Algiz as a Christian Symbol

Runes were the letters used in various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet, and they continued to be used for specialized purposes thereafter.  The Rune ᛉ (Algiz) is of some interest to Christians because it is often seen in ecclesiastical ornamentation.  If you make the mistake of trying to research this Rune online most of what you will discover is information about neo-pagan beliefs about the Algiz.  These neo-pagan meanings were assigned to it just a little more than a hundred years ago. 

It is convenient that the Rune is roughly the shape of a cross.  The real significance for Christians can be found in the early Christian practice of using monograms for the names of Jesus Christ (Christogram).  The significance of the Algiz rune for Christians can be discovered by considering its use of the 7^th century  casket of St. Cuthbert.  “The Christogram [on the casket] is notably in runic writing, ihs xps ᛁᚻᛋ ᛉᛈᛋ,…The monogram reflects a runic variant of a partly Latinized XPS from Greek ΧΡΙCΤΟC, with the rho rendered as runic p and the eolc rune (the old Algiz rune z) used to render chi.”  The Algiz is most often seen in Christianity on what is called the semi-gothic chasuble.  The Christian priest, standing at the altar to celebrate mass (in persona Christi) wears the chasuble which signifies charity.  On the chasuble, the Algiz shaped orphreys are a monogram for the name Christ.  

The “Romish” James Parker Dees.

The following quote is taken from a letter sent by the Rev. Dr. Robert KnightRudolph to Dr Carl McIntire dated 12/3/1963.  In late 1963 Dr Carl McIntire had James Parker Dees as guest on his popular radio program.  At the time the letter was written Dr Knight was the Professor of Systematic and Biblical Theology and Ethics at Reformed Episcopal Seminary in Pennsylvania, where he served for 49 years.  The letter was typed on seminary letterhead.

“I am particularly upset that you (Dr Carl McInire) support [James Parker Dees] when he insists on using the Prayer Books of the Church of England which allows of all kinds of Romish practice; that you have not insisted that he give up having an altar or wearing the priestly surplice. Do you really agree with him that a sacrifice is being made in the communion? You KNOW that there is NO altar but Calvary! You KNOW that Christ did NOT celebrate the Supper in the temple at an altar. How can you condone a man who won’t be Protestant? - - -and as to the surplice you know that John Knox took the black gown because it was the garb of the TEACHING brothers who could NOT administer the Lord's supper as a testimony to the priesthood of all believers and a demonstration of his conviction that the authority of the minister is to teach and not to go between the people and their God. If Dees had convictions he would so establish his church that it could not be soon carried back into the old heresies - - -but he refuses a Protestant and Biblical Prayer Book, and keeps one that is purposely written in a vague fashion so as to permit of either Protestant or Romish interpretation.”

Bishop James Parker Dees, A Low Churchman? Part 5

Excerpt from "Concept of the Holy"

A sermon by Bishop James Parker Dees

God has chosen certain places and things and people and days to be particularly holy in order that He may speak through them to the world.  He has set up holy places in which we worship.   We believe that God is everywhere, but we believe that He has particularly set aside His Church, our church, as a place in which His children may come and find Him and find salvation. A church building is not just something of boards and bricks or mortar, an organ, and pews, and so on; it is a holy place, dedicated to the Holy One who makes it holy by His Presence.  And His children know He does.  And that is why we kneel when we come into church--not simply because it is the practice of the Church, but because we are in the House of God, and in His presence, the presence of Him who sanctifies the Church and His people.  This is why we don't play light or unseemly music in Church—because it has been consecrated to God and is consecrated by His Spirit.  That is why we don't talk about unseemly and frivolous things in church -because reverence and worship are fitting in His presence. This is why we bow our heads when we pass in front of the Cross, recognizing the presence of Christ Jesus. The Church is a holy place; it is a holy place because it is dedicated to the worship of God and is blessed with His Spirit.  When we come into church, we should be reminded of the words of God to Moses:   "The ground whereon thou standest is holy ground ...

God has also called a people to be a holy people, and out of this holy people, He has called a sacred ministry.  He has called men into Holy Orders, His ministry, to make Him known to the world, and He gives to them His Holy Spirit. He has called them to mediate his Divine Grace which is able to save souls. His ministers are called by God for a special task, and have a special task, and are endowed with His Holy Spirit for that task. Their task is to bring God to man and to lead man to God. Ministers should be called of the Lord, and should be considered to be holy to the Lord, and they should consider themselves to be holy to the Lord. God's ministers are called to mediate God's Holy Spirit through the Holy Sacraments, through the Sacrament of Baptism, in which we are born into God's Holy family, and through the Sacrament of the Holy Communion, in which we are spiritually fed with our blessed Saviour himself for the strengthening and nourishing of our souls.  Jesus said, in the sixth chapter of St. John, "Except a man eat of my flesh and drink of my blood, he hath no life in him."  

Bishop James Parker Dees a Low Churchman? Part 4, Hyper Calvinism

April 25, 1984.

