Modern Anglicanism and Dissent no criteria for judging the immediate Post-Reformation period In the following essays, I will continue to look at the radical views of the proto-Presbyterians in general and Cartwright’s and Travers’ view of church discipline in particular, especially regarding the episcopacy, and compare them with those of Jewel and Hooker and other English Reformers who were true to the official Confessions of the Church of England at that time. Sadly, most of those critics who use Cartwright and certain contemporaries nowadays to bring the Church of England in Reformed times into disrepute cite what he allegedly said during his day and compare that with the sad state of the Church of England today. This is an… Full Article
Posts Tagged Calvin
The Real Teaching of Richard Hooker Dr Roger Beckwith opened his essay entitled ‘The Real Teaching of Richard Hooker’ by saying: Hooker was a second-generation Reformer. He did not have the task of distinguishing Anglican theology from that of Roman Catholics or Anabaptists. This had been done by the first-generation Reformers Cranmer and his colleagues, and their conclusions had been embodied in the Anglican formularies, especially the Thirty-nine Articles, from the teaching of which Hooker never strayed. Hooker’s task was the more sensitive one of defending Anglican theology against other Protestants, who wanted to alter it. His great book ‘The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity’ is this defence. He uses some new… Full Article
Debates on government and discipline have often caused controversy and dissent in church-life. Our present fragmented Church is largely due to disagreement over church order with the added quarrels over the ordinances and eschatology. Doctrines rarely come into these debates unless it is argued that church orders are savingly relevant. Rather controversy often arises from arbitrary principles of organisation and administration. The first efforts to split the Reformed Church in England centred around whether one should kneel, stand, sit or walk by in procession at the communion service, or whether the minister should pray before or after the sermon, or whether one regarded baptism as a symbolic pointer to God’s mercies in Christ… Full Article
Part One: How things began The gospel of transforming grace versus the gospel of unchanging law There is much confusion concerning the alleged ‘puritanism’ of the 16th century non-Roman Catholic opposition to the Reformed Church of England and the Puritan Movement of the post-1640s and much has been written in recent years which has totally redefined, modified and radicalised what Puritanism is. Instead of describing those who campaigned for the Biblical doctrine of free grace, the term is now used of those who would curb true Puritanism and replace it by denominational legalism and external orders and disciplines set up as equally saving doctrines. Indeed, the term was widely used in the 17 century to… Full Article
Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560): The Creator of Lutheranism Part One: Melanchthon’s Climb to Fame Part Two: Melanchthon the Preceptor of Germany Part Three: Melanchthon’s Failure as a Reformer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part Two: Melanchthon the Preceptor of Germany Rifts that did not break friendship Now Rome sent one agent after another, including Frederick Nausea, Cardinal Campeggio’s personal secretary to win Melanchthon for themselves. He told all these emissaries of Rome that if they had the Church’s welfare at heart, they would join him in purifying it from faulty doctrines and traditions. He told Nausea that he erred if he thought Luther wanted to abolish church practices. The fight is not about external things… Full Article
Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560): The Creator of Lutheranism Part One: Melanchthon’s Climb to Fame
Apr 3
Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560): The Creator of Lutheranism Part One: Melanchthon’s Climb to Fame Part Two: Melanchthon the Preceptor of Germany Part Three: Melanchthon’s Failure as a Reformer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part One: Melanchthon’s Climb to Fame ‘Big Names’ are often deceptive When studying the ‘Big Names’ of the Reformation in depth, one is led to suspect that such ‘Names’ are merely pronounced ‘Big’ because they have been highly illuminated by church historians with specific interests though equally ‘big’ men and women of God have been left unobserved. This is certainly the case with Philip Melanchthon, Heinrich Bullinger and Theodore Beza who have long been seen as mere successors and… Full Article
On a web-site run by a Brother Galyon, my name has been repeatedly dropped in association with alleged Hyper-Calvinists. However, Brother Galyon has now produced a list of what he considers Hyper-Calvinism and I find I disagree with every point. This should be sufficient proof for my brethren to stop calling me a Hyper-Calvinist and an Antinomian but when I protest against such slander, my protests are ignored. I thus sent the following explanation of my views to Brother Galyon’s blog-site a number of weeks ago but it has still not been passed by the moderator. Before dealing with Galyon’s points I must stress that I certainly do not strive to exceed Calvinism, indeed, I have argued for over forty years that Calvin was never… Full Article
There are two modern movements in evangelism today which claim the backing of Reformed Christians and are even supported by many of my closest friends. I find I cannot go along with them and must make my reasons clear for thinking, believing and acting otherwise. These many brethren will remain my friends, but I want them to realize what a dangerous threat to the Gospel their views have become. Any doctrine which relieves man of his responsibility for his own sins and declares him to be innocent of the mess he is in as a fallen sinner leaves no room for the atoning work of the Cross. If we are not responsible for our own sins, there is no reason or sense in Christ taking on Himself the responsibility of our having… Full Article
Teil I. Von Bremgarten nach Zürich (1504-1531) 1. Henry Bullingers Bedeutung für die Reformation Seit den fünfziger Jahren des letzten Jahrhunderts haben sich Reformierten Christen erneut für das Zeitalter der Puritaner interessiert. Die Holländer nennen dies Die Nadere Reformatie oder andauernde Reformation. Diese an sich notwendige Entwicklung kam aber zu einer Zeit, als die Reformation selbst nahezu vergessen war. Wir haben also das Blattwerk des Baumes der Reformation untersucht, ohne zu merken, auf welchem Baumstamm und welchen Wurzeln es wuchs. Seit dem Neunzehnten Jahrhundert ist relativ wenig Forschung in den Quellen der Reformation unternommen worden. Wir wissen immer noch wenig über unsere… Full Article
Reformation: Europe’s House Divided By Diarmaid MacCulloch Penguin Books, 2004 Penguin adorns the covers of their new 832 paged paper-back on the Reformation by Diarmaid MacCulloch with 22 eulogistic blurbs announcing it as wonderful, sardonic, monumental, dazzling, breathtaking, magisterial, eloquent, a triumph, astonishing, masterly, blockbusting, superb, a milestone, a masterpiece of learning, and ‘in its field it is the best book ever written’. Who could resist buying such a book to be on top of Reformation research? It has gained the Wolfson Prize for History, for apparently providing everything “from politics to witchcraft, from liturgy to sex”. It has won the British Academy Book Award because ‘Its… Full Article
