Read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest

I have on my desk this morning a copy of Diarmaid MacCulloch’s Thomas Cranmer (Yale University Press, 1996). I have read it once before but feel this week an obligation to read it again—all 700 pages of it! Tomorrow (as I write, at least) is March 21 and 450 years ago (March 21, 1556), in the streets of Oxford, Thomas Cranmer was burnt alive, six months after a similar fate had befallen the two bishops, Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer.

In the resurgence of Catholicism under the increasingly bitter Queen Mary, 286 men and women (some of whom were pregnant) were burnt at the stake for their avowal of Protestant and evangelical beliefs. Her tragic reign gained for her the title, “Bloody Mary.”

Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556), English reformer and Archbishop of Canterbury from 1533 to 1556 had guided the Church of England through its difficult and (for some at least) compromising steps towards reformation. Cranmer, assisted by his friend Martin Bucer, had produced two editions of the Book of Common Prayer (1549 and 1552, the former still contained much that the continental reformers found objectionable).

Cranmer’s embrace of the Protestant cause eventually resulted in his imprisonment. Cranmer’s death warrant had already been signed on February 24, 1556 (a month before his execution) and attempts were now made to cajole him into signing a recantation, which he eventually did on March 19. The following day, when it had been made clear to Cranmer that his death was to take place despite his recantation, Cranmer spent the day in apparent preparation for his death. The authorities believed they had won a major coup against the reformation and planned that Cranmer be allowed to preach a prepared sermon denouncing the reformation (which was meant to have taken place beside the funeral pyre but due to rain was held at a nearby University church instead).

For his last meal, Cranmer was given, in addition to wine and ale, spice cakes, bread, fruit and nuts and a dish of stewed prunes,” which as MacCulloch explains, “ensured that the prisoner would not suffer on a trying occasion with a bout of indigestion” (p.599).

In the morning of his execution Cranmer gave some suitable words to the prison staff, recited the litany and signed fourteen copies of his recantation (the authorities trying to ensure that no grounds of a charge of forgery would ensue). All seemed to indicate that Cranmer was playing the part the authorities had asked for. At the University church, following an address by a Dr. Cole explaining why his death was necessary despite his recantation, Cranmer began his sermon. It touched on many things, but soon made mention of “the one thing that, which so much troubleth my conscience.” The text of the sermon had already been written out and the authorities followed along as he spoke. The written text had referred to something which Cranmer had signed (meant to be a reference to Cranmer’s former denunciation of the Mass and belief in transubstantiation) but suddenly Cranmer deviated from the written text and identified the “one thing” with which his conscience was troubled—the recantation document he had signed two days previously!

The church was in an uproar. Suddenly, Cranmer was shouting his disavowal of the authority of the Pope and the doctrine of transubstantiation. At this point the authorities stopped him and removed him from the church. A graphic cartoon-like drawing appeared later of Cranmer being hauled over the pulpit by enraged authorities who marched him through the packed streets to the place of execution.

On arriving at the pyre, Cranmer was fastened to the stake by a circular metal band around his waist. The wood having been set on fire, Cranmer deliberately placed his right hand in the flames, repeatedly saying, “this hand that offendeth” and also while he could the dying words of the first martyr, Stephen, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” As A. M. Renwick describes the scene, Cranmer continued “pleading for God’s pardon and the forgiveness of the people, and urging them to maintain the doctrines he had taught. He then held the offending hand and arm in the flames until they burnt to a cinder” (A. M. Renwick The Story of the Church, 134).

Thus died one “of whom the world was not worthy” (Heb. 11:38).
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Hebrew Archaeology at Millsaps This Week

Jesse Yancy over at Millsaps has just kindly written to inform me of an interesting lecture that is scheduled for this Wednesday PM. If I weren't going to be preaching on Psalm 89 at that very moment, I'd be there! I've let our friends at RTS know. Here's the scoop.

Millsaps College to Spotlight Ancient Hebraic Discovery
Dr. Ron Tappy, an archaeologist with the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, will lecture on the oldest Hebrew inscription ever discovered on Wednesday, March 22, at 7 p.m. in Room 200 of Murrah Hall on the Millsaps College campus.

Tappy discovered a 40-pound stone inscribed with the Hebrew alphabet written out in its traditional sequence last year at Tel Zayit in the lowlands of Judah, in the wall of a building dated from the 10th century BCE. The building itself was part of a network of structures at the site, indicating an important border town connected to a centralized kingdom.

