The Roots of Methodism
The English Reformation
Henry VIII 1491-1547
Catherine of Aragon (Mary’s mother) Spanish royal, aunt of Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire. After failure to have a male heir, Henry seeks divorce to be approved by the Pope. British parliament allows for the divorce in 1533, formally breaking British relations with the Pope.
Anne Boleyn (Elizabeth’s mother) married Henry VIII in 1533. After failure to produce a male heir Henry charges her with treason (on trumped up infidelity charges) and she is beheaded in 1536.
Jane Seymour (Edward’s mother) married Henry soon after Anne’s death. Dies from complications giving birth to Edward.
Articles of Religion, Book of Prayer and Homilies are issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Henry dissolves monasteries and issues orders to eliminate images of the Roman church.
Edward VI (reign 1547 – 1553) 9 years old when his father died and he became King. His reign was mired by a weak regency.
Mary I (reign 1553 -1558) Comes home determined to restore the Catholic Faith. Some 300 church leaders are executed during her reign.
Elizabeth I (reign 1558 – 1603) Very much the politician, Elizabeth seeks out “via media” or middle way between Rome and Geneva. The theologian Richard Hooker expresses this middle way with Scripture (not “sola scriptura”), tradition (not Roman) and reason
.
Arminians
Followers of Jacob Arminius (1560-1609) who opposed Calvinist ideas of predestination and ‘the elect’ by claiming Christ died for all. Arminians came to be known as people who stressed free will and holy living as a sign of accepting God’s grace. Calvinists opponents came to calling them “New Methodists.”
With the act of toleration in 1689 religious groups who would not conform to the 39 articles of religion of the Church were officially tolerated. Nonconformists could only meet in licensed places (not homes), and dissenting preachers were to be licensed. Roman Catholics and Unitarians were not allowed.
Moravians
Czech protestants, followers of Jan Huss. Impressed Wesley with dedication to prayer while sailing to the colony of Georgia.
The Anglican Church today
A communion of churches recognizing the rites of one another. The Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury hold a place of honor in the Anglican communion, but the Archbishop has no ecclesial authority over, say the Episcopal Church of the USA. There are approximately 70 million Anglicans today. The largest populations by country are: 26 million in England, 17 million in Nigeria, 8 million in Uganda, 5 million in Sudan, 2.5 million in Kenya, 2.4 million in the USA.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Thursday, February 01, 2007
February Newsletter
Not in our Town
According to Census information Longview lacks diversity. 90% of our community identifies themselves as white and our largest minority community is Hispanic with 6%. Our African American community is less than 1%. Yet we know numbers do not tell the whole story. We know that there are those in our community who are in a minority culture because they cannot hear and their language is American Sign Language. We know that there is a significant population of people who are in a sexual minority. We know that there are issues many people live with each day because the majority does not consider their needs or life situation.
This past month there was a gathering that I am really excited to tell you about. Some time after racist attacks were highlighted in the news once again, I contacted the Ethnic Support Council and plans were made for a meeting to address these attacks. This last month several community people gathered together at our church to make plans for addressing the issue of hate crimes in our community.
We heard a thoughtful report from representatives of the Longview Police Department, we heard from community leaders and their experience of racism, we heard from pastors who are concerned about our community. This group will continue to meet this month to create some community events to raise awareness of diversity in our community and I very much look forward to telling you about those plans in the near future.
I believe that it imperative in a community that seems so homogeneous that we bring forward issues of diversity. It is not OK to say, “well there really aren’t any minorities here” because that is simply not true. Nor is it OK to believe that there is no race problem here. There ARE groups in our community looking to promote hatred, racism and homophobia. These groups must be told that we will not tolerate this in our town.
As we live out our mission to be a beacon of Diversity on our community we will continue to shine the light of the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ into the dark places where hatred resides.
One way you can be a beacon is to get informed about what is happening in our community. I encourage you to attend the community forum being held by the Longview Police Department on February 9th at 7:00 at the McLellan Arts Center. This forum will address many community issues including hate crimes.
