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What kind of churches do we at Theopolis dream of? Churches like these:
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Churches that pray for the specific needs of churches from other denominations in public worship and know the specific needs of other churches.
Source: Peter Leithart - Theopolis Institute blog, "Reformational Catholicism, A Wish List", 20 October 2016, https://theopolisinstitute.com/reformational-catholicism-a-wish-list/
A miracle of sorts took place in France five years ago. For generations, French denominations were at odds with one another, full of suspicion, bad-talking, and division. This all changed when leading evangelical denominational leaders began to see their sin, publicly repent, and ask for forgiveness.
This dramatic reconciliation paved the way for a new era of deep collaboration. Currently, nine of France’s leading evangelical denominations are sending teams of evangelists and church planters to learn from and encourage one another in a process that will lead to one evangelical church in France for every 10,000 people (currently, there is one church for every 30,000 people).
For evangelism and church planting to move to a higher plane, we must break out of our denominational (and even networkational) silos and collaborate. After all, the Kingdom of God is bigger than any one church or group.
Source: Dr. Dietrich Schindler - As quoted in Christianity Today, Evangelism in Post-Christian Europe, http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2016/august/evangelism-in-post-christian-western-europe-six-insights.html?utm_source=ctdirect-html
Our Historical Conclusions:
We honor Martin Luther as a prophet sent by God to Luther’s own church, the Roman Catholic Church.
We lament that Luther's prophetic message was not correctly considered or responded to by his apostolic authorities.
We grieve the subsequent shared history of hostility – and ask the Holy Spirit to embolden us to identify with the actions of our forefathers, repent, forgive, and where appropriate make restitution.
We believe that Catholics & Protestants can and should jointly commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
We propose that Catholics & Protestants seize the opportunity to pray John 17 with Jesus on the occasion of this historic anniversary.
We believe that in preparation for Jesus’ return, the Holy Spirit will move again as Malachi prophesied, “turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to their fathers.”
Source: Wittenberg 2017 - Historical Conclusions, http://www.wittenberg2017.us/historical-conclusions.html
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Source: Bible - 1 Timothy 1:12-17
Second, I believe we need to lament our sad state. We may not have a clue how we can mend the wounds between us. That tells us how desperate things are. It acknowledges that we need an intervention from on high. Lamenting takes us into a place where we realize our desperate need for God, and that to go on in the way we have is increasingly intolerable.
Source: Robert C Trube - rtrube54, "The Scandal of the Church in America: Part Two", Bob on Books, 14 Feb 2017, https://bobonbooks.com/2017/02/14/the-scandal-of-the-church-in-america-part-two/
It was the start of my healing journey, the way of forgiveness. I tasted mercy, God’s mercy, toward me and the power of Jesus to free me from the effects of the past. And gradually, God took me further into his love. He said, “I am calling you to forgive—to forgive Germany and Germans—to forgive the evil done to you and your parents.”
I asked him for the grace to forgive, and, you know, God delights to answer such a prayer. He led George and me back to the Eifel, and he opened the way to practice forgiveness and reconciliation in the actual physical place of my childhood loss.
Source: Hanna Miley - Speech on July 21, 2016 in Lodz, Poland
I just sat back and listened as two old friends confessed and forgave their wrongs against one another, and then moved on to restore the relationship that they had nearly lost.
Source: Ken Sande - "Reconciled by a Baby Moose", Relational Wisdom Blog, http://rw360.org/2016/10/03/reconciled-baby-moose/
Bonhoeffer was clearly charmed by the place, but as a Protestant pastor he was not completely at ease with everything he saw and experienced. “The Catholic Advent seems somewhat strange to me,” he wrote to Bethge. At Finkenwalde, the Lord’s Supper had been celebrated once each week. At Ettal, Bonhoeffer could go to Mass and share in the prayers and readings, but, as he was not a member of the Catholic Church, he could not partake of the bread and wine at communion. “I am longing for the Lord’s Supper,” he said. Still, Bonhoeffer’s presence at what he called “quite a wonderful Mass” did bear witness to a kind of broken unity, a sanctorum communio not yet fully realized in the visible church of the undivided Christ here and now. Several weeks before Bonhoeffer arrived in Ettal, as war raged across Europe, Pope Pius XII had issued a Motu Proprio calling for a “crusade of prayer,” inviting Catholics around the globe to join in a prayer for world peace. In a letter to Bethge, Bonhoeffer referred to the Pope’s decree: “Today the pope has ordered a prayer for peace in the whole church. Could we not also have prayed along with them? I did.”
