A Testimony to the Truth

This year is the centennial of a remarkable event in Christian publishing. The 19th century saw the rise of theological liberalism in many universities and seminaries, and many Christians saw this as undermining "the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints." (Jude 1:3) So, in 1909, two Christian businessmen commissioned a number of theologically conservative scholars to write articles on a wide variety of subjects that were meant to explain and defend biblical Christian faith. These articles were then sent, free of charge, to thousands of pastors, missionaries and Sunday School superintendents throughout the United States and abroad.

Though many of these recipients were laymen who may not have had any formal theological education, the articles were serious and scholarly. The first one to be published, "The History of Higher Criticism", sounds like a lecture that one might hear today in a seminary. Others, like "Is there a God?", were more philosophical. Many titles, such as "Science and the Christian Faith", sound completely up to date. Naturally, the majority of the articles centered on matters of Christian doctrine: "The Deity of Christ", "The Atonement" and "Salvation by Grace." (I have to admit that my favorite title is: "Tributes to Christ and the Bible by Brainy Men Not Known as Active Christians.")

This series of ninety essays, published between 1910 to 1915, was called The Fundamentals: A Testimony To The Truth. (In fact, this is where the term "fundamentalist" comes from - which is surprising because if "fundamentalist" has come to mean an unthinking, simplistic Christian, you would never have guessed that by reading these articles!)

Here we are, a century later, and history is repeating itself. We, too, have seen a departure from the fundamentals of the Christian faith in many denominations. Perhaps our century needs its own version of The Fundamentals to instruct and encourage church leaders - or we could simply read the original articles and be strengthened in the faith that has been entrusted to us.

You can read The Fundamentals at: http://tinyurl.com/thefundamentals

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Learning from others

As a New Year begins, it is natural to look back with humility and look forward with hope. There may be some regrets about the past and resolutions about the future. It is important, if painful, to learn from our mistakes. It would be easier if we could learn from the mistakes of others, for then we gain the benefit of a lesson learned without suffering the consequences of their errors. We might also discover, however, that their mistake was one that we could have made ourselves - or indeed have made without realizing it.

When the apostle Paul recalls some of the tragic mistakes made by the people of Israel, he concludes: "These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us." (1 Corinthians 10:11) Ironically, the same thing could be said of the errors made by the Corinthian church. The apostle's two letters to that congregation now serve as warnings to us!

I am very excited to be starting a series of sermons this month on the first of these letters. 1 Corinthians has so much to teach us about congregational life and so many other aspects of living as followers of Christ. Although the New Testament contains thirteen letters of Paul, I would guess that if you asked someone what they remember of his teaching, most of their quotations would come from 1 Corinthians!

In chapter 11 we have the earliest description of the Last Supper: "For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.' " (11: 23-25)

In chapter 12 Paul compares the church to a human body, with some members as feet, others as ears, and others as eyes - and goes on to declare: "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." (12:27)

Chapter 13 is so famous it hardly requires any comment! Paul introduces this passage on love with these words: "And now I will show you the most excellent way." The chapter concludes: "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (13:13)

Chapter 15 is the most extensive teaching we have about the implications to Christians of Jesus' resurrection: "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." (15: 17-20)

This crucial chapter concludes: "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (15: 56-58)

On a personal note, our study of 1 Corinthians will give me an opportunity to read the major commentary on this epistle, which was written by Anthony Thiselton. He is one of the great theologians of our time, a priest in the Church of England - and a real Christian gentleman. He was Principal of the seminary I attended and the things he taught us are some of the most memorable and useful pieces of wisdom I heard there. It will be an honor to learn from him once more.

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More Than a Child

The wonder and news of Jesus' birth is so awesome and profound that it is best told with few words. Both Matthew and Luke (the only two gospel writers who recount the event) write with eloquence and restraint. So, too, do the composers of the best Christmas carols.

At our Christmas Pageant this year, we will be introduced to a new song. I love it because, with only a series of short phrases, it provokes us to think deeply about Jesus. What do we celebrate at Christmas? The birth of a child, yes, but one who was much more than a child...