Grace and Peace,
Bruce
According to Census information Longview lacks diversity. 90% of our community identifies themselves as white and our largest minority community is Hispanic with 6%. Our African American community is less than 1%. Yet we know numbers do not tell the whole story. We know that there are those in our community who are in a minority culture because they cannot hear and their language is American Sign Language. We know that there is a significant population of people who are in a sexual minority. We know that there are issues many people live with each day because the majority does not consider their needs or life situation.
This past month there was a gathering that I am really excited to tell you about. Some time after racist attacks were highlighted in the news once again, I contacted the Ethnic Support Council and plans were made for a meeting to address these attacks. This last month several community people gathered together at our church to make plans for addressing the issue of hate crimes in our community.
We heard a thoughtful report from representatives of the Longview Police Department, we heard from community leaders and their experience of racism, we heard from pastors who are concerned about our community. This group will continue to meet this month to create some community events to raise awareness of diversity in our community and I very much look forward to telling you about those plans in the near future.
I believe that it imperative in a community that seems so homogeneous that we bring forward issues of diversity. It is not OK to say, “well there really aren’t any minorities here” because that is simply not true. Nor is it OK to believe that there is no race problem here. There ARE groups in our community looking to promote hatred, racism and homophobia. These groups must be told that we will not tolerate this in our town.
As we live out our mission to be a beacon of Diversity on our community we will continue to shine the light of the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ into the dark places where hatred resides.
One way you can be a beacon is to get informed about what is happening in our community. I encourage you to attend the community forum being held by the Longview Police Department on February 9th at 7:00 at the McLellan Arts Center. This forum will address many community issues including hate crimes.
Grace and Peace,
Bruce
Sermon Notes January 28, 2007
The Reformation
Important Dates in the Protestant Reformation:
1415 Jan Hus is burned at the stake as a heretic for teaching that the church was all the people and not limited to clergy, that the head of the church was Christ and not the Pope, and against ethical abuses such as the selling of indulgences.
1447 Gutenburg invents the printing press. Suddenly information is available in a way that it never had been before. In 1455 the Gutenburg Bible is printed and suddenly Bibles are available to many more people than ever before.
October 31, 1517 Luther posts his 95 theses calling for a debate within the church regarding questions of salvation and the church’s practice of selling indulgences.
1521 Luther is excommunicated by Pope Leo X and declared an outlaw by emperor Charles V, Luther is forced into exile.
1534 Luther completes a translation of the Bible into German.
1538 John Calvin is exiled from Geneva (he is invited to return in 1540.)
Sola Scriptura Literally translates as “Scripture Alone”
The basis of Luther’s reformation was the idea that Scripture alone was the basis for Christian faith. This was a refutation of the Church’s traditions as having a role in matters of faith.
TULIP Common acronym for Calvin’s theology
Total depravity. This is the idea of original sin.
Unconditional Election. The idea that God has chosen some people.
Limited Atonement. This suggests that God died for some but not all people.
Irresistible Grace. The elect will be called by the Holy Spirit.
Perseverance of the Saints. The saints rest with God.
Important Dates in the Protestant Reformation:
1415 Jan Hus is burned at the stake as a heretic for teaching that the church was all the people and not limited to clergy, that the head of the church was Christ and not the Pope, and against ethical abuses such as the selling of indulgences.
1447 Gutenburg invents the printing press. Suddenly information is available in a way that it never had been before. In 1455 the Gutenburg Bible is printed and suddenly Bibles are available to many more people than ever before.
October 31, 1517 Luther posts his 95 theses calling for a debate within the church regarding questions of salvation and the church’s practice of selling indulgences.
1521 Luther is excommunicated by Pope Leo X and declared an outlaw by emperor Charles V, Luther is forced into exile.
1534 Luther completes a translation of the Bible into German.
1538 John Calvin is exiled from Geneva (he is invited to return in 1540.)
Sola Scriptura Literally translates as “Scripture Alone”
The basis of Luther’s reformation was the idea that Scripture alone was the basis for Christian faith. This was a refutation of the Church’s traditions as having a role in matters of faith.