Concerning the XVII^th Article of the 39 ARTICLES OF RELIGION, entitled "Of Predestination and Election,” printed in the 1928 edition of THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER: We have observed that there seems to be a bit of ambiguity in the interpretation of it. We wish to make clear our position in regard to this article.

Some people have understood that this article endorses the position of  Election held by some who are termed “strict Calvinists.”

Although the article mentions "double predestination,” it does not affirm it.

Bishop James Parker Dees

We wish to repudiate this position and to affirm that this Church hold s to the position of "Free Grace" plainly stated in John Wesley’s sermon on this subject,… [This] Church  does  not  tolerate  the position held by some, that  God  predestines some people to go to hell before they are born , and that  there  is nothing that they can do  about it to change hell from being their eternal destination. This doctrine, we believe, as John Wesley states, is directly contrary to the Biblical position as a whole, and is contrary to plain and direct statements by Jesus himself. Salvation, we believe, is available to all who will receive it.

Signed: James P. Dees,

Presiding Bishop

 

Elsewhere on this subject Bishop Dees writes:

On: DOUBLE PREDESTINATION or "Special Election.''

There are many, many people who consider themselves to be Christians who do not believe that Christ's promises of salvation are made available to all men.

Many of them embrace the doctrine that is known generally as the doctrine of special election. This is embraced generally by those who call themselves Calvinists.

This doctrine may be summed up simply into this: that by virtue of an eternal, unchangeable, irresistible decree of God, one part of mankind is infallibly saved, and the rest of mankind is infallibly damned; that it is impossible that any of those decreed by G d to be saved, can be lost or that any of those decreed to be damned can be saved.

The Bible plainly shows by the words of Jesus, who is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy and who embodies Divine Truth, that this is not true. This doctrine represents our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, the righteous, "the only begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and truth," as a hypocrite; a deceiver of the people, a man void of common sincerity; for it cannot be denied that He everywhere speaks as if he were willing that all men should be saved.

Therefore, to say He is not willing that all men should be saved, is to represent him as a hypocrite, a dissembler and a liar.  It cannot be denied that the gracious words that came out of his mouth are full of invitations to all sinners.  To say that His grace is not available to all sinners is to represent Him as a gross deceiver of the people.

One cannot deny that he says plainly, "Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden." If then you say that he calls those that cannot come, those whom he knows to be unable to come, those whom he can make able to come, but will not, how is it possible to describe greater insincerity? They represent him as mocking his helpless creatures by offering what he never intends to give. These Calvinists describe Him as saying one thing while meaning another; as pretending the love which he does not really offer.  Him, in "whose mouth there was no guile" they make Him full of deceit and void of sincerity.

When He drew near to the city, He wept over it, saying, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together and ye would not.” These Calvinists who hold to the doctrine of limited  or special election represent Jesus as weeping crocodile tears;  weeping over the prey which he himself had doomed to destruction.  HOW CAN SUCH PEOPLE FACE HIM ON THE JUDGMENT DAY? To believe in Jesus is to believe in what He says. Not to believe in what He says is not to believe in Him, and to doom themselves to Hell.

James P. Dees,

Presiding Bishop

Bishop James Parker Dees a Low Churchman? Part 3

Bishop Dees is often remembered by traditional Anglicans for limiting his parishes to one celebration of Holy Communion a month.  However, when his actual views are examined the story is more complicated.   

Excerpts from “A Position Paper by the Presiding Bishop Concerning Worship…” by Bishop James Parker Dees dated November 1, 1980. 

“THIS CHURCH recognizes Holy Communion to be its principle service of worship;” 



Bishop James Parker Dees

Holy Communion should be celebrated “…the first Sunday in each month and on feast days, Saints’ Days, and other outstanding occasions such as ordinations, consecration of bishops, consecration of churches, installation of clergy, bishop’s visitations, outstanding holidays such as Thanksgiving, Independence Day, etc. “ 

“…it is permissible to transfer the celebration of a saint’s day to the nearest Sunday.” 

“It is in our tradition to hold regularly a morning Celebration of the Holy Communion once a week on a week day, if desired.” 

James P. Dees

Metropolitan

The Orthodox Anglican Communion 

Another directive sets forth the feast days and saint’s days to be celebrated in the jurisdiction.  The number of feast and saints days on this list total nearly 40 in number.  If the opportunities to celebrate Holy Communion are totaled (1^st Sunday, weekly weekday service, feast days, saint’s days, episcopal visitations, and secular Holidays) a parish could conceivably have held Holy Communion roughly 100 times a year.  The possibility of even more celebrations existed if there was a wedding, funeral, ordination, or installation.   

The official scheme Bishop Dees lays forth on paper may not be ideal or desired by many Traditional Anglicans today, but, at least on paper, his views cannot be accurately described as having necessitated the starving of the sheep for lack of the Sacrament. 

