Kesler Library: A Great Resource for Ministers

A few years back a dear friend of mine turned me onto Vanderbilt Divinity Library’s Kesler program.  A top rated research library, the Kesler program is designed to provide materials for ministers in rural or remote locations who do not have access to quality study and research materials.  Through this program you may check out up to four items (books, tapes, CDs, etc.) and they will be shipped to you free of charge.  The only cost to the person using the service is the cost of shipping the items back.  The program is great for locating hard-to-find books and for doing more indepth research in specialized areas of interest without having to purchase the materials or drive great distances to find a good library.

To learn more about the Kesler program at Vanderbilt University go to http://divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/kesler or email kesler@vanderbilt.edu. 

Sober Intoxication of the Spirit

If you are looking for a good book to read on the Spirit-filled life, look no further.  You have got to read Sober Intoxication of the Spirit by Father Raniero Cantalemessa. The book is, by far, one of the best practical guides and reflections on the nature of the Spirit-filled life.

    

Formerly the preacher to the Papal Household during the reign of Pope John Paul II, Fr. Cantalemessa is at the forefront of the charismatic renewal movement in the Roman Catholic Church. With keen pastoral insight, he offers up practical guidance to all how seek to live the fulness of the Spirit-filled life. Drawing from Scripture, the Fathers, and his own personal experience, Fr. Cantalemessa calls his readers to enter into the mystery of walking with sobriety the intoxication of the Spirit.  One of the best discussions in the book is the true nature of holiness and how it is important to receiving the fulness of the Holy Spirit. I highly recommend this text to our parish and to anyone who wants to read a well-balanced book on how to live the Spirit-filled life.

A Reading From The Apocrypha

While, we in the CEC, do not hold the Apocrypha to be Scripture; we do hold that the Apocrypha is important in terms of its historical contributions and devotional applications. The Apocrypha, having been read in the assembly from the earliest days of the Church till now, is still included in our lectionary readings for Sundays and in the Daily Office.

As an example of the wisdom and practical insight to be found in the Apocrypha, I am posting one of my favorite lessons from Ecclesiasticus 6:5-17. As you read this lesson, I think you will find it helpful and insightful as it relates to your personal relationships especially in the area true friendships.

A pleasant voice multiplies friends, and a gracious tongue multiplies courtesies. Let those that are at peace with you be many, but let your advisers be one in a thousand. When you gain a friend, gain him through testing, and do not trust him hastily. For there is a friend who is such at his own convenience, but will not stand by you in your day of trouble. And there is a friend who changes into an enemy, and will disclose a quarrel to your disgrace. And there is a friend who is a table companion, but will not stand by you in your day of trouble. In prosperity he will make himself your equal, and be bold with your servants; but if you are brought low he will turn against you, and will hide himself from your presence. Keep yourself far from your enemies, and be on guard toward your friends. A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter: he that has found one has found a treasure. There is nothing so precious as a faithful friend, and no scales can measure his excellence. A faithful friend is an elixir of life; and those who fear the Lord will find him. Whoever fears the Lord directs his friendship aright, for as he is, so is his neighbor also. — RSV

Here ends the lesson.

It’s Not To Late - Start Today!

Last year I issued a challenge to our parish and readers to make reading  the Bible through in its entirety a New Year’s Resolution.   Although we are coming to the end of January already, I would like to issue the challenge again.  The truth is it is never to late to begin reading your Bible.  And if you have never read the Bible in its entirety, wouldn’t 2008 be a great time to do so?  Not only will you learn alot, it is a great way to grow spiritually as you see God’s plans and purposes unfold before your very eyes.

To help you along in this endeavor, I encourage you to take a look at the reading guides providing by the ministry of Back thru the Bible. You can order the guides or simply use the online links to help guide you through. The best thing about this site is that it gives some great options.

The Chronological Guide allows you to read the events of the Bible in the order in which they occurred over time.

The Historical Guide allows you to read the Bible through in the order in which the books of the Bible were written.

The Old and New Testament Guide allows you to read both Testaments of Scripture simultaneously.

The Beginning to End Guide allows you to read the Bible straight through from Genesis to Revelation.

and….