More than a child in a story of old

More than a birth in a stable so cold

More than a baby so fragile and fair

More than a child – it was God lying there

More than the messenger, more than his word

More than the mother who sang when she heard

More than the cousin who pointed the way

More than hymns that we sing on His day

More than the angels who lit up the sky

More than the shepherds who first heard his cry

More than the wise men who followed His star

More than the gifts they had brought from afar

On an ordin’ry day, for an ordin’ry girl

God’s ancient plan was about to unfurl

In this perfect time and ordinary place

God was about to show us His face

More than the windows that sparkle with lights

More than the children who can’t sleep at night

More than the parcels displayed round the tree

More than the visitor we never see

More than a child in a story of old

More than a birth in a stable so cold

More than a baby so fragile and fair

More than a child – it was God lying there

Words and Music: Andy & Fiona Gawn © 2003 Cluckin’ Chicken Music

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No laughing matter

So many people have been surprised and dismayed by a brief incident that occurred at the Diocesan Convention in November that I thought I would recount it again for anyone who has not heard - or has heard second reports of it from others who may not have been there.

I received a telephone call in October from a priest in the diocese who was organizing the Opening Eucharist of the Diocesan Convention to be held on Thursday, November 19, at 7:00 pm - the eve of the election of the Tenth Bishop of Oregon. The priest wondered if someone from our parish would like to read the Epistle at the service. The Lesson would be:

1 Timothy 3: 1-7 (NRSV)

The saying is sure: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task. Now a bishop must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way— for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil.

I then asked one of our delegates if she would like to read the passage, and she promptly agreed. She was later invited to a rehearsal of the service, which she attended. During the Opening Eucharist, she approached the lectern, announced the Lesson and began to read. When the second sentence was read, people began to laugh. Soon the sound of laughter became so great that she stopped and waited until it died down. Then she continued, but soon the laughter returned and grew so loud that she had to stop again and wait until she could be heard. Finally, with poise and courage, she finished the reading. A few minutes later, in the introduction to his sermon, a visiting bishop joked: "I'd like to have a word with whoever it was who picked those readings!" He added that he and another bishop talked about this passage before the service - and concluded that each of them probably only fulfilled three of these qualifications.

Those of us from this parish were stunned. I have attended thousands of church services in my life, but this was the first time I heard a congregation laugh during a reading of holy scripture. It was such an unusual event that I was at a loss to explain it. Did the passage strike people as ridiculous? I could speculate, but I didn't know. So, less than two weeks later at a clergy gathering I asked them why people laughed when that passage was read. The first person who answered said, "Because that's exactly what we don't want in a bishop!" A couple of other clergy said they laughed as they thought of bishops they knew who fell far short of this biblical standard. Another suggested that the laughter stemmed from the joy everyone was feeling at the start of the Convention.

I was grateful for their candor, but I am not sure if any of these reasons is an adequate explanation for such an unusual event. Instead, I think the incident illustrated - in a disturbing way - what is wrong with the Episcopal Church. For years our parish has been saying that our concern with the denomination is not just about sexual ethics - that is only a symptom of the issue. The problem with the Episcopal Church is its failure to recognize and respect the authority of the Bible. The open laughter at the Apostle Paul's words was a sad confirmation of this.

I might have thought that, as the clergy and delegates of the seventy-four parishes of the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon met together for a service of Holy Communion on the night before electing a new bishop, there would have been a very different atmosphere. One could have imagined being told: "We are now going to hear the seven most relevant verses in the Bible about the momentous task that lies before us." The reading might then have been followed by a period of silent prayer and meditation. Something like that would have been appropriate because, as the Episcopal Church Catechism declares, "God still speaks to us through the Bible." (BCP page 853)

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A Remarkable Man

On November 12 the Anglican Church around the world remembers a real hero of mine: Charles Simeon. And this year is the 250th anniversary of his birth. Simeon became a Christian in his freshman year of college in England. It was required in those days that all students take communion on Easter Day - but the thought of doing so terrified this young, unconverted student. Who was he to partake of something so holy? He spent much of that Holy Week on his knees in prayer. However, by Easter morning he knew that God had done a transforming work in his life: Christ had truly died and rose for him!