Bishop James Parker Dees a Low Churchman? Part 2

March 2, 1977
TO: THE MEMBERS OF THE CLERGY
SUBJECT: LAY PARTICIPATION IN THE CELEBRATION OF HOLY COMMUNION

Dear Friends:

Bishop James P. Dees

We are all in agreement, I believe, that [this] Church with its doctrine and worship is the continuation of the ancient and time-honored Church that has come to us from Apostolic times through the Reformers of the Church of England.

The Sacrament of the Holy Communion and our doctrine concerning it, we believe as established in the Book of Common Prayer and Thirty Nine Articles, is true to the Church's use in the earliest times and true to what our Lord instituted with the Apostles.

The Holy Communion Service from earliest times is a priestly function, and not a lay function, and has always been celebrated by ordained priests of the Church. This is borne out in the rubrics of the Prayer Book.

In recent years the Episcopal Church(USA), in its general breakdown of doctrine and morality and practices, has permitted violations of this ancient and accepted practice by giving certain roles in the Celebration of the Sacrament to the laity. This is contrary to both the doctrine concerning the priesthood and to the ancient practice of the Church.

I would like to request and to remind you that the Celebration of the Holy Communion is a priestly function throughout (except for the recognized and normal duties of the acolytes, who assist by giving the celebrant the bread and wine at the proper time, the lighting of the candles and putting them out, the disposition of the offering plates, etc.) The laity is not given the duties of reading any part of the Prayer Book Service nor of dispensing any of the elements (the bread and wine), which , as indicated above, are priestly functions and are to be reserved to the priesthood .

I believe that the clergy in our Church are celebrating already the Holy Communion as indicated above, in relation to the laity, but I wish simply to make this position clear so that you will have a definitive statement from the Bishop's Office as to the Church's position on this matter.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Sincerely your friend,

James P. Dees

Metropolitan

The Orthodox Anglican Communion

*Bold emphasis added

Bishop James Parker Dees a Low Churchman?

June 28, 1972

Memorandum To: The Clergy

Subject: The significance of the Episcopate, Holy Orders, and the Sacraments in this Church.

My dear Brethren:

Greetings!

As all of you know, we have been relying heavily on Bishop J.C. Ryle in the preparation of Lay Readers’ sermons.  Bishop Ryle was a man of great spiritual depth and was a profound Biblical Scholar.

Bishop James Parker Dees, 3/1969

I have found, however, that Bishop Ryle, in his writings, tends to minimize the Episcopate, Holy Orders, and the Sacraments.  He places great emphasis on the Scriptures and Biblical Truth and on a man’s personal relationship with God, but he belittles Ecclesiastical structure and the things mentioned above.  I have found that he has virtually no conception at all of the sacramental nature of the church, and he does not hesitate to run it down on many occasions in his writings, casting aspersions on the Episcopate, Holy Orders and those who are in Holy Orders, and on the significance of the Sacraments as well.

When preparing Lay Readers’ sermons from Bishop Ryle’s writings, we have wisely deleted Bishop Ryle’s observations concerning these things and have used his positive contributions in the area of the Scriptures.

I want to warn you all about this weak spot in Bishop Ryle’s writings.  His position in regard to these matters is not the position of this Church. 

[This] Church recognizes the Episcopate, Holy Orders, and the Sacraments as being the essence of this Church.  These things constitute the “esse” of this Church; and not just the “bene esse,” as some would contend.**  This is not to say that people in churches without the episcopate are lost.  It is to say that they lack something that this church has and which we think is necessary in order to have Apostolical ecclesiastical authority, and which we think is desirable for this and other reasons.

I consider the proclamation of the Gospel is also the essence of the Church.  If a church does not preach the Good News of salvation available to all mankind though faith in the redemption effected on the Cross, it certainly is not the Church of Jesus Christ.  We affirm that [this] Church is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic in all that these terms imply.

Clergymen in this Church are expected to strongly affirm their regard for the Episcopate, Holy Orders, the Sacraments and the Gospel Message, and not to emphasize one at the expense of the other.  They all stand together.

Be careful, therefore, in using Bishop Ryle and others who may not have concern for these things that we do.

God bless you all.

Sincerely,

James P. Dees

Metropolitan

The Orthodox Anglican Communion

*Bold emphasis added 
**bene esse (of the well being), plene esse (of the fullness of being), esse (of the necessary being)    

John Calvin's request for valid reformed episcopate

http://htanglican.homestead.com/files/episcopacy_fact_and_law___1872_.htm

Catechism on the Priesthood

Catechism on the Priesthood by Saint John Vianney

My children, we have come to the Sacrament of Orders. It is a Sacrament which seems to relate to no one among you, and which yet relates to everyone. This Sacrament raises man up to God. What is a priest! A man who holds the place of God -- a man who is invested with all the powers of God. "Go, " said Our Lord to the priest; "as My Father sent Me, I send you. All power has been given Me in Heaven and on earth. Go then, teach all nations. . . . He who listens to you, listens to Me; he who despises you despises Me. " When the priest remits sins, he does not say, "God pardons you"; he says, "I absolve you. " At the Consecration, he does not say, "This is the Body of Our Lord;" he says, "This is My Body. "