TULIP Common acronym for Calvin’s theology
Total depravity. This is the idea of original sin.
Unconditional Election. The idea that God has chosen some people.
Limited Atonement. This suggests that God died for some but not all people.
Irresistible Grace. The elect will be called by the Holy Spirit.
Perseverance of the Saints. The saints rest with God.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Sermon Notes Sunday January 21, 2007
Orthodoxy
Orthodoxy is also known as “Eastern Christianity. It includes three groups of churches primarily including, The Assyrian Churches, The Oriental Churches, and The Eastern Orthodox. There are approximately 240 million Orthodox Christians throughout the world. Russia has the largest population of about 100 million, Ethiopia has 22 million, Romania 15 million, Greece 10 million, Egypt 4 million, Syria 800 thousand, Israel 300 thousand.
The Orthodox church continues to hold that the Patriarch of Constantinople is “first among equals” among the Orthodox bishops.
There is some considerable confusion as to whether Wesley sought for some of his preachers to be ordained by a Greek Orthodox Bishop. There are accounts of such an event happening, yet Wesley did not claim responsibility for such action. There are even reports Wesley was consecrated as a Bishop by an Orthodox Bishop. Wesley was influenced by the Orthodox spirituality and his prayer life was greatly influenced by the orthodox traditions.
Orthodox Christians have a different calendar from Western Christians. The most noticeable difference being the date of Christmas as January 6 instead of December 25. This goes back to the Julian Calendar which is still used in the Orthodox tradition. (Pope Gregory introduced the “Gregorian” calendar in 1582, because the seasons were getting out of sync with the old Julian calendar.)
Unlike the Catholic Church, The Orthodox celebrate “mysteries.” These mysteries resemble Sacraments but differ in that a mystery is not limited to a list but could include any act in which a person connects with God. The common Mysteries of the church include: Baptism, Chrismation (an anointing of the Holy Spirit), Fasting, Almsgiving, Holy Communion, Repentance, Marriage, Monasticism, Holy Orders, Anointing with Oil.
Important dates in Orthodox Christianity.
1204 the sacking of Constantinople. In 1198 Pope Innocent III called for a crusade to capture the city of Jerusalem for the Christian faith. The armies of the crusade were to meet in Constantinople and sail to Jerusalem from there. The crusading armies in some confusion with the leaders of the city, attacked Constantinople. Much of the city was destroyed in fire and the chaos of war. Pope Innocent was ashamed and his attempt to take Jerusalem was a massive failure. In 2004 Pope John Paul II apologized to the Patriarch of Constantinople for the incident.
1453 Constantinople falls to the Ottoman Empire, ending the Byzantine Empire. Moscow becomes the new center of Orthodox Christianity.
If you have had the opportunity to worship in an Orthodox congregation you would be immediately struck by the iconography through out the building. Icons, paintings of saints, fill the Orthodox worship space. They tell the story of the Christian faith and they literally surround the congregation as a cloud of witnesses.
Most protestants do not understand the iconography of the Eastern tradition, for some it even seems like idol worship. For the Orthodox Christian, the icons are a means of communion with God. Remembrance of the Saints functions as a spiritual discipline to build our relationship with God. As one remembers the story of the saint it informs our contemporary Christian life. Prayer with the saints is seen as one might have a conversation with a deceased relative. It is not to worship the saint, but to reconnect to an important relationship of our life.
Orthodoxy is also known as “Eastern Christianity. It includes three groups of churches primarily including, The Assyrian Churches, The Oriental Churches, and The Eastern Orthodox. There are approximately 240 million Orthodox Christians throughout the world. Russia has the largest population of about 100 million, Ethiopia has 22 million, Romania 15 million, Greece 10 million, Egypt 4 million, Syria 800 thousand, Israel 300 thousand.
The Orthodox church continues to hold that the Patriarch of Constantinople is “first among equals” among the Orthodox bishops.