Source: Timothy George - "Bonhoeffer at Ettal: Advent", First Things, 12 Dec 2016, https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2016/12/bonhoeffer-at-ettal-advent-1940
May this plaque be an expression of our shame and grief over the serious crime that our German people committed against Holland during World War II. May it also be a token of love and gratitude to the Dutch people, who assisted the Jews while they were being persecuted and who responded to the injustices of our German nation by showing goodness to God's chosen people.. God bless Holland!
Source: Marienschwestern - Plaque on the wall of the "Secret Room" in Corrie Ten Boom's house in Haarlem, The Netherlands (made famous in her book, The Hiding Place)
(17) Unlike so many people, we do not hustle God’s word to make money. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God’s presence with integrity, as those sent from God.
Source: The Apostle Paul - 2 Corinthians 2:17 (IEB)
On May 13, 1993, five Amish children were killed by a speeding auto near Fredericksburg, Ohio. The auto was driven by a young man, Eric Bache, who showed no remorse for his action in the days that followed. After the funeral, an elder of the community, Henry Burkholder, said: "We could take it a lot easier if he would feel sorry. It's a little harder to forgive since he doesn't seem upset. But we have to forgive him. And we will."
Source: Henry Burkholder - Elder of the Amish Community in Fredericksburg, Ohio, quoted by the New York Times, 17 May 1993, as reported in Peter Schmiechen's "Christ the Reconciler: A Theology for Opposites, Differences, and Enemies", p. 112
I realize so much of how I think about relationships is influenced so strongly by Christian formation writers from the 3rd-20th century.
They were writing about how not to let conflict and sin go out of control for centuries and centuries.
It's proven to be such grace, imperfect practitioner that I am.
Source: Alexei N. Laushkin - Posted on FB, 11 Nov 2020
When the terrors of the Spanish Civil War began, Blessed Martin took all of the consecrated hosts from the chapel, and went into hiding living in barns, caves, and haystacks. He evaded the militia for a few days but was caught and imprisoned where he spent his remaining time ministering to other prisoners, hearing confessions, and distributing the Eucharist he had rescued.
When the time of his execution came, he was asked if he would like to face away from the rifles during his execution, he said “no”. When asked if he wanted to say anything, he said gave them a blessing and said “I only give you my blessing that God does not take into account the madness that you commit.”
Then he shouted “VIVA CRISTO REY!”
Right before being shot, he smiled for the photographer, a Republican, called Hans Guttman, who took a couple of photographs of him. In his eyes, you can see a foretaste of eternity. You can see the joy of a faithful priest.
Blessed Martin was beatified on the 1st October 1995 by Pope Saint John Paul II. His feast day is the 18th August. Blessed Martin, Ora Pro Nobis! Viva Christo Rey!
Source: Ryan Scheel - Article on uCatholic, http://ucatholic.com/blog/man-die-smiling/
It was like a slap in the face when the catholic Luther researcher, Erwin Iserloh, asserted in 1961 that the nailing of the theses to the door of the Castle Church belonged to the realm of legends.
The facts are convincing, the first written account of the event comes from Philipp Melanchthon who could not have been an eye-witness to the event since he was not called to Wittenberg University as a professor until 1518.
Also, this account appeared for the first time after Luther's death and he never commented on 'nailing anything up' in 1517.
Announcements of upcoming disputes were supposedly regularly hung on the door of the Castle Church. But, openly hanging the theses without waiting for a reaction from the Bishops could have been seen as a clear provocation of his superiors. Luther would not have done that because he only wanted to clear up some misunderstandings.
It is also worth noting, that there was no open discussion of the theses in Wittenberg and that no original printing of the theses could be found.
One thing is sure: Luther wrote a letter to his superiors on October 31, 1517 in which he denounced the sale of indulgence and asked for repayment and removal of the misunderstandings. With the letter he included 95 theses which were to be the basis for a discussion on the topic.
Today, the majority of Luther researchers see it as fact, that Luther did not nail his theses to the door of the Castle Church on that day. But the picture of Luther nailing the theses to the door of the church is still today the most common in regards to Luther, the reformation and Lutherstadt Wittenberg.
Source: www.luther.de - KDG Wittenberg, http://www.luther.de/en/legenden/tanschl.html
Asked about his personal experience with the Lutheran Church, Pope Francis said the first time he ever entered a Lutheran church was when he was 17 and went to a co-worker’s wedding.