Saint Bernard tells us that everything has come to us through Mary; and we may also say that everything has come to us through the priest; yes, all happiness, all graces, all heavenly gifts. If we had not the Sacrament of Orders, we should not have Our Lord. Who placed Him there, in that tabernacle? It was the priest. Who was it that received your soul, on its entrance into life? The priest. Who nourishes it, to give it strength to make its pilgrimage? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, by washing that soul, for the last time, in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest -- always the priest. And if that soul comes to the point of death, who will raise it up, who will restore it to calmness and peace? Again the priest. You cannot recall one single blessing from God without finding, side by side with this recollection, the image of the priest.

Go to confession to the Blessed Virgin, or to an angel; will they absolve you? No. Will they give you the Body and Blood of Our Lord? No. The Holy Virgin cannot make her Divine Son descend into the Host. You might have two hundred angels there, but they could not absolve you. A priest, however simple he may be, can do it; he can say to you, "Go in peace; I pardon you. " Oh, how great is a priest! The priest will not understand the greatness of his office till he is in Heaven. If he understood it on earth, he would die, not of fear, but of love. The other benefits of God would be of no avail to us without the priest. What would be the use of a house full of gold, if you had nobody to open you the door! The priest has the key of the heavenly treasures; it is he who opens the door; he is the steward of the good God, the distributor of His wealth. Without the priest, the Death and Passion of Our Lord would be of no avail. Look at the heathens: what has it availed them that Our Lord has died? Alas! they can have no share in the blessings of Redemption, while they have no priests to apply His Blood to their souls!

The priest is not a priest for himself; he does not give himself absolution; he does not administer the Sacraments to himself. He is not for himself, he is for you. After God, the priest is everything. Leave a parish twenty years without priests; they will worship beasts. If the missionary Father and I were to go away, you would say, "What can we do in this church? there is no Mass; Our Lord is no longer there: we may as well pray at home. " When people wish to destroy religion, they begin by attacking the priest, because where there is no longer any priest there is no sacrifice, and where there is no longer any sacrifice there is no religion.

When the bell calls you to church, if you were asked, "Where are you going?" you might answer, "I am going to feed my soul. " If someone were to ask you, pointing to the tabernacle, "What is that golden door?" "That is our storehouse, where the true Food of our souls is kept. " "Who has the key? Who lays in the provisions? Who makes ready the feast, and who serves the table?" "The priest. " "And what is the Food?" "The precious Body and Blood of Our Lord. " O God! O God! how Thou hast loved us! See the power of the priest; out of a piece of bread the word of a priest makes a God. It is more than creating the world. . . . Someone said, "Does Saint Philomena, then, obey the Cure of Ars?" Indeed, she may well obey him, since God obeys him.

If I were to meet a priest and an angel, I should salute the priest before I saluted the angel. The latter is the friend of God; but the priest holds His place. Saint Teresa kissed the ground where a priest had passed. When you see a priest, you should say, "There is he who made me a child of God, and opened Heaven to me by holy Baptism; he who purified me after I had sinned; who gives nourishment to my soul. " At the sight of a church tower, you may say, "What is there in that place?" "The Body of Our Lord. " "Why is He there?" "Because a priest has been there, and has said holy Mass. "

What joy did the Apostles feel after the Resurrection of Our Lord, at seeing the Master whom they had loved so much! The priest must feel the same joy, at seeing Our Lord whom he holds in his hands. Great value is attached to objects which have been laid in the drinking cup of the Blessed Virgin and of the Child Jesus, at Loretto. But the fingers of the priest, that have touched the adorable Flesh of Jesus Christ, that have been plunged into the chalice which contained His Blood, into the pyx where His Body has lain, are they not still more precious? The priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus. When you see the priest, think of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Monism ALERT

The new movie "'Avatar' is [James] Cameron’s long apologia for pantheism — a faith that equates God with Nature, and calls humanity into religious communion with the natural world.
In Cameron’s sci-fi universe, this communion is embodied by the blue-skinned, enviably slender Na’Vi, an alien race whose idyllic existence on the planet Pandora is threatened by rapacious human invaders. The Na’Vi are saved by the movie’s hero, a turncoat Marine, but they’re also saved by their faith in Eywa, the 'All Mother,' described variously as a network of energy and the sum total of every living thing. If this narrative arc sounds familiar, that’s because pantheism has been Hollywood’s religion of choice for a generation now."

Youth rejecting Baby Boomer churchianity

This blog posting discusses some of the trends that I have been watching for a decade. World magazine, Newsweek, and other publications have written about it too.