In 1782, when he was only in his early twenties, Simeon became the pastor of Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge. However, many church members had their hearts set on another man and resented the young Charles Simeon - and his manner of preaching - from the moment he arrived. Church pews were privately rented at this time and many pew holders protested Simeon's appointment by refusing to attend services - and by locking their pew doors to ensure that no one else sat in them! Simeon bought some benches at his own expense and placed them in the aisles and at the back of the church, but the wardens threw them into the churchyard. Most of the people who attended Holy Trinity in the early years of Simeon's ministry had to stand throughout the service. When he tried to start an evening service, the wardens simple locked the church. Although Simeon was prone to a quick temper, he did not respond with anger but rather prayed: "May God bless them with enlightening, sanctifying and saving grace."

Simeon has been described as the father of modern expository preaching. He used to say: "My endeavor is to bring out of Scripture what is there and not to thrust in what I think might be there. I have a great jealousy on this head: never to speak more or less than I believe to be the mind of the Spirit in the passage I am expounding." The fundamental principle he taught future ministers was the importance of letting the thrust of the text shape the sermon, rather than imposing a meaning on it from outside or focusing on a minor point within it. He would urge them: "Take for your subject that which you believe to be the mind of God in the passage before you." Once Simeon understood the passage, he would preach it with great conviction and verve - which was not how most Anglicans preached at the time. Once, a young girl listening to a sermon by Simeon asked her mother, "O Mama, what is the gentleman in a passion about?"

Charles Simeon was committed to reaching the people of Cambridge with the gospel of Christ, but his vision was global. He once said, "Let every man see what his line of work is and keep to it. I have, as my work, undertaken to provide ministers for eternal souls" - so he focused on recruiting, training and deploying men for the ministry. Once he spotted converted people with potential for gospel ministry, he would disciple and train them, both one-to-one and in small groups. He held weekly meetings, when 60 to 80 students would ask him questions, as well as biweekly sermon classes. However, many of those Simeon trained were not offered positions in the Church of England because of their evangelicalism, so Simeon invested much of his personal wealth to purchase "livings", which gave him the right to appoint ministers. Today, the Simeon Trust still holds the livings to 21 parishes in the Church of England.

Simeon’s passion to see the Lord raise up "workers for his harvest field" extended beyond Britain. He was instrumental in the early days of the modern missionary movement. In 1799 he helped in the creation of the Church Missionary Society. His greatest impact was in India, where he sent chaplains to serve British people who were living there. Once these chaplains arrived in India, they would devote their spare time to learning the local languages - and then translating the Bible into them. Among those who served in this way was Henry Martyn, who died at the age of 31 and yet, in just seven years, had translated the New Testament into Urdu, Arabic and Persian. Simeon hung Martyn’s portrait in his study and said that the young man’s eyes would look down and challenge him: "Don’t trifle!"

When instructing others about pastoral ministry, Simeon stressed: "The whole state of your own soul before God must be the first point to be considered; for if you yourself are not in a truly spiritual state of mind, and actually living upon the truths which you preach or read to others, you will officiate to very little purpose." Simeon himself was an outstanding model of perseverance: despite great opposition, which lasted for years, he never wavered from the task of preaching the gospel. On the day he died, all classes at Cambridge University were canceled and the shops in the city closed. His now grateful parishioners placed a plaque in the church, which I have read several times, "In Memory of the Rev. Charles Simeon, M.A., Senior Fellow of King's College, and fifty-four years vicar of this parish; who, whether as the ground of his own hopes, or as the subject of all his ministrations, determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified."

This is the prayer set for November 12: "O loving God, we know that all things are ordered by your unerring wisdom and unbounded love: Grant us in all things to see your hand; that, following the example and teaching of your servant Charles Simeon, we may walk with Christ in all simplicity, and serve you with a quiet and contented mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

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A candle that shall never be put out

My wife and I have spent a lot of time in the magnificent city of Oxford, England. When walking along its famous streets, a person can come upon a simple cross which is set into the surface of Broad Street. Around the corner, on St. Giles', stands something that looks like the top of a ancient stone church. Visitors often wonder: what do these symbols mean? The answer is found in an event which is commemorated each year on October 16.

