To stop pretending that just calling oneself a Christian is enough to make a person a Christian.
It’s just plain wrong. And it makes Jesus sad.
Stop making Jesus sad, you fibbers, and pay attention to what he actually said:
Οὐ πᾶς ὁ λέγων μοι, Κύριε κύριε, εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. (Matt. 7:21)
Without the authority of the Word, preaching becomes an endless search for topics, therapies, and techniques that will win approval. — Chapell
Indeed. Which is why most sermons are anything but.
That ‘new reading’ of a biblical text that you, in your infinite wisdom, have ‘discovered’, has already been expressed better and more clearly by someone else. And you only think it’s a new insight because you haven’t read enough yet.
Godly ministers and faithful pastors shall be vexed with all kinds of afflictions and persecutions. Yet the Scriptures nevertheless do witness evidently, that the ministry shall never be utterly oppressed, but that the ministers shall continually have the victory, yea, even when they are slain. For the Lord always gives ministers to his church, who, though they be tried as gold is in the fire, yet they overcome through him who has overcome the world and the prince of the world. — Heinrich Bullinger
“We, the Burgomaster, Council and the Great Council, as the Two Hundred of the city of Zurich are called, send to all and every people’s priest, pastor, curate, and preacher having parish and dwelling in our cities, country, dominion, upper and lower jurisdiction and territory, our salutation, favourable and gracious disposition, and would have you to wit: Since now for a long time much dissension and disagreement have existed among those preaching the Gospel to the common people, some believing that they have truly and completely delivered the gospel message, others reproving them as if they had not done it skilfully and properly.
Consequently the latter call the former errorists, traitors, and even heretics, although they, desiring to do the best thing, and for the sake of the honour of God, peace and Christian unity, offer to give to everyone desiring it account and proof of their doctrines out of Holy Scriptures. So this is our command, will, and desire: That ye pastors, curates, preachers, as a body and individually, if any especial priests desire to speak about this, having benefices in our city of Zurich, or otherwheres in our territory, or if any desire to reprove the other side, or otherwise to instruct them, appear before us on the day after Emperor Charles’s day, that is the nine and twentieth day of the month of January, at early Council time, in our city of Zurich and particularly in our Council House, and that those contending should do so, using the truly Divine Word in the German tongue and speech.
There we with all diligence, with some scholars, if it seems good to us, will give attention, and, according to what shall prove itself to be consonant with Holy Scripture and truth, we shall send each and every one of you home with the command to continue or to abstain; so that from henceforth each one may not preach from the pulpit what seems to him good, without foundation in the true Holy Scripture. We shall also announce the same to our gracious lord [the Bishop] of Constance, so that his Grace or his representative, if he so desire, may also be present.
But if anyone be contrarious and bring not in proof from the true, Holy Scripture with him we shall proceed further according to our knowledge, in a way from which we would gladly be relieved. We are also of good hope in Almighty God that those earnestly seeking the light of truth He will so graciously illuminate with the same, that we may walk in the light as children of the light.
“Given and officially stamped with our secret seal, Saturday after the Circumcision of Christ [January 3] and after His birth in the three and twentieth year of the lesser reckoning.”
Victory for Zwingli and his colleagues was assured when the Scriptures were declared the only authority.
Here’s what it came up with-
Zwingli (and it isn’t really terrible) :
Calvin (probably the best of the three) :
and Luther (who honestly should sue) :
I can’t believe it’s been that long!
Theologians used to offer critique of culture but now, for the most part, they are merely lapdogs of it.
Scriptural prohibitions of same-sex sexual acts (so-called “clobber passages”) are often used as prooftexts to support the oppression of LGBT communities in the West today. However, such interpretation of these scant references ignores critical sociohistorical context from the ancient world.
Analyzing a wealth of primary sources, Thomas Kazen brings biblical studies into conversation with the sexual norms and practices of the ancient world. Near Eastern, Greek, and Roman texts, including the Old and New Testaments, exhibit ancient concerns about hierarchy in sexual relationships. Examining references to sexuality through the lenses of power and subordination, honor and shame, and purity, Kazen sheds light on homophobic passages in the Bible. Special attention is given to the Levitical laws and the Pauline epistles. Ultimately, Kazen calls us to renegotiate the balance between our ancient heritage and our contemporary values.
Carefully researched and accessibly presented, Dirt, Shame, Status lends readers insight into the diverse cultural influences on the Bible. Kazen’s work offers an informed and important perspective on a controversial topic of perennial interest. Scholars, students, and all curious readers of Scripture will find this volume to be an indispensable resource for understanding complex ancient texts and contexts.
100%
No one is allowed to call themselves a Christian unless they are a disciple, a student, a follower, of the Crucified and Risen Lord.
If such persons as falsely claim the title do, I shall call them liars.
Wenn Prediger zu viel von sich selber reden, wird die Gemeinde zurecht fragen: Können wir bitte etwas von Gott hören? – Andreas Munch
Join in if you have the cash and enjoy praying to Molech as he and his molechgelicals do.
Who in their right mind thinks he’s a Christian? The answer is no one.
It’s utterly sickening.
Evergreen-
“We” usually take for granted that sex is, or should be, a matter between consenting adults, without coercion or pressure. Subordinate and dependent relationships easily lead to exploitation and oppression. But our ideals for sex are very different from the ancient world. And when we scratch the surface of our Western societies, we often find that practices rather often deviate from the ideals and have more in common with antiquity than we would like to admit.
We shall soon be in a world in which a man may be howled down for saying that two and two make four, in which people will persecute the heresy of calling a triangle a three-sided figure, and hang a man for maddening a mob with the news that grass is green. – Chesterton
(HT Mike Bird).
Heed Luther!
Master Forstemius said that a certain brother named Lawrence, a Waldensian minister, had had himself castrated in his youth and confessed that in his old age he regretted it, for he burned more with desire then than before. Dr. Martin [Luther] replied, “Yes, indeed, eunuchs are more ardent than anybody else, for the passion doesn’t disappear but only the power. For my part I’d rather have two pair [of testicles] added than one pair cut off.” – Martin Luther
[Thanks, Martin… and I hope anyone today considering becoming a eunuch will think before they act…]
Pastors should not make an issue of the fact that one observes a holy day and another does not. Let each one peacefully keep to his custom. Only do not do away with all holy days. It would be well if there were some uniformity.
The days of Annunciation, Purification, Visitation of the Virgin Mary, St. John the Baptist, St. Michael’s, Apostles’ Day, Magdalene—these have already been discarded and could not conveniently be restored.
We should keep especially Christmas, Circumcision, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, though leaving out the un-Christian legends and songs associated with them. — Martin Luther
We do not insult Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, when we forbid that she be adored with divine honors; but when we would attribute to her the majesty and power of the Creator, she herself would not permit such adoration. For true piety has one and the same character among all men and is the same in all, because it originates by one and the same Spirit.
It cannot even be imagined, therefore, that any created being should at the same time be pious and suffer the worship due the Deity to be offered to himself. So also the Virgin Mother of God will as much the less accept the worship due the Deity as she is high above all created beings and reverently devoted to God, her Son. It is a mark of insanity in godless men and demons when they allow divine honors to be paid to them.*
Zwingli wrongly believed that Mary remained perpetually a virgin. But he was right to excoriate worship of her. Something as a Christian he simply could not and would not do.
___________
*H. Zwingli, The Latin Works of Huldreich Zwingli. (W. J. Hinke, Ed.) (Vol. 2, p. 239).
Zwinglius Redivivus 