Operi Dei Nihil Praeponatur

"In the period following the [Second Vatican] Council, of course, the Constitution on the liturgy was understood, no longer on the basis of this fundamental primacy of adoration, but quite simply as a recipe book concerned with what we can do with the liturgy. In the meantime many liturgical experts, rushing into considerations about how we can shape the liturgy in a more attractive way, to communicate better, so as to get more and more people involved have apparently quite lost sight of the fact that the liturgy is actually 'done' for God and not for ourselves. The more we do it for ourselves, however, the less it attracts people, because everyone can clearly sense that what is essential is increasingly eluding us." -JCR (Benedisct XVI) Pilgrim Fellowship of Faith, p 126.

Hand Written Romanian Icons

ICONS

Hand written icons can be quite expensive. Over the course of the last six months I have purchased four hand written icons from this individual. I was asked to share the information. The link is for her ebay profile, and the link below is a page she has set up.

"All of my works are hand-made, using the traditional art of egg-tempera on old lime wood and golden leaf. I also do commisioned work. I have graduated from the Faculty of Orthodox Theology from Iasi in 2003. My field of work is icon and manuscript painting."

Another link to her work (click here)

Ebay profile (click here)

English Standard Version w/ Apocrypha

From the publisher:

[The English Standard Version] has been growing in popularity among students in biblical studies, mainline Christian scholars and clergy, and Evangelical Christians of all denominations.

Along with that growth comes the need for the books of the Apocrypha to be included in ESV Bibles, both for denominations that use those books in liturgical readings and for students who need them for historical purposes. More Evangelicals are also beginning to be interested in the Apocrypha, even though they don't consider it God's Word. The English Standard Version Bible with the Apocrypha , for which the Apocrypha has been commissioned by Oxford University Press, employs the same methods and guidelines used by the original translators of the ESV, to produce for the first time an ESV Apocrypha. This will be the only ESV with Apocrypha available anywhere, and it includes all of the books and parts of books in the Protestant Apocrypha, the Catholic Old Testament, and the Old Testament as used in Orthodox Christian churches

The English Standard Version Bible with Apocrypha is certain to become the preferred Bible in more conservative divinity schools and seminaries, where the Apocrypha is studied from an academic perspective. And it answers the need of conservative Christians in general for a more literal version of these books.

Consider also:

The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod has adopted the ESV as the official text used in its official hymnal "Lutheran Service Book", released in August 2006. It is in use in the church's three and one year lectionaries released with "Lutheran Service Book." The official publishing arm of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Concordia Publishing House, is using the English Standard Version as its translation of choice in all its published materials. Concordia Publishing House is releasing The Lutheran Study Bible in October 2009, which will use the ESV translation.

1/31/2010 After a visit to their Winter Conference and looking at their modern language Prayer Book it is apparent to me that the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA) has either officially or unofficially adopted the ESV as its translation of choice.

Evolutionary Psychology

Excerpt from Newsweek|On Science

On Second Thought
by Sharon Begley

"it's fascinating how scientists with an intellectual stake in a particular side of a debate tend to see flaws in studies that undercut their dearly held views, and to interpret and even ignore "facts" to fit their views. No wonder the historian Thomas Kuhn concluded almost 50 years ago that a scientific paradigm topples only when the last of its powerful adherents dies. The few essays in which scientists do admit they were wrong— and about something central to their reputation—therefore stand out.

The most fascinating backpedaling is by scientists who have long pushed evolutionary psychology. This field holds that we all carry genes that led to reproductive success in the Stone Age, and that as a result men are genetically driven to be promiscuous and women to be coy, that men have a biological disposition to rape and to kill mates who cheat on them, and that every human behavior is "adaptive"—that is, helpful to reproduction. But as Harvard biologist Marc Hauser now concedes, evidence is "sorely missing" that language, morals and many other human behaviors exist because they help us mate and reproduce."

"You (Anglicans) are the tree from which we (Baptists) have grown." -Dr. Albert Mohler, the 9th president of the Southern Baptist Convention and a leading conservative voice in American Culture, Mere Anglican conference 1/09.

Re: John Calvin on Episcopacy

Excerpts from a sermon delivered by the Rt Revd Gregory Thurston Bedell, D.D. in 1872. Bishop Bedell was a Bishop of the Episcopal Church.

a law can never be considered settled, until exceptions are accounted for. Confidence in it increases, not only in proportion to the uniformity of the phenomena, but in proportion to the ease with which a rule reconciles all the facts, and develops the causes of exception. So our assurance in this Episcopal regimen is made finally and doubly sure, because the facts are uniform up to a well known historical era; and since that date, every exception is clearly defined, and is acknowledged to have been a voluntary (in some cases, as Calvin's, an ex necessitate, not a willing) departure from historical precedent and usage.

Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury, who favored [John] Calvin's theological views, records, that, in looking over some papers left by his predecessor, Archbishop Parker, he found that Calvin, and others of the Protestant Churches of Germany and elsewhere, would have had Episcopacy if permitted. And he asserts, that in Edward VI. reign, Calvin wrote a letter to the English reformers on this subject, which was intercepted by Gardiner and Bonner (Popish), who returned him such a reply, writing as if in the name of the Reformers, as effectually prevented his repeating the suggestion. (Chapman's sermons, p.104. Boston, 1844.)

