1 Timothy 1:12-20 Today’s lesson is really very simple. Though St. Paul has much more to say, and though understanding more perfectly what he does say today will take time, in essence his teaching is a simple but life-changing one. It is this: First, that “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (verse 15); and second, “But the grace of God was exceedingly abundant” (verse 14.) As... Read more
1 Timothy 1:1-11 “Teach no other doctrine.” “The purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart.” “The law is made for those who act contrary to sound doctrine.” These are the main thoughtsSt. Paulhas in his heart as he instructs Timothy on how to lead a church. What strikes me from the very beginning is Paul’s use of the word “doctrine.” I normally associate “doctrine” with our formal theologies that we are supposed to learn, the “head” knowledge... Read more
James 5:12-19 “Is anyone among you suffering?” – James 5:13 Is anyone among you, reading this, suffering? St. James has some wisdom from God for you today. The first thing James tells you to do is to pray. Of course, you already knew this, but maybe you have become discouraged in your prayers. Maybe God has not seemed to be working quickly enough in healing you. James’ counsel (and commandment) is still to pray. Remember that the purpose of your... Read more
James 4:13-5:11 Here come da Judge! I don’t know how many of you remember Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In from the late 60s and early 70s, but that TV show popularized the saying “Here come da Judge!” We might say that “Here come da Judge!” is James’ message this morning, for he says in verse 9 of Chapter 5: “Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!” The implication is that the Judge stands ready to judge us imminently. Along with... Read more
James 4:1-12 In the beginning of Chapter 4, James unveils the lowest layer, the very foundation, of our spiritual warfare: it is the battle within each of us between pride and humility. All throughout the Bible, the two paths a man may walk are presented in terms of a binary choice. In Genesis 3, it is the choice between obedience or disobedience. In the Psalms and Proverbs, it is the choice between the way of the wise (righteous) or the... Read more
A One Sentence Definition of Anglicanism So far in my blogs on Anglicanism, I’ve offered a 2 word definition of Anglicanism (“Reformed Catholicism”) and explained both of these words. Over the course of the next several blogs I want to develop a more sophisticated and extended definition of Anglicanism, based on my Ph.D. thesis. Definitions of Anglicanism have become exceedingly important in contemporary Anglicanism. The dominance of liberal Anglicanism in The Episcopal Church and the Church of England has necessitated... Read more
Friday of 18th Sunday after Trinity – James 3 Now that James has taught about faith and works, belief and deeds, he turns his attention to our words. What James has to say, though it is in keeping with the wisdom of the Old Testament and even if it is familiar, is startling. “The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.” “No man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” Who would have... Read more
James 2:14-26 Sola Fide! Faith alone! That was one of the rallying cries made by the Protestant Reformers in the 16th century. The slogan “faith alone” was particularly popularized by Martin Luther in his violent reaction to the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church. As a consequence, for some centuries now Protestants have been strongly tempted to separate faith from works, which is in reality not what the Bible teaches but antinomianism (a fancy word for meaning “against the Law... Read more
Provocative Prophesy of America’s Future I have to say at the beginning of my review that while I don’t always agree with Pat Buchanan’s prescriptions, his descriptions of what’s going on in America tend to be highly accurate and significant. Even if you disagree with Pat’s assessment of the trends he chronicles in “Suicide of a Superpower,” his passionate portrayal of these trends should be provocative and enlightening for both his critics and his allies. What Pat presents are undeniable... Read more
Brilliant and Provocative Book on Jesus and His Kingdom N.T. Wright’s latest book, “Simply Jesus,” claims to be a new vision of who Jesus is and what He did. Ultimately, the book is what it claims. It’s a sometimes brilliant and inspiring re-presentation of who Jesus is and what He came to do. But unfortunately, Wright doesn’t make this clear until the end of Chapter 11. A good summary of Wright’s major theme is this sentence from Chapter 11: “The... Read more
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