'God' Tagged Posts
God, A Human History by Reza Aslan
God, A Human History Reza Aslam, author of Zealot, a life and times book about the historical Jesus. He has recently written another book, God, A Human History. This is a much more readable book than one written by Karen Armstrong on similar religious topics. Aslan’s work plays to his strong suit as a sociology and religious history professor. Have you ever wondered whether humanity is “hard wired” to believe in a Deity. Or have you wondered how other cultures and times…
Luther burns all bridges – The three shocking books of 1520
Luther burns all bridges – The three shocking books of 1520 Martin Luther writes three of is most influential books in the year 1520. To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation The Babylonian Captivity of the Church The Freedom of a Christian These writings are nothing less than a slaughterhouse for holy cows and the pope and his bishops feel like having a stroke. After the publication of these book even optimists know that there will be no reconciliation…
RESISTING HAPPINESS by Matthew Kelly
RESISTING HAPPINESS begins with the promise that happiness comes from God. Presented in an almost confrontational style the book poses the question, “Why are you resisting God’s love for you?” The book has short chapters each one with a key point and action step. The author talks of excellence in God’s eyes, fellowship, listening, and a host of ways to overcome our resistance to God and his love. A challenging and most enjoyable book. I recommend it.…
Sola Scriptura
Sola Scriptura One of the main challenges Martin Luther and the Reformers faced was the question where does the authority to teach the Christian faith come from? For them this authority did not lie in the offices of the pope and the bishops or in the church as an divinely ordained institution. Both had failed. Both participated in the gigantic scam of selling salvation through the issue of indulgences. The answer was Sola Scriptura. Scripture alone. The authority to teach…
Reformation History: Martin Luther drops the H-Bomb!
Reformation History: Martin Luther drops the H-Bomb! In January 1519 the papal nuncio Karl von Miltiz is almost able to broker a deal between the church and Martin Luther. Luther does not have to recant, but he does not recant in silence and writes nice things about the pope. That could have been the end of the Reformation, but Roman Catholic theologian John Eck doesn’t want silence. He challenges Luther’s co-reformer Andreas Karlstadt and Martin Luther to a debate. This…
Radical Integrity: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The Story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Michael Van Dyke We remember him as a Man of God, though he would not have called himself that, but rather only a man…nothing more, nothing less. Bonhoeffer’s words, “We are to find God in what we know, not in what we don’t know; God wants us to realize His presence, not in unsolved problems but in those that are solved. That is true of the relationship between God and scientific knowledge, but it…
Martin Luther and the Jews
Martin Luther and the Jews Martin Luther is a hero who comes with baggage. He is one of the most influential theologians of world history. His ideas kicked off the Reformation and he took on the pope and the medieval church and he lived to tell the tale. But he has also a dark side. Especially in his writings about the Jews he decends into the netherworld of hate and injustice. Christians have always been puzzled by the fact that…
St Peter’s Basilica, the building that helped to split the medieval church.
St Peter’s Basilica, the building that helped to split the medieval church. The church of all churches is St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. It is the largest church in the world, a cultural heritage site like no other, but it came with a huge price tag. One of the ingenious ways to finance that building and its exquisite art was the sale of indulgences. Indulgences are an official church document that forgives sins for a fee. The sale of…
Relics! – Would You Like A Piece Of Saint?
Relics! – Would You Like A Piece Of Saint? One of the more “special” aspects of medieval piety is their obsession with relics. Relics are things that are left over, like the bones of famous saints or objects that played a major role in the history of Christianity, like nails from the crucifixion of Jesus. It was believed that this holy objects could help the people find favour with God. Venerating these objects could give you holy credit and you…
Frederick The Wise, Protector of Luther and Fat Groundhog
Frederick The Wise, Protector of Luther and Fat Groundhog The Holy Roman Empire was always defined by the power struggles between the territorial princes, the emperor and the pope in Rome. One of those princes was Frederick III, who was also called “The Wise”. He was Grand Elector of Saxony and the founder of Wittenberg University where Martin Luther taught. He was the prince who protected the renegade monk when Empire and Papacy wanted Martin Luther dead. Due to his…
A Fugger Loan For A Second Son
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] A Fugger Loan For A Second Son Albert Margrave of Brandenburg has the bluest blood possible. He is as highborn as one can get, but unfortunately he is only a second son. His brother will inherit the title and so Albert needs something else to lord over. Why not go into religion? And because high born people don’t need to study anything Albert buys himself position in upper ranks of the church hierarchy. That was common at the time.…
The Reformation Is The Perfect Storm That Sweeps Away The Middle Ages
The Reformation Is The Perfect Storm That Sweeps Away The Middle Ages The emerging Reformation hits a world that already experience profound change. Europeans discover and start to plunder the Americas. The Ottoman Turks storm the northern shore of the Mediterranean and threaten Western Europe. Warfare changes from swords to guns, cities rise, nobles decline and the new empires are on the horizon. The theological insights of the reformation are the straw that break the Camels back and Germany descends…
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