What are the differences between Roman Catholics and Protestants?
Robert Saucy, Biola University’s distinguished professor of systematic theology, answers:
They’re the same as they were at the Reformation. There are three significant ones. First is the question of final authority. Protestants hold to sola scriptura [Scripture as their final authority]. For Catholics, the final authority is Scripture as interpreted by the church, that is, the magisterium (the pope and bishops). That’s where Catholicism gets its teachings that can’t be found in Scripture, like veneration of Mary, indulgences and purgatory. Second, Catholics view the church as an extension of Christ’s incarnation. For them, the church is divine as Christ was divine. One result of this is the Catholic proclamation: “Come to the church for salvation, for faith in the church and faith in Christ are one act of faith.” That leads to the third difference: salvation. The Catholic catechism makes it very clear that you are born again and justified through baptism. That means faith plus a certain rite — which is administered by the church — is necessary for salvation. So, the church essentially grants salvation. Although this salvation is “by faith,” additional grace enables us “to work” to attain eternal life. And that’s the problem with saying we speak the same gospel. One of them is clear: Christ did it; we can’t add anything to that. The other one is: Christ did it, but to actually avail yourself of what Christ did you have to do this and this.
Read the full article here.
McManus misses the mark
Erwin McManus has had a significant impact on my church. My pastor reads him a lot and takes a lot of theological insights into ministry from this emerging pastor and “cultural architect”. So after reading this sobering review of his latest book “Soul Cravings“, I am left very disturbed by the emerging missional theology that Mr. McManus preaches and writes. I know my pastor has read this page-numberless book, has lent it out to many high schoolers in our congregation, and thus I am scared that the understanding of sin and salvation our young generation has could very well be skewed and incomplete.
Just because a book is labeled as “Christian” and sold in a Christian bookstore does not ever mean it fully bears the marks of true, Christianity — the historic, Christian orthodoxy kind.
In Soul Cravings, McManus has thrown out the doctrine of original sin, human depravity, and completely missed the mark at trying to share the Gospel with non-Christians through this bok — a half-Gospel masquerading as the whole Gospel that has become a complete un-Gospel (along the lines of J.I. Packer’s vernacular).
(more…)
Schmap: Chicago Photo Short-list
Another one of my photos may become famous very soon because of Schmap! I received the following message via FlickrMail, concerning the above photo of Plaza Escada I took during a recent trip to Chicago:
Hi Alex,
I am writing to let you know that one of your photos with a Creative Commons license has been short-listed for inclusion in the third edition of our Schmap Chicago Guide, to be published later this month.
Clicking this link (removed) will take you to a page where you can:
i) See which of your photos has been short-listed.
ii) Submit or withdraw your photo from our final selection phase.
iii) Learn how we credit photos in our Schmap Guides.
iv) Browse online or download the second edition of our Schmap Chicago Guide.Our submission deadline is Saturday, July 7. If you happen to be reading this message after this date, please still click on the link above (our Schmap Guides are updated frequently - photos submitted after this deadline will be considered for later releases).
Best regards,
Luke Ritchie,
Managing Editor, Schmap Guides
Stay tuned to my website and we’ll see if my photo makes the final cut;-)
Music Monday
Today’s Music Monday comes a little late, since today was a holiday Monday here in Canada (Sunday was Canada Day) and my family and I spent the day in Niagara to do some sight-seeing of Niagara-on-the-Lake, outlet mall shopping and some good family time together. It was probably the last time for the next little while that my whole family could spend a whole holi-day together, since I will be moving to Louisville to spend my next 3 years pursuing a Master of Divinity and my sister will be in Waterloo finishing her undergrad and who-knows-where doing her Masters afterwards.
By the time you read and listen to this, it’ll be back-to-work Tuesday for everybody who is not from the US of A, and the day before Independence Day if you are from the States. Today’s song is from acclaimed artist/lead-worshiper Christy Nockels (formerly of the Christian band, Watermark), who is well known for her powerful yet graceful voice. Christy and her husband, Nathan, serve together leading music at various Passion Conferences, and Nathan also produces many Sixsteps Records. The song is titled “Pure Glory“, and has become popular in Christian worship through Passion Conferences, 7|22, and locally, through AFC’s Campus Challenge conference. The version here is from Christy’s EP, which was recorded in her home-studio.
Lyrics and chords here.
If you’d like to purchase Christy’s EP cd, click here — I highly recommend it, it’s a great CD (I think you’d agree after listening to this track!).
Are Mormons Christian?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the fastest-growing faith groups in America. But is it part of the Christian religion? What exactly do Latter-day Saints believe, and how does it fit in with traditional Christianity? Beliefnet asked Dr. Albert Mohler, a prominent evangelical Christian and head of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, to debate the issues with LDS author Orson Scott Card.
Read Dr. Mohler’s clear and concise argument that Mormonism is not Christianity, and also Card’s response about who gets to define Christianity.
