"One of the first, and most important of those duties which are incumbent upon us, is fervent and united prayer. However the influence of the Holy Spirit may be set at nought, and run down by many, it will be found upon trial, that all means which we can use, without it, will be ineffectual. If a temple is raised for God in the heathen world, it will not be by might, nor by … [Read more...]
From the Middle Ages to Michele Bachmann: The Papacy and Anti-Christian Accusations
Last year American presidential candidate Michele Bachmann was attacked because the confessions of her church declared that the office of the papacy was Antichristian / The Pope was Antichrist. This position is hardly shocking to those familiar with the history of the churches of the Protestant Reformation. Declaring the Pope as antichrist was not merely a tradition of … [Read more...]
The Freedom of the Will: John Calvin & Justin Martyr & Martin Luther
St. Augustine of Hippo One of the fundamentally differing premises between Catholicism and Protestantism, was the doctrine of the human will. Where Catholics argued that the will was weakened by original sin, but free to do good or evil, Protestants argued that the will was free only to choose between sins; free only to do evil. Here's a quotation from John Calvin's "The … [Read more...]
Are You Saved? maybe? I hope?
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit...If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned" - Jn 15:1,2,6 (NIV)"So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for … [Read more...]