Things are busy today, but I cannot take my mind off this Reformation Day. It’s a day too important to let pass unmentioned.
Specifically, I am most thinking of the fallout of the Reformation. Often with the Reformation, we think about Luther with hammer in hand, denouncing the false practices of Rome. But what we often fail to remember are the major shifts that were required in the years following such a traumatic event.
What I am talking about was the dawning of a new day of Scriptural study. Sure Calvin and Luther came to understand that justification – a sinner being made right with God – came only through faith and not through any righteous merits or religion on the part of the sinner (Luke 18). But there were many, many more doctrines to hash out.
The Reformers, having been educated with a Roman Catholic background were taught “doctrine” that had been passed down from the church fathers through the centuries which had snowballed into Roman Catholic tradition and dogma. But the Reformation changed all this.
Scripture alone must determine doctrine, and while we take this for granted in Reformed circles today, this point opened up a million questions. Questions of hermeneutics – how we interpret Scripture – had to be defined. What is literal interpretation? How many interpretations of Scripture are allowed? Every doctrine passed down through the centuries now must be tested and tried before a literal interpretation of the biblical text. The study of original texts became vital – Greek and Hebrew became significant objects of study for the church. Trying to take the exegetical conclusions and formulate them into creeds and catechisms became a high priority. Commentators began working through the text and the church began discussing and debating these issues to renounce false doctrines from the past and discover new doctrines largely undiscovered in God’s Word.
For me, when I think of Reformation Day I am most reminded of men who transitioned from the classical Roman Catholic training towards a new avenue of undiscovered and undefined study of God’s Word.
The fall-out of the Reformation lives on today each time a new commentary is published seeking to discover more of God’s Word in its original languages, in the tightening of Creeds and doctrine and in our pursuit of the meaning of God’s Word in a literal interpretation of the text. This is why I celebrate Reformation Day.
I notice you drink deeply from the writings of the Puritans that the Reformers. I might suggest you read the 1-3 century Church Fathers. I believe you will find it most enlightening.
Comment by John | November 1, 2006
My experience with the early fathers is that of an undeveloped theology largely resting upon philosophical principles. Some of the writers, like Augustine, have some good content to add, but theology does not begin developing well until post-Augustine. When you get into Calvin/Turretin and the Reformation and Post-Reformation Puritans you begin reading highly developed theology that overshadows the forefathers and sets them apart in biblical scholarship. Getting pushed deeper and deeper into the literal interpretation of Scripture is why I love the Reformers/Puritans (though I disagree in some of their conclusions).
Seek truth, seek Christ. Love the God who died for sinners.
Go back to the Father’s who were disciples of the apostles, like Polycarp, Ignatius, and Papias. Read Justin Martyr. Augustine is far to late, the church was corrupted by then.
You are basing your theology on men who lived hundreds of years removed from the Lord and his Apostles. Look to the early church for guidance. Who do you think is more reliable, a man who sat at the feet of one who sat at the feet of Christ, or one who is 1500 years removed from such?
Comment by John | November 1, 2006
Even better, John, read the apostles. The church has always been corrupted by false doctrine. Read the NT. Antiquity does not equal authenticity. Don’t fall for that line. Read the apostles, believe in a God who bled (quote from the apostle Luke) and read the apostle Paul as he renounces theological corruptions throughout Colossians, Ephesians and Romans, Timothy and Thessalonians, etc….
True, antiquity does not equal authenticity, but who should we have more confidence in, men who sat at the feet of the apostles, or those who lived 1500 years later? Neither are inspired granted, but I will lay my confidence in the men like Polycarp, and Ignatius. When I compare their teachings with the Gospels, they do not contradict each other. Could it be that the fact that their teaching is contradicted by the later writers have something to do with your dismisal of them? I would suggest that you re-read Paul’s letters without the influence of reformation theology.
Comment by John | November 1, 2006
Tony, let me say this to your credit. You have conducted yourself admirably in our discussions. I have commented on some blogs and been torn apart. You have shown love and I appreciate it!