When Henry VIII, the King of England, died in 1547, he left three heirs: a son, Edward VI, and two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. Edward, though only nine years old, succeeded his father to the throne. Because of his young age, a Regency Council, whose members were staunchly Protestant, ruled England for the next six years until Edward's death at the age of fifteen. Under their administration, many reforms were made to the Church of England to make it more biblical.

When Edward died, the throne passed to his older sister, Mary. She was firmly Roman Catholic in her beliefs and sought to return the country to its former practices. In the course of her five-year reign, she ordered nearly three hundred people to be burned at the stake. The three most famous victims of her rage are Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley and Thomas Cranmer.

Hugh Latimer was the Bishop of Worcester during the time of Henry VIII until he resigned in protest over the King's refusal to institute Protestant reforms. Latimer was a famous preacher who urged people to live upright lives and be fervent in prayer.

Nicholas Ridley joined the Protestant cause when he was a student at Cambridge University. He was a friend of Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and became his private chaplain. He was then appointed chaplain to Henry VIII. During the reign of Edward, Ridley became the Bishop of Rochester and was then appointed Archbishop of London.

Thomas Cranmer served as the first Archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of Henry VIII. When Edward came to the throne, Cranmer was foremost in reforming the Church of England and creating its first Book of Common Prayer in 1549.

In 1555 these three men were summoned to appear before a commission in Oxford and charged with alleged Protestant heresies. As all three refused to believe in transubstantiation (the Roman Catholic view of communion), they were each found guilty and sentenced to death. Latimer and Ridley were burned at the stake on October 16. Latimer's dying words were: "Be of good cheer, Master Ridley, and play the man, for we shall this day light such a candle in England as I trust by God' grace shall never be put out."

Cranmer was forced to watch their execution and, on March 21 of the following year, was likewise burned to death on the same spot - an area of waste ground just outside the city wall. The location is marked with a cross of stones set into what is now one of the city's main roads. The Martyrs' Memorial to honor and remember these three bishops was built nearly 300 years after their death.

When I think of these men - their love for Christ, zeal for his truth, and courage in the face of persecution - I am proud to be part of the church they served, proud to be an Anglican. Indeed, as Bible says of other saints: "the world was not worthy of them." (Hebrews 11:38)

Here is the prayer appointed for October 16: "Keep us, O Lord, constant in faith and zealous in witness, after the examples of your servants Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer; that we may live in your fear, die in your favor, and rest in your peace; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."

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John Chrysostom

John Chrysostom, who is honored in the church calendar on September 13, lived for about sixty years, from AD 347 to 407. He was the Archbishop of Constantinople and one of the Early Church Fathers. Because of his eloquent preaching, he was given the Greek surname "Chrysostomos" - which means, "golden mouthed."

Chrysostom was ordained as a deacon in 381, and as a priest in 386, and became a popular preacher because of his brilliant Bible expositions. His straightforward preaching of the Scriptures (in contrast to the tendency, at the time, of allegorical interpretation) meant that his sermons were usually very direct and practical: he applied the Bible's message to everyday life. His practice was to go through a passage verse by verse - often going into great detail - and provide colorful illustrations and practical examples.

One recurring feature of Chrysostom's sermons was his concern for the poor. He emphasized the importance of charitable giving and exhorted the rich to abandon their materialism and conspicuous consumption. He also founded a number of hospitals in Constantinople to care for the poor.

It is said that when Chrysostom was summoned by Emperor Arcadius and threatened with banishment, he responded, "You cannot banish me, for the whole world is my Father's kingdom." "Then I will take away your life," the emperor said. "You cannot," answered Chrysostom, "for my life is hid with Christ in God." "I will take away your treasure," roared the emperor. "You can't," replied Chrysostom, "for my treasure is in heaven, where my heart is." "Then I will drive you away from all your friends," the emperor said. "You cannot, for I have one friend from whom you can never separate me. I defy you," said Chrysostom, "because you can do me no harm." What a wonderful example of the confidence and security we can have when our hope is in Christ and not in the things of this world.