The Blended Guide allows you to read the Scriptures through pairing differing books of the Bible for variety.

Each one of these guides will prove helpful. So get started today reading your Bible through in 2008.  

The Subtle Ways of Heresy

What is heresy? Simply put it is a doctrine or belief which undermines the non-negotiable truths of the Christian Faith. What are these non-negotiables? Well, the best place to start is with the Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed. The things held in these two creeds are non-negotiable. Change any one of these Biblical statments of faith and you have changed the Gospel.

For example, the Creeds teach us that we believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit i.e., the Trinity. With out going into the depths and history of this most important doctrine, it is important to note that the reality of the Trinity is at the very heart of our Faith. For this reason, when we pray, we often conclude our prayers by saying in the name or through the action “of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” emphasizing the truth that we believe in one God revealed in three persons.

I bring this to your attention because at a recent Protestant wedding I was stunned to hear a prayer supposedly invoking the Trinity actually undermining this very truth. The minister, I believe sadly unaware, concluded His prayer by praying in the name of God the Father, of the Holy Spirit, and of His son Jesus Christ. Sound alright? I disagree. The construction of the sentence actually emphasizes the divinity of the Father but leaves the divinity of the Holy Spirit and the Son in question. What is even more curious is that the place of the Holy Spirit and the Son are inverted in this rewriting or reworking of the ancient Trinitarian invocation.

Here is the problem. Such a reworking of the Trinitarian formula, which has been spoken for generations to not only invoke the fulness of the Godhead in our prayers but to teach the Church this all important revelation of the Divine Trinity, now opens the door to those who would believe or teach something less than the Gospel.

Note some of the following false inferences which could be drawn from this invocation. To begin with, this invocation implies that neither the Holy Spirit or Jesus are divine and even if they are they are not equal to the Father. This, of course, leaves open the possibility that the Holy Spirit may very well be more of a force than a person and the Jesus more of an adopted son than “the son” of God. Add to this that the inverting of the the Son and the Spirit in the invocation calls into question the priority of the Son in God’s plan of salvation. Yet it is the Son, according the the Scripture, that sends the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Spirit who testifies to the Son.

Did the minister intend to call into question the divinity of the Son and the Spirit? I don’t think so. But to the unitiated and unlearned in the faith, such prayers prayed repeatedly over time can take on a life of their own shaping one’s very understanding of the faith. Dom Gregory Dix in his book The Shape of the Liturgy has said, “change the liturgy and in seventy years you will change the culture.”

Suffice it to say, I believe such a reworking of the Trinitarian invocation is a “subtle” undermining of orthodox Christianity. Heresy is not always so blatant and easily recognized. More often than not, it is subtle in it’s approach taking advantage of God’s people who out of lack of knowledge of the Bible and of the ancient Christian faith succomb to unexamined innovation and the demand for “enlightened relevance.”

What do we do? Stay in the Word and learn the Faith handed down to us by the Fathers.

24 Laws of Lostology

Over the last few weeks I have had the joy of reading one of the best and most insightful books on evangelism I have read in years, John Kramp’s Out of Their Faces and Into Their Shoes. Not only was it a great book but it is one of those books that creates whole paradigm shifts in one’s thinking. The last book that I read which profoundly shaped my understanding of evangelsim was Out of the Salt Shaker & Into the World by Rebecca Manley Pippert.

In short, Kramp takes you on a study of a new field of study he has dubbed, Lostology. His goal? To help you to see life from the position of someone who is lost. To do so, he has identified 24 Laws of Lostology. What he accomplishes along the away is a dislodging of many our preconceived notions as Christians as to what the unsaved individual is thinking, feeling, and believing about themselves, life, and their relationship to God. The Christian or, better yet, a Church who will take to heart the 24 Laws of Lostology, I believe will see the effectiveness in sharing the love of God with others greatly enhanced. I also believe they will begin not only to share the love of God more effectively but express it more faithfully.