Calvin, even when defending the new system that he had adopted, was true to the "historical precedent." He does not deny a historical "succession," even where he writes, "nothing can be more frivolous than to place the succession in the persons, to the neglect of the doctrine." And in arguing against Romanists, employing for his purpose the fact of the existence of the Greek Church, he asserts that among them there "has never been any interruption of the succession of Bishops."

He holds (of course) the Presbyterian theory, namely: that Bishops and Presbyters are the same order. "In calling those who presided over Churches, Bishops, Elders, and Pastors, without any distinction, I have followed the usage of Scripture. For, to all who discharge the Ministry of the Word, it gives the title of Bishops." But when he is speaking as a historian, he says, "To guard against dissensions, the general consequence of equality, the presbyters in each city chose one of their own number, whom they distinguished by the title of Bishop. The Bishop, however, was not so superior to the rest in honor and dignity, as to have any dominion over his colleagues, but the functions performed by a Consul in the Senate, such as *** to preside over the rest, in the exercise of advice, admonition, and exhortation, to regulate all the proceedings by his authority, and to carry into execution whatever had been decreed by the general voice - such were the functions exercised by the Bishop in the Assembly of Presbyters." A very fair description of a Bishop in the Protestant Episcopal Church.

In the same passage he guards against the idea of "Divine right," quoting Jerome - "let the Bishops know their superiority to the Presbyters is more from custom than from the appointment of the Lord." But he proceeds in his defence of the "historical precedent," to show "the antiquity of this institution," by quoting from the same author (Jerome) "at Alexandria, even from Mark the Evangelist to Heraclos and Dionysius, the Presbyters always chose one of their body to preside over them, whom they called Bishop." Then, in summing up, Calvin adds, "every assembly as I have stated, for the sole purpose of preserving order and peace, was under the direction of one Bishop, who, while while he had the precedence of all others in dignity, was himself subject to the assembly of brethren."

It might be deemed important to prove that Bishops were ordained by Presbyters, if indeed they were of the same order. But Calvin, true to "historical precedent," after declaring that the ancient elections were held "by the Clergy, and submitted to the Magistrates, or Senate, not by the populace," "for the uncertain vulgar are divided by contrary inclinations," proceeds, "there is a decree of the Council of Nice that the Metropolitans should meet with all the Bishops of the province, to ordain him who shall have been selected: but if any be prevented by necessary cause, at least three should meet, and those who are absent should testify their consent by letters." (The rule in the Protestant Episcopal Church.) Quoting Cyprian, he adds, "for the due performance of ordinations, all the Bishops of the same province meet with the people over whom a Bishop is to be ordained." Calvin proceeds, "it was deemed sufficient if they assembled after the election was made, and upon due examination consecrated the person who had been chosen. This was the universal practice, without any exception."

We consider this testimony, of so competent a historian, to be of great value. Calvin here affirms, that, however the election of a Bishop may have been effected, or declared, his consecration never took place except by Bishops, in contradistinction to Presbyters. And he states this still more explicitly at the close of the following passage, in which he is proving that Consecration was by imposition of hands. "I read of no other ceremony practices, except that in the public assembly the Bishops had some dress to distinguish them from the rest of the Presbyters. Presbyters and Deacons also were ordained solely by the imposition of hands. But every Bishop ordained his own Presbyters, in conjunction with the assembly of the other Presbyters of his Diocese. Now, though they all united in the same act, yet, because the Bishop took the lead, and the ceremony was performed under his direction, therefore it was called his ordination. Wherefore it is often remarked by the ancient writers, that a Presbyter differs from a Bishop in no other respect, than that he does not possess the power of ordination."

The two statements now exhibited by this renowned divine, do not appear reconcilable, namely: 1st, that Bishops and Presbyters are the same order; and 2nd, that, every assembly was presided over by one Bishop who had precedence in dignity, and who exercised overseer-ship of the Presbyters, and who was never ordained by them, but always by other Bishops; and that Presbyters differed from Bishops, in that they did not possess the power of ordination.

The historical facts stated by Calvin are undoubted:

*(Calvin's Institutes, London, 1844; Book iv., chaps.1-4.)

US News Article: A Return to Ritual

Some quotes from the article-

"Something curious is happening in the wide world of faith, something that defies easy explanation or quantification. More substantial than a trend but less organized than a movement, it has to do more with how people practice their religion than with what they believe, though people caught up in this change often find that their beliefs are influenced, if not subtly altered, by the changes in their practice. Put simply, the development is a return to tradition and orthodoxy, to past practices, observances, and customary ways of worshiping. "

