A reader wrote the following: Dear Sir, I really appreciate this article. I come from a Reformed background. I am one who laments that Protestantism has made so many sects. Yet, I want to ask a very simple question and its not out of spite, I am really curious to know more about how Eastern Orthodoxy holds things together theologically, what happens when the Church Fathers conflict with the Scriptures? The Fathers…
Today we celebrate Saint Patrick of Ireland (c. 390 – c. 461). He was the son of a deacon and a grandson of a presbyter (priest). Although born into a Christian family, he was spiritually complacent until his enslavement by Irish raiders precipitated a spiritual crisis. His brand of Christianity can be labeled Celtic Christianity, much like that of Saint Columba. Saint Patrick was not a Roman Catholic. Ireland and…
An Orthodox Assessment This is a reposting of an article I wrote in 2015 with a few minor updating. One notable addition is my assessment of “A Reforming Catholic Confession” which was just released today. On 31 October 1517, Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church (Wittenberg, Germany) sparking a huge theological debate that would radically alter the religious landscape of Europe. Within a few decades the once unified European…
Sola Scriptura’s Epistemological Problems (3 of 4) A Response to David Roxas (3 of 4) See also: (2 of 4) and (1 of 4) David Roxas asked: 2. Are you contradicting the above statement of Irenaus [sic] which says the Scriptures are “the ground and pillar of our faith” or do you equate the later corpus of the Fathers and the body of oral (and mostly liturgical) tradition with Scripture? Answer: It is…
A Reply to Dr. Peter Leithart’s “How the Reformation Failed.” Reverend Leithart writes: The Reformers did not start out with a plan to establish separated churches. Their goal was to reform the entire Latin church. In this they failed…. Some have charged that the Reformers were willing to split the church because they had little interest in visible unity, but that is false. All the Reformers and all Protestant confessions stressed the unity and catholicity…
An Orthodox Assessment The Rev. Peter Leithart’s The End of Protestantism: Pursuing Unity in a Fragmented Church is more than an expanded version of his well known article “Too Catholic to be Catholic.” Leithart has brought a more nuanced and sophisticated level of analysis to his critique of Protestant denominationalism by drawing on social science literature. He has done more than criticize denominationalism; he has also provided concrete examples that exemplify his vision of…
A response to Anastasiya Gutnik’s comment 24 June 2016: From Anastasiya: What do you think of Josiah? In his time the worship of God was corrupt. So much so that the law was literally a musty, dusty old book found hidden away in the temple. Upon rediscovering the law Josiah launched a reformation destroying the idols and the altars upon which idolatry was practiced. Does this mean there were none of God’s…