There is some considerable confusion as to whether Wesley sought for some of his preachers to be ordained by a Greek Orthodox Bishop. There are accounts of such an event happening, yet Wesley did not claim responsibility for such action. There are even reports Wesley was consecrated as a Bishop by an Orthodox Bishop. Wesley was influenced by the Orthodox spirituality and his prayer life was greatly influenced by the orthodox traditions.
Orthodox Christians have a different calendar from Western Christians. The most noticeable difference being the date of Christmas as January 6 instead of December 25. This goes back to the Julian Calendar which is still used in the Orthodox tradition. (Pope Gregory introduced the “Gregorian” calendar in 1582, because the seasons were getting out of sync with the old Julian calendar.)
Unlike the Catholic Church, The Orthodox celebrate “mysteries.” These mysteries resemble Sacraments but differ in that a mystery is not limited to a list but could include any act in which a person connects with God. The common Mysteries of the church include: Baptism, Chrismation (an anointing of the Holy Spirit), Fasting, Almsgiving, Holy Communion, Repentance, Marriage, Monasticism, Holy Orders, Anointing with Oil.
Important dates in Orthodox Christianity.
1204 the sacking of Constantinople. In 1198 Pope Innocent III called for a crusade to capture the city of Jerusalem for the Christian faith. The armies of the crusade were to meet in Constantinople and sail to Jerusalem from there. The crusading armies in some confusion with the leaders of the city, attacked Constantinople. Much of the city was destroyed in fire and the chaos of war. Pope Innocent was ashamed and his attempt to take Jerusalem was a massive failure. In 2004 Pope John Paul II apologized to the Patriarch of Constantinople for the incident.
1453 Constantinople falls to the Ottoman Empire, ending the Byzantine Empire. Moscow becomes the new center of Orthodox Christianity.
If you have had the opportunity to worship in an Orthodox congregation you would be immediately struck by the iconography through out the building. Icons, paintings of saints, fill the Orthodox worship space. They tell the story of the Christian faith and they literally surround the congregation as a cloud of witnesses.
Most protestants do not understand the iconography of the Eastern tradition, for some it even seems like idol worship. For the Orthodox Christian, the icons are a means of communion with God. Remembrance of the Saints functions as a spiritual discipline to build our relationship with God. As one remembers the story of the saint it informs our contemporary Christian life. Prayer with the saints is seen as one might have a conversation with a deceased relative. It is not to worship the saint, but to reconnect to an important relationship of our life.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
January Newsletter Article
Building a Relationship
At some point as I was talking with one of my ministry mentors he shared with me a simple idea, “ministry is about relationships.” Seems obvious once it is stated, but sometimes church leaders (and church members) need to be reminded of the obvious. We gather together as a community because of the relationship with each other and the relationship we have with God. When things are working well, those relationships are a gift of grace.
This New Year’s Eve I was able to host a gathering of friends that have been getting together in one form or another for nearly 15 years now. We have celebrated marriages, the birth of children and now we are looking toward our children growing up and on our growing older. This community was formed by the relationships built through the ministry of the church. We met at first as youth at Ocean Park Camp, then as college students many of us gathered together while we were at W.S.U. These relationships are a gift of grace for me and I treasure them deeply.
It is my hope and prayer that as we gather together as the People of Longview United Methodist Church that we would understand being a disciple for Jesus Christ is to be in relationship with God and with our neighbors.
As a growing congregation our challenge is to continue to find ways to build relationships with others. Often we find ourselves at a point where we are comfortable with the number of people we have relationships with. Sometimes we don’t want to form a new relationship (relationships take work after all.) Yet, that is what we must do. We must find ways to continue to foster new relationships with others as well as deepen our relationship with God. Pray for the ministry of Longview United Methodist Church as we continue to work to build up the people of God in this New Year.
At some point as I was talking with one of my ministry mentors he shared with me a simple idea, “ministry is about relationships.” Seems obvious once it is stated, but sometimes church leaders (and church members) need to be reminded of the obvious. We gather together as a community because of the relationship with each other and the relationship we have with God. When things are working well, those relationships are a gift of grace.