"Carl Anderson, the senior pastor of Trinity Fellowship Church, and you get an idea. "Seven or eight years ago, there was a sense of disconnectedness and loneliness in our church life," he says. The entrepreneurial model adopted by so many evangelical churches, with its emphasis on seeker-friendly nontraditional services and programs, had been successful in helping Trinity build its congregation, Anderson explains. But it was less successful in holding on to church members and deepening their faith or their ties with fellow congregants. Searching for more rootedness, Anderson sought to reconnect with the historical church.
Connections. Not surprisingly, that move was threatening to church members who strongly identify with the Reformation and the Protestant rejection of Catholic practices, including most liturgy. But Anderson and others tried to emphasize the power of liturgy to direct worship toward God and "not be all about me," he says. Anderson also stressed how liturgy "is about us—and not just this church but the connection with other Christians." Adopting the weekly Eucharist, saying the Nicene Creed every two or three weeks, following the church calendar, Trinity reshaped its worship practices in ways that drove some congregants away. But Anderson remains committed, arguing that traditional practices will help evangelical churches grow beyond the dependence on 'celebrity-status pastors.'"

The article also quotes Brian McLaren, the popular author and a founder of Cedar Ridge Community Church in Spencerville, Md. "Protestantism has been in a centrifugal pattern for so long, with each group spinning away from others," McLaren says. "But now there is some kind of pull back to the center."

Apologetics/Cult Humor

John Williamson Nevin

This is a scan of John Williamson Nevin taken from th Historic Manual of the Reformed Church in the United States by Joseph Dubbs, Published in 1885.

Lock up the Christians

Chris Hedges, a rabid anti-evangelical and the author of American Fascists openly proclaims what I have been telling people for years. His view of what should be done with Evangelicals is summed up by this quote he uses from Karl Popper-

"If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them… We should therefore claim, in the name of tolerance, the right not to tolerate the intolerant. We should claim that any movement preaching intolerance places itself outside the law, and we should consider incitement to intolerance and persecution as criminal, in the same way as we should consider incitement to murder, or to kidnapping, or to the revival of the slave trade, as criminal."

One of many things in which I would disagree with Chris Hedges is that he claims the left is too timid to enforce the oppression of those they percieve as intolerant. Obviously he hasn't encountered the liberals in the mainline denominations.

Words of Truth & Love, 1867

scanned from Words of Truth & Love, 1867

Engraving, Bishop Jeremy Taylor

This image was scanned from a copy of his complete works vol 1.

the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts

This engraving was pasted inside a copy of A Commentary upon the Second Book of Moses, called Exodus, by the Right Reverend Father in God, SYMON, Lord Bishop of Ely. [2nd edition corrected, MDCCIV.] The book was apparently a gift to the colonies from the the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. Which was a British religious society that was active in America from the beginning of the eighteenth century through the start of the Revolutionary War. The Latin banner translates roughly as "I go overseas to give help" [TRANSIENS ADIUVANOS].

So what are you or your kids learning?

So what are you and/or your kids learning? If you are listening to Neal Morse you are being taught that the Trinity is fiction and that Jesus is not very God of very God, but rather, a created being. Please don't make the mistake of thinking this doesn't creep into his music, he says otherwise- "My new album deals with this subject indirectly" In spite of this Christianity Today called his latest album "unquestionably admirable for its artistic and spiritual merits." The fact that someone who plays to "Christians" can be public with their heresy and it only draws a yawn only serves to show us how bad things really are.

“If Christ is not true and natural God, born of the Father in eternity and Creator of all creatures we are doomed…we must have a Savior who is true God and Lord over sin, death, devil and hell. If we permit the devil to topple this stronghold for us, so that we disbelieve His divinity, then His suffering, death, and resurrection profit us nothing” (Luther’s Works [Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1967], 22:21-22).

Pope's Exorcist: Harry Potter Satanic

The Vatican's chief exorcist is no fan of Harry Potter. Father Gabriele Amorth, who is Pope Benedict XVI's "caster out of demons," told Vatican Radio: "Behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the king of the darkness, the devil."

According to the Daily Mail newspaper, he said that author J.K. Rowling's books contain innumerable positive references to magic, "the satanic art" and added the books attempt to make a false distinction between black and white magic, when in fact, the distinction "does not exist, because magic is always a turn to the devil."

Hosea & Joel Published: 1646.

Description: Scans of Original, antique wood-block engravings on thin, laid paper from a remarkable Old Testament Bible series. Published: 1646. Text in Dutch. Engraved by Christoffel van Sichem II (Dutch, 1610-1650, sometimes with his own design, sometimes after other artists, signed in plate with his monogram "cVs").

What does ours look like?

"You can judge a civilization by its calendar." -unknown

Calvin and Christian Holidays

“[John Calvin] loved children, and he had them at his house for Christmas trees;” Thomas M. Lindsay, A history of the Reformation vol. 2, 1917, p.154.

“[John Calvin] preached a special sermon for Christmas Day, which I have included in this volume. On Easter Day, 1559, and on Easter Day, 1560, he preached a special sermon, which I have included in this volume.” Leroy Nixon, Calvin’s Sermons: The Deity of Christ & other Sermons, Eerdman’s Publishing Co., 1950, preface.