“If you find me short in things, impute that to my love of brevity. If you find me besides the truth in anything, impute that to my infirmity. But if you find anything here that serves to your furtherance and joy of the faith, impute that to the mercy of God bestowed on you and me. Yours to serve you with what little I have.” John Bunyan (Works, 1:336).
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“In the cross of Christ, as in a splendid theater, the incomparable goodness of God is set before the whole world. The glory of God shines, indeed, in all creatures on high and below, but never more brightly than in the cross, in which there was a wonderful change of things—the condemnation of all men was manifested, sin blotted out, salvation restored to men; in short, the whole world was renewed and all things restored to order.” John Calvin
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Welcome to Miscellanies [formerly The Shepherd's Scrapbook] a blog serving sinners who seek their daily food in the Cross of Christ. Our goal is provide thoughts on Cross-centered living, theology, preaching and pastoral ministry. We review books considered excellent, announce new books that look interesting, and encourage biblical discernment with both. All of this should fuel our pursuit of the Cross. [Meet the winners of our book of the year awards: 2006 winner and the 2007 winners.]
Email: crede.ut.intelligas AT mac.com
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Current reading …
Robert Louis Wilken, The Spirit of Early Christian Thought
Michael Holmes, The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations (3rd ed.)
F.F. Bruce, The Spreading Flame: The Rise and Progress of Christianity from its First Beginnings to the Conversion of the English
Augustine, Expositions of the Psalms: 73-90, Boulding trans. (vol. III/18 )
Colin Duriez, Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life
Do-it-yourself Blank Bible. Of all the books we promote, none compare with God’s Word. We pursue the Cross as God opens His Word to us. In this anticipation, we encourage you to make your own blank bible like Jonathan Edwards.’ Building a blank bible shows both a commitment to serious, life-long reflection and the anticipation of God’s illuminating Spirit. To date, over 15,000 readers have accessed the Blank Bible Index.
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FREE book! What is God saying to us? How can we know Him? I wrote a little book — Come Unto Me: God’s Invitation to the World — to answer these questions. You can download the book as a PDF and you can read more about the background of the project here.
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Humble Calvinism.Early this year we started a series on Humble Calvinism, a study through John Calvin’s Institutes. Especially noteworthy is Calvin’s experiential sensitivity to the contours of godliness. Join us as we continue learning humble and holistic Calvinism as Calvin intended. See the Humble Calvinism series index here.
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The Puritan Study. The Puritans were Cross-boasters. So how do we use the wealth of Puritan literature in our personal devotions and expositional studies? Our series on building and using a Puritan Study answered this important question. For more see the full Puritan Study series index.
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Who am I? My name is Tony Reinkebut call me “chief of sinners.” For 22-years I hid from God in self-righteous religious ‘faithfulness’ until my stubborn heart was subdued by God’s sovereign grace (Eph. 2). In one moment, after a sermon by Paige Patterson in Lincoln, NE on Luke 18:9-14, I perceived the Gospel as the great exchange, and by God’s grace I released my self-righteousness to cling to the saving righteousness of Jesus Christ. That day I recognized I was a sinner playing the part of the Pharisee. It was the day I was reborn. Now nothing is more precious than knowing Christ — the God-man who died for me and gave me His righteousness in place of my sinfulness (Phil. 3:7-9). Pursuing further up and further into the Cross has become the center of my life and this blog is intended as a place to share this pursuit.
Educationally, I graduated from Bellevue University in Omaha, NE with a degree in Liberal Arts. Theologically, I’m an autodidact under the wise direction of a local church. I’ve been married for 10 years to my best friend, Karalee (a more gifted writer and blogger than myself) and we have three precious kids, a majority of whom are named after dead preachers. Last year I was interviewed by Joshua Sowin about life, books and reading (if you want more info)
God has given me the rare privilege and joy of serving as personal assistant to C.J. Mahaney (if you really want to learn from blogs, navigate away from this sorry one and check out what C.J. is saying on his.)
