The internet is awash with tub-thumping horror that the Church of England is diluting baptism by removing “sin” and “the devil” in alternatives. Usually immersed in far more important issues such as may gays love each other or can women lead, many are shedding tears at what they see as further infiltration by those nasty,
Church of England waters down Baptism? Read More »
“I like Jesus – but I don’t go to church.” OK. Anyone who has been paying attention would be concerned. I’ve seen Christian communities I care about, approximately halve in numbers of people participating in the last fifteen years or so (a period in which the country’s population grew by 20%). The NZ Census figures
NT Wright (Anglican bishop, leading New Testament scholar, prolific author) has parked his Trojan Horse firmly inside the Reformation walls. Because he dresses like a local, and talks like a local, few have noticed him wandering freely around the Reformation camp removing one of the most significant weapons from the Reformation armoury: justification by faith
Wrong about sola scriptura Read More »
There is already much comment about the consultation Pope Francis has initiated in preparation for next year’s Extraordinary Synod of Bishops in Rome. I have been predicting/hoping for traction to Vatican II’s call for Roman Catholic bishops to take more appropriate local leadership rather than being seen merely as local representatives of the Pope. My
Pope Francis’ 39 Articles? Read More »
“Filioque” refers to the Latin, “and the Son”, added to the ecumenically agreed creed unilaterally in the West. Whatever your opinion about the inner workings of the Trinity – I see no reason to add words to the creed when reciting it. [Note this is not a discussion about Jesus giving us the Holy Spirit
On the third day he rose again Those of you following this series on the Creed will notice echoes from the post on Conceived by the Holy Spirit. There I said – the Bible is a mixture of history and metaphor and if you study the mentions of Jesus’ conception (and there’s really only a
On the third day he rose again Read More »
I am not attempting any sort of summary, reporting, or full analysis of World Youth Day in Rio. There are plenty of other places where you can find this. I don’t think numbers are by any means everything, but they are not nothing. So I do want to start by underlining that about a million
Pope Benedict had started drafting an encyclical on faith to complete the trilogy, on the three theological virtues, Deus Caritas Est (2005) on charity and Spe Salvi (2007) on hope. On July 5 Pope Francis released Lumen Fidei (The Light of Faith). He writes, “[Pope Benedict XVI] himself had almost completed a first draft of
The Light of Faith Read More »