"Let me here also challenge what is often said to be an accepted fact, namely, that John Calvin himself took no notice of any Christian calendar. T. H. L. Parker (in Calvin’s Preaching [Louisville, Ky.: Westminster, John Knox Press, 1992], pp. 160–62) marshals evidence from extant records to show that in the years 1549, 1550, and 1553 Calvin broke off the sermon series he was then preaching and delivered messages specifically on Christ’s nativity, on his death and resurrection, and on Pentecost at the "appropriate" times"

Pope in Truth

With the election of a new Bishop in Rome yesterday we certainly have some idea what the leaders of the Roman Church are thinking. While Postmodernism and relativism are the in philosophies of our day; Ratzinger (the new Bishop in Rome) in contrast seems to value truth, and doesn't appear to be ashamed to say as much. Here is a sample of his thoughts- "To have a clear faith, according to the creed of the Church, is often labeled as fundamentalism. While relativism, that is, allowing oneself to be carried about with every wind of "doctrine," seems to be the only attitude that is fashionable. A dictatorship of relativism is being constituted that recognizes nothing as absolute and which only leaves the "I" and its whims as the ultimate measure. We have another measure: the Son of God, true man. He is the measure of true humanism. "Adult" is not a faith that follows the waves in fashion and the latest novelty. Adult and mature is a faith profoundly rooted in friendship with Christ. This friendship opens us to all that is good and gives us the measure to discern between what is true and what is false, between deceit and truth." (1.) (2.)

Extemporaneous Prayer in Worship?

"Some affect to think that the spiritual nature of the excercise (prayer) ought to preclude preparation; that because it is the Holy Ghost which teaches us to pray, we should not attempt it ourselves. This argument is a remnant of fanatical enthusiasm. Should we also not preach in the Spirit? Why, then, do we not extend the same sophisms to inhibit the preparation of a sermon? The answer is, that the Holy Spirit does not suspend the excercise of our own faculties. He works through them as His instruments, and in strict conformity to their rational nature. He assists and elevates them. He helps us also in prompting us to help ourselves."

- R. L. Dabney, Evangelical Eloquence. p.346 (Sacred Rhetoric)

EPHRAIM REPENTING

EPHRAIM REPENTING Jer. xxxi. 18-20

My God, till I received Thy stroke,
How like a beast was I!
So unaccustom'd to the yoke,
So backward to comply.

With grief my just reproach I bear,
Shame fills me at the thought;
How frequent my rebellions were,
What wickedness I wrought.

Thy merciful restraint I scorn'd,
And left the pleasant road;
Yet turn me, and I shall be turn'd;
Thou art the Lord my God.

"Is Ephraim banish'd from my thoughts,
Or vile in my esteem?
No," saith the Lord, "with all his faults,
I still remember him.

"Is he a dear and pleasant child?
Yes, dear and pleasant still;
Though sin his foolish heart beguiled,
And he withstood my will.

My sharp rebuke has laid him low,
He seeks my face again;
My pity kindles at his woe,
He shall not seek in vain.

--William Cowper, 1731-1800

WALKING WITH GOD

I. WALKING WITH GOD. Gen. v. 24.

Oh! for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavely frame;
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb!

Where is the blessedness I knew
When I first saw the Lord?
Where is the soul refreshing view
Of Jesus and His word?

What peaceful hours I once enjoyed!
How sweet their memory still!
But they have left an aching void,
The world can never fill.

Return, O holy Dove, return!
Sweet messenger of rest!
I hate the sins that made thee mourn
and drove thee from my breast.

The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from Thy throne,
And worship only Thee.

So shall my walk be close with God,
Calm and serene my frame;
So purer light shall mark the road
That leads me to the Lamb.

-William Cowper, 1731-1800

Old Testament Gospel

XX. Old Testament Gospel.
Heb. iv.2

Israel in ancient days
Not only had a view
Of Sinai in a blaze,
But learn'd the Gospel too;
The types and figures were a glass,
In which they saw a Saviour's face.

The paschal sacrifice
And blood-besprinkled door,*
Seen with enlighten'd eyes,
And once applied with power,
Would teach the need of other blood,
To reconcile an angry God.

The Lamb, the Dove, set forth
His perfect innocence,**
Whose blood of matchless worth
Should be the soul's defence;
For he who can for sin atone,
Must have no failings of His own.

The scape-goat on his head***
The people's trespass bore,
And to the desert led,
Was to be seen no more:
In him our surety seem'd to say,
"Behold, I bear your sins away."

Dipt in his fellow's blood,
The living bird went free;****
The type, well understood,
Express'd the sinner's plea;
Described a guilty soul enlarged,
And by a Saviour's death discharged.

Jesus, I love to trace,
Throughout the sacred page,
The footsteps of Thy grace,
The same in every age!
Oh, grant that I may faithful be
To clearer light vouchsafed to me!

-William Cowper


*Exod. xii. 13.**Lev. xii. 6.***Lev. xvi. 21.****Lev. xiv. 51. 53.