St. Augustine's 3 Categories of Christian Worship

In St. Augustine's correspondence to Januarius (Letter 54) he lays out in three categories the things that guide Christian worship of our Lord. The first category is things directly found in scripture, the second is the apostolic tradition, and the third is adiaphora or things indifferent.

Baptism Saves?

Several months ago my wife and I took a few children from our church to the zoo. The youngest of the bunch (3 years old) kept asking the same question for every animal we looked at: "what does it do?" When we saw the bears, he asked, "what does a bear do?" When we looked at the reptiles, he had to know, "what does an iguana do?" We often ask the same question regarding baptism: what does baptism do? Does it change my relationship with God?

Here Be Dragons!

Cartographers from ancient days would often include the warning "here be dragons" in their maps. These warnings represented parts of the sea that were yet to be conquered; the parts of the sea that remained mysterious. If you were a ship's captain in the ancient days, this warning served to keep you from venturing too far into the deep unknown. You never knew what you might find. You might come across dragons.

Her-meneutics: A Brief Look at Women's Ordination

Much of the current discussion of women’s ordination stems from the idea that if a woman cannot do what a man can do, then she is somehow unequal to a man. If this train of thought continues, masculinism wins the day. Those who espouse this view want to conform both sexes to the standards of maleness — women are only equal to men in so far as they can do what a man can do.

Martin Bucer on the Lord's Supper

Martin Bucer is often times referred to as the Forgotten Reformer; yet, he had a great influence on the Protestant Reformation. He took the young John Calvin under his wing and mentored him  when Calvin was in Strasbourg. Bucer even introduced Calvin to his wife! Bucer also had a hand in shaping the second edition of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer under the direction of Thomas Cranmer. The following excerpt on the Lord's Supper is taken from Bucer's Strasbourg liturgy of 1539. He begins with a brief instruction on the holy supper:

Not Angles But Angels: The Mission of Augustine of Canterbury, the Apostle to the English

Augustine of Canterbury is a man who has, unfortunately, been lost to the majority of  historians. In, fact, if he pops up in a history book, it is often as a mere footnote. Yet, it was through this man that God brought Christian renewal to Southern England. Let me introduce you...

Jean Danielou on the Sacraments

I have recently begun reading Jean Danielou's book The Bible and the Liturgy. In it, he examines the sacraments and the liturgical year through the lens of typology.  Here are a few words from his introduction on the symbolism of Baptism.

"We usually interpret the rite of Baptism by seeing in it a reference to water as cleansing and purifying. But now this does not seem actually to be the most important of the rite. Two references in the Bible set us on the track of other interpretations. On the one hand, the water of Baptism is the water that destroys, the water of judgement; or "the waters" in Jewish symbolism are actually a symbol of the power of death. But the water of Baptism is also the water that brings forth a new creature, and this sends us back to the Jewish symbol of the waters as not only destructive but also creative. And, finally, the Jewish baptism may also have referred to the crossing of the Red Sea."

Here are a few words on the symbolism of the Lord's Supper:

"The choice of bread and wine may well have contained a reference to the sacrifice of Melchisedech [Melchizedek]; and the framework of a meal a reference to the sacred meals of Judaism, figures of the messianic feast; the season of the Pasch, a reference to the paschal meal the symbol of the alliance between the People and God. We can thus see how the deeds of Christ are charged with biblical memories which tell us the true significance of these deeds."

Justin Martyr on Baptism

In reading through Justin Martyr's First Apology written to Emperor Titus, I came across his high view of Baptism. I find it interesting that a man who lived right after the Apostolic Fathers would have such a differing view of the efficacy of Baptism than us Moderns. I have been studying Baptism off and on for a few years and am curious to discover the changes that have occurred to the doctrine of Baptism in the history of the Church. How do those changes in doctrine play out in changing our culture? History can be a hard teacher. I have his words below for reflection:

"Those that are persuaded and believe that the things we say are true, and promise that they can live accordingly, are instructed to pray and beseech God with fasting for the remission of their past sins, while we pray and fast along with them. Then they are brought by us where there is water, and are reborn by the same manner of rebirth by which we ourselves were reborn; for they are then washed in the water in the name of God the Father and Master of all, and of our savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit. For Christ said, 'Unless you are born again you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.'"