NT Wright on the End Times (Second Coming)

NT Wright : Authority of the Bible

GOOD FRIDAY

My friend David Bolton posted the following on his FB

The Passover Lamb: He is our cup of redemption and our afikomen (our hidden and buried matzah).

The last 7 words of Jesus on the Roman cross:

1. "FATHER, FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO." (Luke 23:34)
2. "TODAY YOU SHALL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE." (Luke 23:43)
3. "WOMAN BEHOLD YOUR SON....BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER." (John 19:26-27)
4. "MY GOD, MY GOD WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?" (Matthew 27:46)
5. "I THIRST" (John 19:28)
6. "IT IS FINISHED." (John 19:30)
7) "FATHER, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMEND MY SPIRIT." (Luke 23:46)

From Anglican Mainstream's meditations for the Holy Week

LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: We enter the liturgy on Good Friday in silence. There is no "gathering rite.” As we in this moment, we have never have left the power of these days and nights of Holy Week. The first act of the liturgy is for the Presider and ministers to lay face down before the cross, in silence. As with all liturgical rituals, that invites us to lay prostrate before the cross as well. That takes some preparation. We can prepare to begin the Good Friday celebration by reflecting upon ourselves laying there - with all the feelings that this day calls for. What do we feel before the Cross? Awe, gratitude, guilt, powerlessness? Perhaps I too need to lay face down and say "I know this is done for me!

MEDITATION OF THE DAY: Today is a day when illusions about this faith and this Lord get nailed to the Cross. The crucified Christ is crucified because of all the expectations, hopes and illusions of others. It is a profound moment that culminates with Jesus surrendering to His Father. In this moment Jesus shows us the only way to follow which is in complete surrender to the call of the Father.
We have a choice to embrace that reality or to continue on as disciples of illusions where we think we understand God; we think we know ourselves and those around us. We plan our lives and are shocked when these plans fall through. We impose our wills on God or even say we know His plans.

On the Cross there are no illusions. He is killed for our sake, so we would know life and truth not illusion. He simply did the will of the Father…without illusions. Today is a day to come face to face with some hard realizations

PRAYER OF THE DAY: Father, look with love on us your people. We ask for the same love which our Lord Jesus Christ showed us when he delivered himself up and suffered the agony of the cross, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. AMEN

Maundy Thursday

The word Maundy comes from the Latin mandatum, which means "commandment." At the Last Supper, Jesus gave the disciples a new commandment to love one another as he had loved them (John 13:34). Prior to breaking the bread with the disciples, Jesus washed their feet. As a result of these ceremonies the day received different names, all of which point to a church solemnity that evolved from Holy Week.

Readings of Exodus 12:1-42; John 13:1-17, 31-35

MEDITATION OF THE DAY: The three holy days before Easter, (known as the TRIDUUM), begins with today’s celebration and end with the Easter solemnity. The theme of the first lessons lays our attention on the Eucharist which is instituted in this “Last Supper” and yet some are surprised as John’s Gospel. Why all this attention to Jesus washing the feet of his disciples when he is giving us the Eucharist? Remember when Jesus was invited by a Pharisee to dinner and the discussion that ensued? The custom of the time was that the host would have his servants make the guests comfortable by cleansing their feet before they recline at table for the meal, conversation and fellowship. This is what Jesus is doing for his disciples in the upper room.
But this isn’t just a meal but the Passover celebration when faithful Jews recalled how Yahweh saved them from slavery and led them through the desert to their promised land. That event prefigures what Jesus is about to do for us all in this paschal mystery of salvation we are celebrating. And Jesus is present to his disciples in this meal as the servant. Are we people inclined to serve or be served tells a great deal about how we received the mysteries revealed this day?
PRAYER OF THE DAY: Almightyand eternal God,you told us to love. But we are weak. We do not love as Jesus did, or anything like it. Send us your Spirit to change us and to make us love like the Crucified and Risen One, which we may carry out your mandate. Amen

Maundy Thursday Discipline – Make an effort to commit to an act of humble servitude that you would not normally do on this day. In the evening go to the liturgy and participate in the foot washing.

Picture from Nathan Turner
Source: Meditations of the Day at Anglican Mainstream

Spy Wednesday: Judas agrees to betray Jesus

MEDITATION OF THE DAY: Few things do as much damage in our spirits as betrayal whether it is communal or personal. In espionage, thousands of lives can be effected, and perhaps even the whole course of the war can be changed, by the act of one well-placed traitor. In romance, a lover’s betrayal can bring great sadness, ruin, and even suicide. In business, someone sells a secret formula and the company can be destroyed.

