Month: March 2025
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The Reformation was About Idolatry
Peter Leithart wrote a post about the centrality of idolatry to the Reformation. I strongly concur with what he says, and I think his point is largely lost in modern Protestant polemics. The emphasis usually is placed on justification, when idolatry was every bit as large a concern, and I believe that you see more…
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Theological Reflections on the Charismatic Movement by J.I. Packer
In 1980, J.I. Packer wrote a series of articles for Churchman about the charismatic movement. His conclusions were wise, and they follow below. Some conclusions are now in order. 1) The common charismatic theology of Spirit-baptism (common, at least, in the world-wide movement as a whole, if not in particular segments of it in Britain…
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Omissions from the Book of Common Prayer
Someone pointed out some alterations to the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) that made it depart from the tradition of the Church in what seems like inexplicable ways. This was news to me, but when I looked into it, I found it to be true. The changes noted are: [1] The text of the Sanctus…
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The Golden Calf
Israel and Judah worshiped Yaweh in a compromised way that included the worship of deity via statues. This is what happened when Aaron first instituted the golden calf to worship Yaweh – note that Israel was not worshiping other gods, they were worshiping the one true God via a statue. John Sailhamer offers the following…
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SOMA USA, part II
I am continuing to read through Dr. John Maiden’s paper Renewing the Body of Christ: Sharing of Ministries Abroad (SOMA) USA and Transnational Charismatic Anglicanism, 1978-1998. He writes: After the decision to establish SOMA USA in 1985, the American national body maintained close links with SOMA International but was also able to operate unilaterally, with…
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Sharing of Ministries Abroad (SOMA) USA
Dr. John Maiden traces the history of SOMA in a paper titled Renewing the Body of Christ: Sharing of Ministries Abroad (SOMA) USA and Transnational Charismatic Anglicanism, 1978-1998. He writes: In April 1985 leaders of the Episcopal charismatic renewal movement gathered in the flagship charismatic evangelical Truro Church in Fairfax, Virginia to discuss the formation…