You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'Catholic' tag.
There is an unstated but deep-rooted assumption in most Christian theology that righteousness is exclusively a moral category. That is, a person is perfectly righteous if they are morally perfect and any degrees of righteousness in a person are in a linear and inextricable relationship to the morality of that individual. This righteousness then becomes the basis of God’s judgement of that person and within this framework it is clear that any acquittal (aka justification) requires adequate moral performance.
Interestingly Catholics and Protestants have historically agreed with this assessment – they have however disagreed on the source and scope of that righteousness in justification. Catholics have said God transfers or implants his own righteousness into believers (Infusion) whilst Protestants have held that God reckons Christ’s perfect obedience unto believers (Imputation). In either case moral righteousness or obedience is the key to justification even if it is received by faith as Catholics and Protestants (now) agree it is. The problem is this: if justification is by grace it must be unmerited and both these models clearly require and account for obedient merit. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m not a Roman Catholic (although I was raised to be) but the current pope continually impresses me with his deep, spiritual and rational perspective of the Bible’s message. Just reading his latest talk on how we need to ally ourselves with Godhas brought me another step closer in the realisation that our Catholic brethren are not heretics but one cultural and historical swing of a pendulum and that the counter-swing, called the Reformation, is not the final word on Biblical exposition and sound doctrine. I’ll leave these controversial statements unexpounded for now but just look at what Ratzinger is saying:
He [Jesus] is the king of the entire universe but the critical point, the place where his kingdom is at risk, is our heart, because there God encounters our freedom.
…
It is up to us to decide whether to practice justice or iniquity, whether to embrace love and forgiveness or vengeance and murderous hatred. Our personal salvation depends on this, but also the salvation of the world.
I know a good many protestants who would deny these statements but I subscribe wholeheartedly to this not because it’s Ratzinger’s message but Jesus’: Read the rest of this entry »
Perry Marshall has a new email series going at coffeehousetheology.com. It’s based around 7 perceived lies promulgated by insitutional religion:
-
If you live a moral life, deny yourself pleasure, follow the prescribed rituals and give us enough money, you’ll have a decent shot at being accepted by God.
-
God is huge and unapproachable, and He wants you to labor, struggle and live in guilt.
-
You are not smart enough or good enough to think for yourself. We will do your thinking for you.
-
Women are spiritually inferior and must submit to the authority of men.
-
There is no single truth. Everyone needs to explore and find a truth that works for them.
-
The Bible is out of date, inaccurate and over-rated. People in the 21st century are way too smart for that.
-
If God was really powerful and good, he wouldn’t allow so much evil and suffering to go on.
I can confirm that items 1 to 4 are preached in all the Catholic Churches I’ve ever been to over 20 years. Item 5 “there is no single truth” seems to be more the post modern pluralism which is very politically correct but I’ve not seen this preached in any church except in some ecumenical services and articles where Muslims and Catholics pray to a generic “God”.
Items 6 and 7 seem to come directly from postmodern atheism – not sure where Marshall get’s the idea that that’s organised religion…
Item 6 is widely believed but rarely by people who have actually read the Bible. 99% of people who don’t believe the Bible, scoff at it because it’s hip and modern to do so, not because they’ve actually researched it. It’s funny, but those who research it end up Christians! ;-)
Item 7 is, in my opinion the hardest question Christians face: The Problem of Evil.