How does this happen? Well most of us well know that it is our friends not our enemies who are in the best position to bring about our downfall. The friend has the knowledge, the experience, and the trust to accomplish what massive assaults by outsiders often can’t. This is what Jesus had to contend with on Spy Wednesday, knowing what Judas was off doing. What Judas set off amidst his own disappointment in Jesus was events such as torture; accusations;; being at the mercy of an enemy who has no mercy; and in the end, a barbarous execution. Sadly, it all started with a kiss from a friend and follower, from the one entrusted with their money, The truth is: Jesus was betrayed. That is the hard truth. There is another hard truth that on this day we must feel some part of the bitterness Jesus got, and know that we each did our part to bring it about.

PRAYER OF THE DAY: O Lord Please help me this day as I struggle to see how I have betrayed you and caused the cross to be taken up. Please give me the grace to resist the temptation from the power of the one who wants only to destroy my love and trust in you. Help me to be humble and accepting who you are and not betray you because of who I want you to be. Save me, Lord. Only you can save me. Amen

Spy Wednesday Discipline – Today is the day to reach out and make amends in justice and compassion with those you have betrayed or wronged in thought, word or deed. Conversely, it also the day that those who are being engaged for reconciliation be open to it.

Taken from Anglican Mainstream

NT Wright on Resurrection

NT Wright on evil & satan

Thanks God he is out!

My first 2009 post goes to celebrate the end of the Bush era! Finally, this man will no longer be "the Emperor" and hopefully his successor will amend, if possible, his mistakes as leader.

Happy 2009!

May God be merciful with the World outside the US and also with the US population.

Picture was found here

The Ordinary Radicals

The Ordinary Radicals - Trailer from Jamie Moffett on Vimeo.

A review of The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment. By Tim Challies.

In the midst of all doctrinal turmoils that the Church worldwide is facing, particularly the 'all-inclusive-feel-good-gospel' the following review of the book "The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment" fits perfectly. From Bill Muehlenberg's blog and via the Anglican Mainstream's site.

There was a time when it was a virtue to be known as discerning and discriminating. That was before Political Correctness set in. Now in an age of relativism and postmodernism, a fraudulent form of tolerance has arisen. As a result, people are terrified of speaking out on anything, for fear of being accused of being intolerant, narrow-minded and dogmatic.

Sadder still, this foolish idea of tolerance has crept into the churches as well. Now many believers are actually claiming that Christians should not judge, should not rebuke, and should not claim to have the truth. Somehow we have come to believe that spiritual maturity has something to do with the suspension of judgment and the absence of critical discernment.

But Tim Challies argues that the exact opposite is the case: spiritually mature Christians are those who have learned the discipline of biblical discernment. Indeed, a lack of discernment results in spiritual immaturity, backsliding and worse.

Challies defines spiritual discernment as the “skill of understanding and applying God’s word with the purpose of separating truth from error and right from wrong”.

It is, in other words, thinking biblically about life. He argues that it is a practice, like prayer and Scripture reading, which must be developed and maintained. Without the discipline of spiritual discernment, we will be ineffective for service in the Kingdom.

Challies offers many texts to make his case. He begins with the prayer of King Solomon in which he asks God for “an understanding mind” to govern his people, and that he “may discern between good and evil”. God was pleased with his request and granted it. Even today, we still speak about the wisdom of Solomon.

Of course Jesus had to upbraid his disciples for not being understanding, or discerning (Mark 8:17-21). The New Testament writers make much of this theme. In Eph. 5:10 Paul says we should “discern what is pleasing to the Lord”.

In Heb. 5:11-14 we are told that spiritual maturity comes when believers “have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good form evil”. Challies reminds us that the Hebrew Christians were not new believers, and they should have known better. But they were still stuck on the milk of the Word, and not able to handle strong meat.

Sound theology, in other words, is part of what makes for mature believers. We need to study the Word and distinguish truth from error, right from wrong. But many in the church today look down on theology, denigrate doctrine, celebrate doubt and rubbish the mind. That is a recipe for disaster says Challies.

Developing biblical discernment is part of the way in which we develop a biblical worldview. Unfortunately a secular worldview is far too often prevalent in the churches. Many believers have latched onto false notions of tolerance, have downplayed doctrine, have rejected the idea of truth, and have embraced the values of the world.

When believers stop thinking Christianly, their thoughts and values do not remain in neutral: they end up absorbing the beliefs, values and practices of the surrounding secular culture. We end up believing and acting pretty much like everyone else does.

Indeed, researchers such as George Barna have documented the loss of a biblical worldview, and the resultant loss of character and biblical lifestyle. This is why spiritual discernment is so important.