Tappy is the G. Albert Shoemaker Professor of Bible and Archaeology and the Director of the James L. Kelso Bible Lands Museum at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Specializing in the life and literature of the Old Testament period, biblical archaeology and the history of Israel, he focuses his teaching on how these areas can enliven our reading of the Bible today. He began excavating at various sites throughout Israel more than 20 years ago and currently directs the field project at Tel Zayit.

For more information, contact Dr. James Bowley at 01-974-1328 or bowleje@millsaps.edu.
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A little St. Patrick for St. Paddy's Day

Cecil Frances Alexander translated this Gaelic poem, called "St. Patrick's Lorica" and it has become a well-known hymn (most usually sung to Charles Stanford's tune). By the way, for those who don't know, Patrick was a Scot, born in a settlement on the River Clyde.

I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this today to me forever
By power of faith, Christ’s incarnation;
His baptism in Jordan river,
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb,
His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming at the day of doom
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of cherubim;
The sweet ‘Well done’ in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors’ faith, Apostles’ word,
The Patriarchs’ prayers, the prophets’ scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the star lit heaven,
The glorious sun’s life giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward;
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan’s spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart’s idolatry,
Against the wizard’s evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave, the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
By Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.
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Power games

My colleagues at the church today are losing power. I'm safely tucked away in my "other" office at RTS and it occurs to me that as a flurry of e-mails arrive in my inbox warning that "power will be cut off at 3 this afternoon" etc., the whole thing is too scary to contemplate.

Power, do you see, is what every Christian needs. And power is something God promises. Follow me, as we track this thought:

Power is a New Testament word (the Greek is either dunamis, kratos or ischus) with great significance. Jesus told his disciples before his ascension to "wait in the city until you are clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8). True enough, "great power" came enabling the disciples to witness boldly (Acts 4:33).

Paul prays for the Roman Christians that "... By the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope" (Rom. 15:13). He reminds the Corinthians that at Corinth he preached Christ crucified "...In demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith... Rest... In the power of God" (1 Cor. 2:4-5).

When beaten down by a "thorn in the flesh" Paul reassured his readers that "my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9).

And writing to his beloved Philippians, imprisoned as he was and facing possible execution, he could say "I can do all things [all that God wanted him to do] in him who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13).

One way or another, power is crucial. Keeping power lines open (dependence on the Holy Spirit that is) ensures vibrant Christianity.

What then of our beloved church this weekend as the power goes down?

What power source will there be when the lights go out?

Prayer!

The Holy Spirit!

The covenant promises of our great God!

Bring it on!
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Missions in a global village

I have just returned from Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church where I was invited to be the guest speaker at their annual Missions Conference. At what proved to be a fascinating and informal event, all the missionaries were invited to speak to various questions put to them by the senior minister, Joe Novenson. All the missionaries were Americans (PCA/MTW).

Here are some of the observations they made to the question: "What do you wish that the American church understood?":

time is short and we should live with a view to eternity rather than for the accumulation of things here on earth

the church is not about being American

we are far too isolationistic and individualist

we need the community of the world-wide church as much as they need us; we have a great deal to learn from the church in the rest of the world

in a generation from now, the church in Asia and Africa will be far bigger and more influential than the church in the United States

stop putting missionaries on pedestals and start seeing them as ordinary Christians with temptations and struggles like the rest of the church

we need to be held accountable and it be wonderful if you would call us on the telephone once in a while and hold our feet to the fire

we want to know what's going in back home as much you want to know what's going on in the field of mission

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"Let us be able to lose gracefully"

I admit it. I don't normally pay too much attention to college basketball. Give me gridirons and diamonds over parquet any day. I’m not a bracketologist; I’ve never been quite sure what “he schooled you” means; and I’ll never understand why the possession arrow replaced a real live “jump ball.” I do, however, dutifully show some interest in our annual "March Madness," which begins tomorrow. Prepare for the craziness by reading Al Mohler’s insightful commentary, “March Madness, The Big Dance, and the Meaning of Sport.”
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"Beware the Ides of March" and dodging bullets

Tomorrow (March 15, 44 BC) is the ominous day when Julius Caesar was assassinated in the Senate by conspiratorial Senators which included his (supposed) friend, Brutus. In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, an unidentified soothsayer tells Caesar, who is on his way to the Senate (and his death), “Beware the ides of March.” Caesar replies, “He is a dreamer; let us leave him.”

