Hartshorne, like Whitehead, was the son of an Anglican minister. Historically, Anglicans have posited unorthodox views of God. Bishop George Berkeley introduced the concept of panentheism which means that all is in the one God. Hartshorne preferred the term dipolar over panentheism.
Read moreThe Church listens intently, and conveys carefully, the message of God to his world. Its aim and aspiration is to speak to mankind with spot-on accuracy, translucent clarity and infectious conviction. We fallible witnesses to the Word will not fully comply with the divine ideal, but the Spirit of God must be implored to resource the People of God with sufficiency of comprehension and skillful communication to commend Christ as Lord and Redeemer to the estranged mass of sinful humanity.
Read moreAs one survivor of Stutthof, Manfred Goldberg, regretted, "It's a foregone conclusion that a 97-year-old would not be made to serve a sentence in prison--so it could only be a symbolic sentence." At the same time, "the length should be made to reflect the extraordinary barbarity of being found to be complicit in the murder of more than 10,000 people."
Read moreHe withstood papal discipline, resisting an interdict imposed upon his native city over a number of years (1605-7), and proposed that Venice ought to have a "free church" with a homegrown liturgy and a toleration for Protestantism. It is this religious tendency that is the concern of this brief article. Sarpi remained Catholic as was his preference, but he harbored a high regard for Reformed Anglicanism.
Read moreThe martyred Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, was responsible for creating the Book of Common Prayer (1549, revised 1552), the historic Reformation prayers of the Church of England. His liturgy of the Lord's Supper brings the gospel essentials into wonderfully clear focus with its emphasis on salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. This essay briefly summarizes Cranmer's central priorities.
Salvation by grace alone through Christ alone
Read moreEdward Norman in his publication Anglican Difficulties observes, "This, it must be noted, is in considerable contrast to its noble past and steadfast adhesion to its own tradition of Christian understanding. That was, it is true, a thoroughly Protestant tradition, as reference to the teachings in the Book of Common Prayer, in the Articles of Religion, and in the Homilies, will make plain.
Read moreOrthodoxy means "right belief," and for Christianity, a right belief is a belief that agrees with the whole of Scripture and the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. This is especially true regarding the core doctrines of the Trinity and the Church.
Read moreWhy is it important that we get this right? Because the other biblical core matters that were recovered at the time of the English Reformation (Holy Scripture as our authority, the priesthood of all believers, and the central doctrine of justification by grace through faith alone) hinges on how we view "real presence" in the sacrament. The sixteenth century English reformers knew this and they were willing to die for their understanding of "real presence" in the sacrament, as many did.
Read moreThe Background to what brought this about
The Reformation--Key ideas (esp. Sola Scriptura), Parallels to Today, and Call to Action
The last two points are really where I'm going with this as I hope I'm able to illustrate why we are living in a reformation age right now and what we all should be doing about it.
I. BACKGROUND TO THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION
Read moreWhereby (before the foundations of the world were laid) he hath constantly decreed by his counsel secret to us: This compassionate decision of God precedes the creation of the world and its human inhabitants. It is timeless and unchangeable; his eternal counsel is unreachable and unfathomable to us, beyond our prying eyes or probing enquiry. God's in-depth intent is private to him alone. His thoughts are lofty and his reasons for anything do not have to be seconded by us for their validity.
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