Later, as a Jesuit and professor at the Jesuit school of theology in Argentina, he said he had frequent contact and exchanges with professors at the nearby Lutheran school of theology.
“I invited a professor of spiritual theology from that faculty, a Swede, Anders Ruuth, to hold lectures on spirituality together with me,” the pope said. It was “a truly difficult time” for the pope personally, he said, “but I had a lot of trust in him and opened my heart to him. He helped me a lot in that moment.”
Friendships and formal exchanges with Lutheran pastors and leaders continued while he was archbishop of Buenos Aires and now as pope, he said.
Source: Catholic News Service - "Pope on why he’s going to Sweden: ‘Closeness does all of us good’", 28 Oct 2016, https://cnstopstories.com/2016/10/28/pope-on-why-hes-going-to-sweden-closeness-does-all-of-us-good/
Thomas Roberts was closely associated with the Union de Priére, a group of Reformed ministers first touched by the Pentecostal movement in the South of France in the 1930s. The Union de Priére focused on prayer for four intentions: the revival of the churches by the conversion of souls; the salvation of the Jewish people; the visible unity of the body of Christ; and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of the dead. ... Thomas Roberts grew in his grasp of the vision of one reunited body of Christ, manifesting the glory of the Savior and the power of the Spirit to the world ... Roberts was a model of a Christian who always remained faithful to his original call - he was always characteristically Pentecostal - yet who was so grateful to the Lord for opening his eyes to see the riches of other Christian traditions, Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox.
Source: Fr. Peter Hocken - One Lord One Spirit One Body, pp.viii - ix
Life was hard. Family life was hard. Marriage was hard. And yet, Martin and Katie loved each other tremendously. They viewed marriage as a school of character, whereby God uses the hardships of daily family life to sanctify us.
...
May the marriage of Martin and Katie, as well as their love for their children, remind us today of Christ's love for his church and the Father's love for us as his redeemed children.
Source: Matthew Barrett - "Martin Luther on Marriage as a School of Character", Christian Living, The Gospel Coalition, 3 August 2011, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/martin-luther-on-marriage-as-a-school-of-character
It was the great religious “confab” of the 4th century: a gathering of Christian bishops from throughout the world, convened by no less an authority than the Roman Emperor Constantine I. In A.D. 325, a town in the Black-Sea province of Bithynia played host to 318 scholars of the church who met to deliberate on the burning theological questions of the day. We remember it today as the Council of Nicaea: the first attempt to forge a truly “ecumenical” Christianity—that is, a Christianity that encompassed all the world’s human habitations—by coming to a consensus on church doctrine.
The most significant result of the council was the Nicene Creed: the first uniform expression of Christian doctrine. The Creed would be elaborated upon in subsequent councils, but its essential form, conceived during that historic gathering in Nicaea, remains the fundamental statement of orthodox faith, embraced by churches throughout the world—and repeated during every Armenian badarak as the Havadamk (“We believe”).
The Armenian Church participated in the council, with St. Aristakes, the younger son of St. Gregory the Illuminator, representing his then-ailing father. This Saturday, our church will remember the 318 Fathers of the Holy Council of Nicaea, and the project they began 1,695 years ago.
Source: Christopher H. Zakian - "Getting to 'We Believe'", blog post on The Armenian Church website, 4 Sept 2020
https://armenianchurch.us/2020/09/04/getting-to-we-believe-2
I see social activists from the urban centers of Hong Kong joining with Pentecostal preachers from the barrios of Såo Poaolo and together weeping over the spiritually lost and the plight of the poor.
Source: Emmanuel Katongole & Chris Rice - Reconciling All Things, p. 275
An English Jesuit who left his order to become a diocesan priest in Northern Ireland has been honored by England’s Queen Elizabeth II for his services to a community wrought by sectarian violence.
Father Paul Symonds, a priest of the Belfast-based Diocese of Down and Connor, has served for four years in Ballymena, a predominantly Protestant town known for anti-Catholic sectarianism. Father Symonds is especially known for his work with Catholics and Protestants in Ballymena’s Harryville section, where Catholics have been subjected to sustained campaigns of intimidation. As recently as the summer of 2005, Masses at Our Lady the Mother of Christ Church in Harryville were canceled because of such intimidation.
Source: Catholic Review - "English priest receives awards for work in Northern Ireland", 5 Jan 2008, http://www.catholicreview.org/article/faith/vocations/english-priest-receives-award-for-work-in-northern-ireland