This New Year’s Eve I was able to host a gathering of friends that have been getting together in one form or another for nearly 15 years now. We have celebrated marriages, the birth of children and now we are looking toward our children growing up and on our growing older. This community was formed by the relationships built through the ministry of the church. We met at first as youth at Ocean Park Camp, then as college students many of us gathered together while we were at W.S.U. These relationships are a gift of grace for me and I treasure them deeply.
It is my hope and prayer that as we gather together as the People of Longview United Methodist Church that we would understand being a disciple for Jesus Christ is to be in relationship with God and with our neighbors.
As a growing congregation our challenge is to continue to find ways to build relationships with others. Often we find ourselves at a point where we are comfortable with the number of people we have relationships with. Sometimes we don’t want to form a new relationship (relationships take work after all.) Yet, that is what we must do. We must find ways to continue to foster new relationships with others as well as deepen our relationship with God. Pray for the ministry of Longview United Methodist Church as we continue to work to build up the people of God in this New Year.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Catholocism
On January 14th the Sermon will focus on early church history from the perspective of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Roman Catholic Church along with the Orthodox Church's share the roots of the first organization of Christian denominations. Today the Roman Catholic Church has approximately 1 Billion members (or 1/6 of the worlds population.) This is the largest religious organization in the world. For many the Pope is seen as the Christian world leader. There is no denying the influence of the Roman Catholic Church in the world.
On Sunday January 14th we will take a look at not only the history of the Roman Catholic Church but also its influence on the Christian faith.
Questions for Discussion:
What has been the affect of the lawsuits regarding clergy and sexual abuse on your perceptions of not only the Roman Catholic Church, but also on "The Church" of any denomination?
What Theological idea or religious practice within the Roman Catholic Church do you find the hardest to understand?
What do you most admire about the Roman Catholic Church?
The Roman Catholic Church along with the Orthodox Church's share the roots of the first organization of Christian denominations. Today the Roman Catholic Church has approximately 1 Billion members (or 1/6 of the worlds population.) This is the largest religious organization in the world. For many the Pope is seen as the Christian world leader. There is no denying the influence of the Roman Catholic Church in the world.
On Sunday January 14th we will take a look at not only the history of the Roman Catholic Church but also its influence on the Christian faith.
Questions for Discussion:
What has been the affect of the lawsuits regarding clergy and sexual abuse on your perceptions of not only the Roman Catholic Church, but also on "The Church" of any denomination?
What Theological idea or religious practice within the Roman Catholic Church do you find the hardest to understand?
What do you most admire about the Roman Catholic Church?
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Happy New Year
As 2007 begins I would like to invite you into a conversation with me. It is my intention to begin the conversation on with up coming idea's for Sermons at LUMC.
This idea partly springs from a short conversation with a friend of mine at our New Years Eve gathering. I was asking about her experience of church and what would be valuable and her answer was something like "ask the hard questions." Then I asked if I should also answer them, and she gave the response I was expecting, "no."
On January 14 we will begin a new series called "Windows on the Gospel" (thanks to Adam Hamilton of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood Kansas.) These sermons will be taking a look at some of the various denominations of the Christian faith. The Schedule for the sermons is as follows:
January 14: Catholicism
January 21: Orthodoxy
January 28: The Reformers
February 4: The foundations of Methodism
February 11: Methodism
February 18: Methodism's Children
So consider this an invitation to continue to develop the community of LUMC through the wonders of the Internet.
This idea partly springs from a short conversation with a friend of mine at our New Years Eve gathering. I was asking about her experience of church and what would be valuable and her answer was something like "ask the hard questions." Then I asked if I should also answer them, and she gave the response I was expecting, "no."
On January 14 we will begin a new series called "Windows on the Gospel" (thanks to Adam Hamilton of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood Kansas.) These sermons will be taking a look at some of the various denominations of the Christian faith. The Schedule for the sermons is as follows:
January 14: Catholicism
January 21: Orthodoxy
January 28: The Reformers
February 4: The foundations of Methodism
February 11: Methodism
February 18: Methodism's Children
So consider this an invitation to continue to develop the community of LUMC through the wonders of the Internet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