Chrysostom is perhaps best known by Anglicans for the prayer of his which is said at the end of Evening Prayer:

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

John Chrysostom was certainly a great man of God and eloquent preacher of his word. Here is a prayer of thanksgiving to God for his life and ministry - and a request that such "excellency in preaching" would be given to clergy today:

O God, who gave to your servant John Chrysostom grace eloquently to proclaim your righteousness in the great congregation, and fearlessly to bear reproach for the honor of your Name: Mercifully grant to all bishops and pastors such excellency in preaching, and fidelity in ministering your Word, that your people shall be partakers with them of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Heresy - or Good News?

The triennial General Convention of the Episcopal Church was held in July in Anaheim, California. The Presiding Bishop, in the Opening Address, began by speaking about the crisis now gripping our denomination:

"The crisis of this moment has several parts... they’re all related. The overarching connection in all of these crises has to do with the great Western heresy – that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God." This shocking statement seems to deny a central claim of Christianity, as it has been widely understood over the past two thousand years: that it is possible for an individual to be saved, the someone can indeed be brought into a right relationship with God - indeed that this objective was the whole purpose for Jesus' life, death and resurrection.

Jesus explained his ministry by stating that he came "to seek and save what was lost." (Luke 19:10) The Apostle Paul wrote: this is "the word of faith that we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10: 8-9) The Bible is consistently clear that it is possible for an individual to be saved. That which the Presiding Bishop calls "heresy" (an opinion contrary to the orthodox tenets of the Christian Church), the Apostle Paul calls Good News!

The task for all of us in Christian ministry is to tell people that they can be reconciled to God - and to encourage them to be so. As Paul himself declared: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5: 17-21)

To her credit, the Presiding Bishop has certainly got to the heart of "the crisis of this moment." While there are several issues over which I disagree with her, the "overarching connection in all of these crises" - the fundamental difference between the orthodox and revisionist members of our church - is the essential meaning of the Holy Scriptures. I believe the great and central truth of the Bible is God's desire to rescue sinful people through Christ's sacrificial death on the cross. How sad if this great truth is now seen by some as "the great Western heresy." Fortunately, we can trust the word of Jesus, who said: "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved." (John 10:9)

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John Calvin

July marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin, one of the great figures of the Protestant Reformation. Calvin was born in Noyon, France. In 1529 he began studying at the University of Bourges, and it was there that he experienced a spiritual conversion: "God by a sudden conversion subdued and brought my mind to a teachable frame, which was more hardened in such matters than might have been expected from one at my early period of life."

In March 1536 Calvin published the first edition of his classic work, Institutes of the Christian Religion - a systematic explanation of the Christian faith. In August of that year he set off for Strasbourg, but a detour took him to Geneva. He only intended to stay there one night, but William Farel (another French reformer) begged him to stay and help him reform the church. Calvin agreed and began preaching expository sermons from the Bible at St. Peter's Church. I have stood in this great church, looked up at the pulpit and thanked God for the ministry that took place there.

In March 1540 Calvin's first commentary was published. This book, on Paul's letter to the Romans, became the model of commentary writing to the present day. It included his own translation of the text from the original language, followed by an explanation of what the biblical writer meant.

In August of that year Calvin married Idelette, a widow with two children. Sadly she became ill in 1545 and died four years later. Calvin, who never married again, wrote: "I have been bereaved of the best friend of my life."

John Calvin had an abiding concern for the people of his native France. In just seven years, he sent more than a hundred ministers to France - funded entirely by the church in Geneva.

Calvin preached his final sermon in February 1564 and died three months later. At first his body was laid in state, but so many people came to see it that there was concern that a new saint's cult might develop. So, the following day, he was buried in an unmarked grave.

Calvin is perhaps best known for the theology that bears his name - Calvinism - which asserts the absolute sovereignty of God in human salvation. This truth is also articulated in our own Anglican Articles of Religion, XVII: Of Predestination and Election (which you can read in the Prayer Book on page 871).

Calvin declared that knowledge of God is not inherent in humanity, nor can it be discovered by observing creation: the only way to obtain knowledge of God is to study the Bible. "For anyone to arrive at God the Creator, he needs Scripture as his Guide and Teacher." Praise God that he reveals himself to us in the words of the Bible!

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