Below is the 24 Laws of Lostology for you to review and meditate on. I encourage you to read Out of Their Faces and Into Their Shoes or you can learn more at Kramp’s website, Following-Jesus.Com

The 24 Laws of Lostology

Law 1: Being lost can be fun.
Law 2: No one gets lost on purpose.
Law 3: It is easy to get lost.
Law 4: You can be lost and not know it.
Law 5: You cannot force people to admit they are lost.
Law 6: Admitting you are lost is the first step in the right direction.
Law 7: When you are lost, you are out of control.
Law 8: Just because you are lost does not mean you are stupid.
Law 9: It is tough to trust a stranger.
Law 10: People ask for directions without revealing their true emotions.
Law 11: Directions are always confusing.
Law 12: Unnecessary details make directions more confusing.
Law 13: A search reveals your values.
Law 14: Searches are always costly.
Law 15: Love pays whatever a search costs.
Law 16: A search becomes your consuming priority.
Law 17: A search is always lost-centered, not searcher-centered.
Law 18: A search is urgent because the lost are in danger.
Law 19: Coordinate resources to maximize the search.
Law 20: Discouragement threatens a successful search.
Law 21: Waiting is part of searching.
Law 22: Successful searches do not always have happy endings.
Law 23: If you are searching, the lost may find you.
Law 24: Always celebrate when the lost are found.

The Rev. Canon Mark Pearson

The Rev. Canon Mark Pearson will minister at St. Andrew’s on Sunday October 22. Co-founder of the Institute for Christian Renewal and rector of Trinity Charismatic Episcopal Church in Plaistow, New Hampshire. Author of Christian Healing: A Practical and Comprehensive Guide, Why Can’t I Be Me?: Healing for Wounded Personalities; and Boot Camp for Christians, Canon Pearson is committed to sharing the healing love and power of Jesus Christ. Make plans now to join us for this special service of worship and ministry. There will be a time for healing prayer during the service. For more information, contact Father Randall at 770-784-5100.

Why I Am Thankful For The Da Vinci Code

A few months back a dear friend of mine sent me a copy of Carl Olson and Sandra Miesel’s book, The Da Vinci Hoax: Exposing the Errors in The Da Vinci Code (Ignatius Press). I have neither read The Da Vinci Code nor have I seen the movie. I am just not interested nor have I been interested in all the hubbub that has surrounded the book and the movie. But, since it was a gift, I read the book.

I found the book very fascinating but not for the reasons one might think. I already knew the false accusations by the author of The Da Vinci Code were not new, not original, nor could they be substantiated. Despite his claims at scholarship, the man is a hack. No, what interested me was the amount of Church history and theology that flowed from the book. As I read the The Da Vinci Hoax, a very well written and researched monograph, I could not help but think of all the people, especially Christians, disturbed by the book and the movie who were reading this or similar publications. If just half of the books written to defend the Faith against The Da Vinci Code now on the market were half a thorough as this book, then Christians were probably getting more church history in that one small book than they have received in a whole lifetime attendance at their local church.

The sad fact is that most modern Christians know very little about their heritage and how what we believe has been passed down to us through the centuries. Most church history in protestant evangelical circles goes something like this: there was the New Testament Church of the first century but then the church went off the rails in 96 A.D. and did not begin to recover until around the 1400 or 1500s. But the truth is, the major doctrine of our faith where defined and defended through the first six centuries of the Church and have been defended throughout all of Christian history. Given this reality, we are beholden to all those who have gone before us and we should honor their work and their memory by learning it and passing it on to our children and our children’s children. It is our heritage or birth right.

In short, I am thankful for The Da Vinci Code and the subsequent apologies that have followed its release. Without knowing it, even despite the author’s true intentions, I believe God is using The Da Vinci Code to educate His people and to strengthen the Faith.

In closing, if you haven’t read a good book in a while, why not check out Olson and Miesel’s The Da Vinci Hoax. You will be glad you did.

Recommended Reading: Ancient-Future Evangelism

Written by Robert Webber, Ancient-Future Evangelism is an examination of the ancient catechumenate (learner) process of the first three centuries of the Church to evangelize and disciple new converts. Webber present a strong argument for the need to recapture the principals of evangelism and discipleship practiced by the Early Church in order to more effectively and more thoroughly raise up strong disciples for Christ. Excellent treatment of the need for a paradigm shift in current modes and methods of discipleship and Christian formation.