Misc stuff you don’t need to know but will read because you’re bored and surfing the Internet to kill time anyway: My nicknames include any variation of The Scribe, T-Scribble, Scribs, Big Blog Daddy, Big Honkin Blogdaddy, Big Blog Papi, T-Rex, Blogzilla, and Scribola (take your pick). Curtis Allen calls me by the name Tone Capone. Do I look like an Italian mobster? Here’s my mug.
Email/comments. I’m grateful for your readership and would love to hear from you. You can leave a comment on any post to get in touch. Depending upon time restraints I usually respond to email. You can email me at: crede.ut.intelligas AT mac.com .
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My book wishlist. Hopefully one day these valuable books will be added to my library. All from the The Works of Jonathan Edwards (Yale editions) …
Vol. 10: Sermons and Discourses ( 1720-1723 )
Vol. 14: Sermons and Discourses ( 1723-1729 )
Vol. 19: Sermons and Discourses ( 1734-1738 )
Vol. 25: Sermons and Discourses ( 1743-1758 )
Vol. 17: Sermons and Discourses ( 1730-1733 )
Vol. 22: Sermons and Discourses ( 1739-1742 )
Vol. 13: The ‘Miscellanies’ ( No. 1-500 )
Vol. 18: The ‘Miscellanies’ ( No. 501-832 )
Vol. 20: The ‘Miscellanies’ ( No. 833-1152 )
Vol. 23: The ‘Miscellanies’ ( No. 1153–1360 )
Vol. 15: Notes on Scripture
Vol. 8: Ethical Writings
Vol. 21: Trinity, Grace, and Faith
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Princeton Cemetery. I don’t know how I did it, but in the Spring of 2006 I convinced my wife and kids it would be fun to spend the day at Princeton cemetery. Princeton is famous for its school and less famous for its rich evangelical history. I took several photographs at Princeton Cemetery (where Edwards, Hodge, Warfield and the Alexanders are buried). These photos always remind me to be Cross-centered.
I notice you drink deeply from the writings of the Puritans that the Reformers. I might suggest you read the 1-3 century Church Fathers. I believe you will find it most enlightening.
My experience with the early fathers is that of an undeveloped theology largely resting upon philosophical principles. Some of the writers, like Augustine, have some good content to add, but theology does not begin developing well until post-Augustine. When you get into Calvin/Turretin and the Reformation and Post-Reformation Puritans you begin reading highly developed theology that overshadows the forefathers and sets them apart in biblical scholarship. Getting pushed deeper and deeper into the literal interpretation of Scripture is why I love the Reformers/Puritans (though I disagree in some of their conclusions).
Seek truth, seek Christ. Love the God who died for sinners.
Go back to the Father’s who were disciples of the apostles, like Polycarp, Ignatius, and Papias. Read Justin Martyr. Augustine is far to late, the church was corrupted by then.
You are basing your theology on men who lived hundreds of years removed from the Lord and his Apostles. Look to the early church for guidance. Who do you think is more reliable, a man who sat at the feet of one who sat at the feet of Christ, or one who is 1500 years removed from such?
Even better, John, read the apostles. The church has always been corrupted by false doctrine. Read the NT. Antiquity does not equal authenticity. Don’t fall for that line. Read the apostles, believe in a God who bled (quote from the apostle Luke) and read the apostle Paul as he renounces theological corruptions throughout Colossians, Ephesians and Romans, Timothy and Thessalonians, etc….
True, antiquity does not equal authenticity, but who should we have more confidence in, men who sat at the feet of the apostles, or those who lived 1500 years later? Neither are inspired granted, but I will lay my confidence in the men like Polycarp, and Ignatius. When I compare their teachings with the Gospels, they do not contradict each other. Could it be that the fact that their teaching is contradicted by the later writers have something to do with your dismisal of them? I would suggest that you re-read Paul’s letters without the influence of reformation theology.
Tony, let me say this to your credit. You have conducted yourself admirably in our discussions. I have commented on some blogs and been torn apart. You have shown love and I appreciate it!
John