Article III—Of the Resurrection of Christ

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.

Article IV—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.

Article V—Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation

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:

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.

All the books of the New Testament, as they are commonly received, we do receive and account canonical.

Article VI—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 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.

Article VII—Of Original or Birth Sin

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.

Article VIII—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 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.

Article IX—Of the Justification of Man

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.

Article X—Of Good Works

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.

Article XI—Of Works of Supererogation

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.

Article XII—Of Sin After Justification

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.

Article XIII—Of the Church

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.

Article XIV—Of Purgatory

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.

Article XV—Of Speaking in the Congregation in Such a Tongue as the People Understand

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.

Article XVI—Of the Sacraments

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.

There are two Sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord in the Gospel; that is to say, Baptism and the Supper of the Lord.

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.

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.

Article XVII—Of Baptism

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.

Article XVIII—Of the Lord's Supper

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.

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.

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.

The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not by Christ's ordinance reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshiped.

Article XIX—Of Both Kinds

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.

Article XX—Of the One Oblation of Christ, Finished upon the Cross

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.

Article XXI—Of the Marriage of Ministers

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.

Article XXII—Of the Rites and Ceremonies of Churches

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.

Every particular church may ordain, change, or abolish rites and ceremonies, so that all things may be done to edification.

Article XXIII—Of the Rulers of the United States of America

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.

Article XXIV—Of Christian Men's Goods

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.

Article XXV—Of a Christian Man's Oath

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.

[The following Article from the Methodist Protestant Discipline is placed alongside the traditional Articles of Religion by the Uniting Conference of the Methodist Church (1939).]

Of Sanctification

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.

[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.]

Of the Duty of Christians to the Civil Authority

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.

[The following statement on Gender, Sex, Marriage and Family is taken from "The Jerusalem Declaration" of 2008]

Of Gender, Sex, Marriage and Family

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.

Thomas Cranmer: Reformer, Saint, Martyr

 

Reading the Bible Symbolically

 

Are Science and Faith in conflict?

 

Practices of the early Methodists

 

The Jesus Prayer