This all brings back to me now (as I write) memories of Shakespeare classes in High School and a none too professional production of Julius Caesar! “Fatalism, boys!” my master yelled at us in class one day, his black academic robe flowing in the wind as he quickly paced up and down, “Fatalism! It will be the ruination of us all!”

Given the numbers that regularly read horoscopes (astrology) in daily newspapers (especially in Britain), belief that the events of tomorrow are “inevitably ordered” is the default position of the vast majority. Certain Christian writers (Augustine and Boethius among them) did not hesitate to employ the language of ‘fate’ in connection with providence (the view of that God orders all events). But this sounds far too impersonal for our modern ears. The Christian doctrine of providence is the view that a loving heavenly Father, who knows what’s best for us, orders the events of our lives in such a way that he makes us think that our choices are real choices. Fate, on the other hand, renders us powerless. It drains us of choice and resolve. We are mere automatons, at the mercy of some blind and impersonal force.

Two war-time examples will help us: First, Oliver Cromwell’s advice during the English civil war: “Trust in God and keep your (gun-)powder dry!” Second, in 1862, one of Stonewall Jackson's aides, Robert L. Dabney, preached a sermon on God's “special providence,” noting that in a recent battle “Every shot and shell and bullet was directed by the God of battles.” Some time later, Dabney found himself under fire and took cover behind a large gatepost. A nearby officer teased him: “If the God of battles directs every shot, why do you want to put a gatepost between you and a special providence?” Dabney replied, “Just here the gatepost is the special providence.”

All of which reminds me that I have a sermon to prepare for the men’s meeting at First Baptist today, and “it ain’t going to prepare itself.”
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Remembering Dr. Ronald Nash

"Ronald Nash, a great evangelical philosopher and apologist, died early this morning [Friday] in Florida. Nash was a longtime professor at Western Kentucky University, Reformed Theological Seminary, and, until a stroke last year, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was an heir of the theological tradition of Carl F.H. Henry, and was an lifelong admirer and student of Augustine of Hippo, his favorite philosopher."

See Ronald Nash.
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Guy Waters, Sunday PM and San Antonio

Our own Guy Waters brought a solid message at the evening service last night. We are so privileged to have him in our midst. Do pray for him as he speaks in San Antonio on the New Perspective on Paul (a revisionist approach to understanding Paul's teaching on salvation, the church and eschatology, which in some forms calls into question the biblical doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone) and the Federal Vision (a loosely connected "movement" in one corner of the conservative reformed community that believes that the classic covenant theology of our denomination's doctrinal standards is deficient and in need of biblical improvement). Those sympathetic with the Federal Vision are typically interested in promoting a particular view of sacramental efficacy (often using the language or categories of baptismal regeneration, and proponing paedo-communion), challenging the invisible-visible church distinction and advocating for liturgical reform).
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Dignity in Jesus

It is one the great moments in Calvin’s Institutes: in Book 3 of this monumentally significant work he outlines the very nature of the Christian life in terms of cross-bearing and self-denial (cf. Matt. 16:24).

Cross-bearing is the mark of Jesus’ call to discipleship. Not feeling good about ourselves, not finding the inner strength within, not maximizing joy and pleasure (the eudemonistic obsession of our times); but, following in the footsteps of our Lord in denying ourselves for the sake of the kingdom of God. It is a lesson set before us every day of our lives. It involves the business of how strain and pain is transmuted into gain and glory. It is like turning mud into a beautiful sculpture. In the studio of Christlikeness there are chisels, kilns, hammers, scissors, needles and other instruments, each one designed to shape and mould and extract so that what results is beauty.

So much of today’s Christianity is about finding our comfort-zone. Christians are discontent because they have told too often that when they come to Jesus, all their troubles will vanish away. But being in the kingdom of God has to do with self-denial and cross-bearing and living a life in which instability and problems and relational headaches of one sort or another are par for the course. This is what I see in the New Testament everywhere. When Paul is asked to account for himself or John talks about the need to love each other, it is self-denial and cross-bearing that comes to surface.

Martin Luther wrote and preached a great deal along these lines, in what today we call his Theology of the Cross. For Luther (in contrast to, say, Harold Kushner), when bad things happen, it is because (for Christians at least) God is actually blessing them. We need to have good eyesight to see this, of course. We need to be able to see beyond the here and now and the visible, to the world to come. We need to have that perspective that so marked former Christians, that we look for that city…whose builder and maker is God (Heb. 13:14).

When we live with our sights firmly set on the world to come, we will better understand how to live in this world with all of its troubles.
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