THE TWENTY-SIXTH DAY OF JULY IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. A gracEmail subscriber has encountered at least two groups of Christians, each claiming to be the only true church. "What is that all about?" the subscriber asks. * * * The year 1054 is remembered in church history as the year Pope Leo IX excommunicated Patriarch Michael Cerularius of Constantinople and declared himself head of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. The Patriarch responded in kind and the Great Schism was under way, thereafter with East (Constantinople) and West (Rome) both … [Read more...]
Archives for July 2015
Family Notes 22/07/2015
THE TWENTY-SECOND DAY OF JULY IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. CAN JESUS SURVIVE RELIGION? One of the great strengths of the Christian faith has been its ability to endure, accommodate, and use the cultural shifts across the centuries without losing its essence. Even in its most misguided forms, the Christian religion has continued to pass along its central message about Jesus death, burial, and resurrection. People in the most abysmal of churches in the most corrupt of cultures still have been counted among the redeemed. There were people in a church Jesus pronounced … [Read more...]
THE RIGHT TRUE CHURCH
THE NINETEENTH DAY OF JULY IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. A gracEmail subscriber has encountered at least two groups of Christians who each claim to be the only true church. "What is that all about?" the subscriber asks. * * * Various Christian groups have claimed to be more true, authentic, scriptural, or historic than others, and therefore in some way superior. Different groups base their claim on different kinds of evidence. The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox churches all say that the original apostles passed their authority to bishops … [Read more...]
Family Notes 15/07/2015
THE FIFTEENTH DAY OF JULY IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. TRUE HUMILITY If someone tells you that somebody else is saying awful things about you, don't defend yourself against the accusations, but reply, "He must not know about the other faults that I have, if these are the only ones he mentioned." -- Epictetus, Enchiridion. LOVE, NOT TERROR Increasingly, believers around the world are finding the traditional doctrine of unending conscious torment to be a slander against the character of God. It has no scriptural basis and should be discarded as a horrible … [Read more...]
NOW FOREVER HUMAN
THE TWELFTH DAY OF JULY IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. A gracEmail subscriber heard someone explain Jesus' humanity as follows and requests my critique based on the Bible: (1) To rescue us from sin and death, a Savior had to be both human and divine. (2) Before he was born, Jesus was part of God in heaven. (3) In becoming Jesus, God put on humanity as if he were putting on a coat, but he never took off his deity. (4) Jesus lived, died, was raised from the dead, and ascended to heaven. (5) When he did those things, Jesus took off his humanity … [Read more...]
Family Notes 08/07/2015
THE EIGHTH DAY OF JULY IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. YOUR FEEDBACK ON PERSPECTIVE The gracEmail for July 5 titled "Perspective" touched on the influence of Christianity in America. Not surprisingly, it generated even more feedback than usual. Following is a sample of your comments: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FRANK COATS -- Beautifully said, … [Read more...]
PERSPECTIVE
THE FIFTH DAY OF JULY IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. In London, a historical marker identifies the longtime residence of Benedict Arnold, a name we Americans associate with perfidy and betrayal. But the U.K. takes a different look at the same circunstances and reaches its own conclusion. There, the historic marker reminds us, Benedict Arnold is remembered as a "British patriot." What we see has much to do with where we stand--people standing anywhere around the globe point away from the earth and perceive it as "up." This weekend in the USA, on a holiday associated … [Read more...]
Family Notes 01/07/2015
THE FIRST DAY OF JULY IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. GRAND ADVENTURE TRUMPS NOT-SO-FRIENDLY SKIES Two Sundays ago, wife Sara Faye and I were scheduled to depart Houston at 7:15 a.m. for Chicago, change planes at O'Hare for a short hop northeast over to Traverse City, Michigan, then drive 30-45 minutes to our destination, Northport Bay Retreat. There were thirty-seven of us, representing four generations of Fudges from California, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, who would spend a week together at what must be one of the most beautiful settings anywhere. Sara … [Read more...]