Spiritual maturity, brought on by biblical discernment, will help us live lives of integrity and sound character, and will help preserve the gospel from error and deception. Both are vitally important.

Challies discusses the importance of judging, and looks at passages which seem to forbid it, such as Matt. 7:1. He rightly notes that hypocritical judgment is what Jesus warns against here. Challies examines the various passages that urge us to test all things and to discern, evaluate and assess.

He further discusses such things as the gift of discernment, the dangers of discernment, the development and practice of discernment, and the discipline of discernment. Thus this volume is a practical and level-headed look at a much needed spiritual resource.

We have plenty of books on the discipline of prayer, bible reading, fasting, and so on. But the area of Christian worldview and biblical discernment is not usually associated with such topics. But these disciplines all go together, resulting in spiritual growth and maturity.

Challies is to be praised for drawing to our attention the pressing need for spiritual discernment, and how it may be achieved.

Incarnational Christianity

Archbishop Venables in Lambeth

More on Lambeth and the 'S' day

In the previous post, I assumed wrongly that the voices of ex-gays were not heard in Lambeth. Actually, in the market place, and amongst all pro-gay activists, there is one prophetic voice as reported by VirtueOnLine.

Speaking of ex-gay or post-gay, the Zacchaeus Fellowship is here bearing witness to the transforming power of Christ's love in our lives. "As men and women who have struggled with same-sex attractions, we seek to be a voice of hope to the church and to others who share these struggles. We encourage the Church to stand firm in proclaiming to everyone who experiences same-sex attractions that Christ offers them new life and hope." Not with this crowd. Inclusion means never having to repent or change your life.

VirtueOnLine reports are worth to read.

Keep praying and let's see what happens!

Decisive day in Lambeth: the 'S' day

Early this morning the BBC announced that today is THE day. Bishops will talk and reflect on human sexuality (that's why I called it the 's' day!)
The agenda for today can be found here. Even more, later today a theater play will be performed on the stories of gay Christians.

Funny enough, Bishops have been listening to one side of the story. But Peter Ould made the point in a recent post: the voices of those Christians who once were gay and today are not gay anymore have not been heard! He clearly mentions Andy Comiskey (the founder of Desert Stream Ministries, now in Kansans), Mario Bergner, an Anglican priest from Redeemed Lives Ministries. There are other Anglicans like Martin Hallet the founder of True Freedom Trust who deserve to be heard, or that should have had more room and space in all this process. Probably they were heard before.

A good article on the Anglican Crisis can be found here.

Again, let's pray, wait and see.

Venables in Lambeth

Many years ago, I've seen and heard ++ Gregory Venables preaching a couple of times when he was the Bolivian Anglican Bishop. If there is something I remember from his preachings, it is that he would never doubt to use any circumstance or situation to preach the Gospel, to announce Jesus. Actually, I admired the fact that an older man would be so outspoken for Jesus.

Anyway, many years later, this man is one of the central figures of the Anglican Communion. He participated in the GAFCON conference, provided pastoral oversight to those bible believing Anglicans in the US and Canada (a remnant?), and stood firm for the orthodox faith.

Church Times has published some recent comments by Bishop Venables. The full article can be read here. Apparently, there is a kind of 'denial' mood in Lambeth, and the core issues are not being properly addressed.

Unless we talk about the real reasons why we are divided there’s little hope of putting it back together again

Let's wait and see!

Lambeth ...

It is difficult to follow all the moves and news from the Lambeth Conference. Our brethren in the Anglican Communion are struggling to choose either a bible based faith, with the pains and sorrows that it may imply, or to choose a more modern and open minded way of believing. I think that the latter is an avoidance of the 'sorrows' that we should expect in this world (John 16.33).



Archbishop Williams pronounced his Second Presidential Address to the Lambeth Conference 2008. Hereunder an extract of his speech:

What might the traditional believer hope others have heard? ‘What we seek to do in our context is faithfully to pass on what you passed on to us — Holy Scripture, apostolic ministry, sacramental discipline. But what are we to think when all these things seem to be questioned and even overturned? We want to be pastorally caring to all, to be “inclusive” as you like to say. We want to welcome everyone. Yet the gospel and the faith you passed on to us tell us that some kinds of behaviour and relationship are not blessed by GOD. Our love and our welcome are unreal if we don’t truthfully let others know what has shaped and directed our lives — so along with welcome, we must still challenge people to change their ways. We don’t see why welcoming the gay or lesbian person with love must mean blessing what they do in the Church’s name or accepting them for ordination whatever their lifestyle. We seek to love them — and, all right, we don’t always make a good job of it : but we can’t just say that there is nothing to challenge. Isn’t it like the dilemma of the early Church — welcoming soldiers, yet seeking to get them to lay down their arms?

