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Saturday, June 27, 2015

St Augustine & the heartbreak & desire of sin,

St Augustine & the heartbreak & desire of sin,

“Who am I? What kind of man am I? What evil have I not done? Or if there is evil that I have not done, what evil is there that I have not spoken? If there is any that I have not spoken, what evil is there that I have not willed to do?” (Bk. IX, 1, p. 181)

“But my sin was this, that I looked for pleasure, beauty, and truth not in Him but in myself and his other creatures, and this search led me instead to pain, confusion, and error.” (Bk. I, 20, p. 40–41)

Eusebius [Prayer to practice the Golden Rule]


Eusebius [Prayer to practice the Golden Rule]

I ran across this quote from Eusebius when skimming through his works to refute the false doctrine taught by Andy Stanley, it was super convicting, thought I'd pass it along.  
“May I be an enemy to no one and the friend of what abides eternally.
May I never quarrel with those nearest me, and be reconciled quickly if I should.
May I never plot evil against others, and if anyone plot evil against me,
may I escape unharmed and without the need to hurt anyone else.
May I love, seek and attain only what is good.
May I desire happiness for all and harbor envy for none.
May I never find joy in the misfortune of one who has wronged me.
May I never wait for the rebuke of others, but always rebuke myself until I make reparation.
May I gain no victory that harms me or my opponent.
May I reconcile friends who are mad at each other.
May I, insofar as I can, give all necessary help to my friends and to all who are in need.
May I never fail a friend in trouble.
May I be able to soften the pain of the
grief stricken and give them comforting words.
May I respect myself.
May I always maintain control of my emotions.
May I habituate myself to be gentle, and never angry with others because of circumstances.
May I never discuss the wicked or what they have done, but know good people and follow in their footsteps.

Friday, June 26, 2015

Andy Stanley: ignoramus or liar ?



This post is regarding Atheists, pseudo-historians (like Dan Brown) & pseudo-pastors (like Andy Stanley & Rob Bell)….and their assertions that Constantine forced a “temple model” religion (aka imposed Christianity) on the people of his empire, thereby corrupting Christianity through Imperialism.  This assertion is absolutely wrong, according to the writer Eusebius, who was the ancient Historian who recorded the events regarding the Early Church. Eusebius recorded the Emperor’s Edict of 313, “We have LONG intended that freedom of worship should not be deigned but that EVERYONE should have the right to practice his religion as he choose.  Accordingly we have had given orders that Christians and ALL OTHERS should be permitted to Keep the Faith of their own sect and worship.” (Quote occasionally CAPSLOCKED for emphasis by myself).  

Its clear that Constantine’s empire was one of the first large scale governments to TRULY legalize freedom of religion, often to an extent greater than that of America today, therefore Andy Stanley’s assertions that Constantine corrupted Christianity by establishing “temple model” is without question wrong. Therefore Mr. Stanley is either #1 – completely ignorant of Church History, making him derelict in his duties as a teacher or #2 – he knows the history and purposely lies about it to advance his own personal agenda.

As a follow-up I’d recommend all Christians read the writings of the Early Church, even stuff I personally don’t agree with has an amazing amount of knowledge, intellect & understanding in it as you can see these people are TRYING to faithfully apply Biblical truths to their lives. I’d also recommend reading Dr. Paul Maier’s translation of Eusebius’ The Church History; the quote from above is from Book 10, chapter 5 (available at Amazon, link provided).

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For some context: here’s a little Andy Stanley FYI from his recent sermon series “Brand New”.

So what’s wrong with “temple model”?

For the past few weeks, [Andy] Stanley has been exhorting Christians to ditch their traditional “temple model” ways.  The “temple model,” as defined by Stanley, “grants extraordinary power to sacred men in sacred places who determine the meaning of sacred texts.”  “The temple model is you-centered,” Stanley explained.  “The heart of the temple model is this question: what must I do or believe to make things and keep things right between God and me?”

So basically, the problem with temple model is it’s Gospel-focused? Andy Stanley must really hate the gospel to be so outspoken against its emphasis. 

* note things to avoid at all costs as Andy Stanley explains the Temple Model as one that you see in so many ancient (and current) religions. It is centered around: Sacred Places, Sacred Texts, Sacred Men & Sincere/Superstitious Followers.

 

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Begin to Read the Church Fathers: Reading List & Podcast with my hero - Michael Haykin

Church-Fathers-300x253

Begin to Read the Church Fathers: Reading List & Podcast [Michael Haykin | AUDIO]

From the Center for Ancient Christian Studies:
Michael A.G. Haykin
Michael A.G. Haykin
…After sharing his story of how he came to study Patristics at Wycliffe College in Toronto, he fields a number of questions regarding the how and why of early church study. Below is a summary of Dr. Haykin’s thoughts which the aspiring scholar might find invaluable.

Why study the fathers no matter what field you are in?

As Christians we are united to believers across time based upon the teachings of Christ and the apostles. We believe in a Catholic Christianity. The Trinitarian and Christological thought of the earliest theologians available to us through their writings are the bedrock of our faith.

Where do I start if I am interested in becoming more familiar with the church fathers?

Here are some good places to start. Also, you can view Dr. Haykin’s Reading Plan for the Latin Fathers.

Primary Sources

Secondary Sources

Is there work still to be done in the church fathers?

Absolutely! There remain unexhausted topics even within the major historical figures. Dr. Haykin believes the area of reception history in certain ancient theologians could benefit from more attention.

Audio Here!