Let's wait and see.

Historic: The Jerusalem Declaration

Finally, after the GAFCON a Declaration was released. The full text can be found here.

8. We acknowledge God’s creation of humankind as male and female and the unchangeable standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman as the proper place for sexual intimacy and the basis of the family. We repent of our failures to maintain this standard and call for a renewed commitment to lifelong fidelity in marriage and abstinence for those who are not married.

13. We reject the authority of those churches and leaders who have denied the orthodox faith in word or deed. We pray for them and call on them to repent and return to the Lord.

By affirming the historical and biblical teaching on human sexuality and rejecting the Ministry of those who don't even believe in the Resurrection or the uniqueness of heterosexual marriage, it seems obvious that Anglicanism is facing a split.
It seems obviuos that GAFCON Leaders do not recognize the ministry of those who uphold heretic doctrines (as the TEC or the Church of Canada). Now Lambeth ... Venables will be there as a voice from GAFCON, while the Bishop of Rochester cannot have communion with those who departed from the orthodox faith. Packer has requested Rowan William's resignation. The turmoil does not seem to pass away.

Conservatives are also 'split'. The main Orthodox scholar NT Wright has clearly expressed his opposition to the GAFCON movement. If he eventually becomes the head of the Anglican Communion as it has been suggested in the blogsphere, he or whoever inherits the Canterbury See will have to be very creative to keep the unitiy of the one Apostolic an catholic Church.

On the Anglican Communion: Reform from within!

I have been following the current events in the Anglican Communion. At this very moment, more than 250 Bishops and in total about 1000 bishops, clergy and lay leaders are reunited in Jerusalem, at the Global Anglican Future Conference 'GAFCON' , praying and listening God on His will for the future of the Anglican Communion.

What we are meeting for here is not to plan to walk away. We are meeting to renew our commitment, to renew our faith, to get a sense of direction of what we can be as Anglicans. We do not want to start a new Church. (Archbishop Orombi, Uganda)

The Anglican leaders are searching for a renewed commitment to evangelism and the proclamation of the Gospel of King Jesus, despite the growing influence of secularism in society. They are looking for a refreshed way to tell the world that King Jesus has actually never forsaken his people and God's creation.

The West is losing a Christian discourse at the very time it needs it most. Let us pray we are able to recover our Christian nerve in the West and to make sure the Gospel is not lost. (Bishop of Rochester, UK)

The Anglican leaders understood that there is indeed a need to keep the unity of the Church, and that their voices are much more important within the context of the Global Anglicanism than becoming a separate Church. What a challenge!

the agenda is now reform from within rather than starting a breakaway conservative Anglican church (Times Online)

Some Emergent stuff (no words, just pics)

More HERE

Faith Foundation? please!

Sunday mornings I normally listen to the BBC's reporting religion. Obviously, BBC reports from a very liberal, open minded and inclusive point of view. It is nevertheless something I like to listen, since in between the paraphernalia of all roads lead to god, there are often very good testimonies of Christians worldwide that obviously shine in between the philosophical mixture.

Last Sunday, the report focused on the former UK's Prime Minister Tony Blair's Faith Foundation. He is calling to all faiths to come to a kind of concerted action to tackle hunger, poverty, malaria, etc. And this man thinks that doing "good" will eventually bring the expected era of light. What was more shocking, was that Blair would always mention devoted Christians such as Martin Luther King Jr., and fill his mouth with the examples of such Christians bringing changes to their societies. I wonder why he could not find such examples in other faiths ...

I find still odd that when it is convenient, Christians and Christianity are used as 'examples', but when it comes to actually let Christians even the option to preach the good news of King Jesus, they are silenced and prohibited to preach. But actually, the only ones who can make changes for the sake of populations and the whole creation are those who believe that Jesus is actually the King and not the ruling system or the philosophies of the world.

Anyway, Blair is not necessarily someone who has any moral authority to bring faiths into conversation. He is an apostate of the Christian (Bible believing) faith, trying to play the game of " a bit of compromise here and there cannot harm", without realising that in the practice he is asking Christians alone to compromise to better understand the others. I wonder what our forefathers in the faith would have thought of these initiatives when they were being brought to the stake ...

Good intentions Mr Blair. But forget not that good intentions with no firm foundation on certain Rock, will be sooner or later overwhelmed by the storms and winds of a fundamentalism that denies the goodness of God the Creator, and the Rule of King Jesus.