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OCTOBER 30, 2013 Johann von Staupitz (c. 1460-1524) on God’s eternal predestination Towards the end of the Middle Ages there was what one may describe as a Neo-Augustinian renaissance which included a number of outstanding theologians such as Gregory of Rimini. This increased interest in Augustine’s writings to a large extent set the table for the Protestant Reformation, specifically with regard to the doctrine of predestination. Johann von Staupitz (c. 1460-1524) was Vicar-General of the Augustinian Order in Germany and a very influential mentor of the young monk Martin Luther. Von Staupitz, however, later had to release Luther from the...

It’s interesting to see groups that describe themselves as “pro-choice” attack organizations that offer pregnant women choices that don’t involve abortion. Planned Parenthood and NARAL, two of the largest abortion advocacy groups in the United States, have a history of fighting pro-life pregnancy centers that offer women and their babies life-affirming choices and support. But the latest group to launch a similar attack is a west coast United Methodist group. The Western Methodist Justice Movement recently urged its members to “put CPCs [Crisis Pregnancy Centers] on the defense” by supporting a California law that forces pregnancy centers to promote abortion,...

It's very likely Ohio Gov. John Kasich didn't see this kind of reaction coming when he decided to veto a legislative bill that would have outlawed abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected. At a press conference held at the Ohio Statehouse on Thursday, a group of pastors urged Republicans to override the governor's veto. They said they represent "no less than 2,500 churches in the state of Ohio," and tens of thousands of registered voters who "care deeply about this issue." "We would like to make a declaration and to challenge our legislators that we're going to stand with...

A senior Catholic cardinal has said he hopes the next encyclical from Pope Francis allows "shared eucharistic communion in special cases". At present only Catholics are allowed to take communion in Catholic churches and this presents difficulties for couples where one is Catholic and the other not. However, conservatives have fiercely resisted any relaxation of the rule because they see it as compromising the position that communion expresses unity with the Catholic Church, the only body to have preserved in its entirety the faith of the apostles. However, in an interview with Italian newspaper Avvenire, senior ecumenical statesman Cardinal Walter...

Researchers looked at 22 Protestant churches in CanadaA study of Protestant churches in Canada has found that growing churches tend to be more orthodox, while shrinking ones are theologically liberal.Terry Mattingly, author of the Get Religion blog, covered the findings of the study, which appeared in the peer-reviewed journal, Review of Religion Research.The researchers, David Millard Haskell, Kevin N Flatt and Stephanie Burgoyne, looked at 22 mainline Protestant churches in Canada. Nine of the churches were growing in attendance, while 13 were declining. The researchers found that when other factors were controlled for, ”the theological conservatism of both attendees...

Here’s a partial update on churches in the east-Tennessee area near Gatlinburn, Sevierville, and Pigeon Forge where the wildfire has damaged so much of the area. We encourage you to please pray for the people there. Several of their buildings have been damaged or completely destroyed and, of course, members of the churches have had property and homes destroyed as well. Some churches whose buildings have not been burned down or damaged are offering shelter, food, and first aid to those in need in the area. Please share this post to spread the word on their situation so that people...

The mother of an 11-year-old boy found naked pictures of his pastor on his mobile phone. The Florida woman recognized the man in the indecent photos and typed his phone number into Facebook. It led her to Harbor United Methodist Church pastor Tyler Sinkus Smither. The 30-year-old youth pastor from Wilmington, North Carolina was arrested and is charged with two counts of indecent liberties with a child. An affidavit, written by a New Hanover County Sheriff’s Detective Christina Starman, says that Smither first contacted the boy using a chat website, Omegle.

From the Long Island Catholic, some happy news for my neighbors to the east: Pope Francis today appointed Most Reverend John O. Barres, Bishop of Allentown, Pennsylvania, to serve as the fifth Bishop of Rockville Centre. He succeeds Bishop William Murphy, 76, who has led the Diocese of Rockville Centre since 2001.The appointment was made public in Washington, December 9, 2016 by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.Bishop-designate Barres will assume leadership of the Diocese during a Mass of Installation at the Cathedral of Saint Agnes on January 31, 2017 at 2 p.m. Until that time,...

Do not fear the future my children for I am your Redeemer(past brought forward) to condemn darkness so that you may walk in the light therefore I am the alpha and omega of your life's existence for you abide in me alone. Romans 8:1-2 Escape from Bondage 8 Therefore there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior]. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has set you free from...

Pope Francis put up a statue of Martin Luther in a prominent place in the Vatican. He then received a delegation of Lutherans, who presented him with a copy of Luther's 95 Thesis. He then put on a blue scarf, representing the Lutheran tradition, at his meeting with the Lutherans. See: http://www.traditioninaction.org/RevolutionPhotos/A700-Luther.htm Luther, who was historically considered a Catholic heretic and apostate, has received more honor from Pope Francis than most Catholic saints. On the other hand, conservative Catholic cardinals like Cardinal Burke and Cardinal Sarah, are treated like dirt. What more evidence do we need, to prove that Francis...

Scans give 3D look at Coughton Court’s priest hole By Chris Smith - 30th November 2016 1 1694 One of the 3D images of the priest hole at Coughton Court which have been produced by researchers at the University of Nottingham. THE first 3D images of a hiding-hole at Coughton Court that was used by 17th-century Catholic priests escaping religious persecution have been created by university researchers. The priest hole was first discovered in the 1850s in Coughton – a key building in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 – hidden in a turret of the main gatehouse, concealed between the...

Presbyterian-affiliated Whitworth University openly partners with the area's Planned Parenthood, according to several reports. The same students who are encouraged to be dedicated Christian scholars are also given the opportunity to work with the local abortion clinic. "They are not equipping their graduates to be Christians and follow Christ," Katie Lodjic of Students for Life of America tells One News Now.

A word for the prophets of doom and gloom, Your day is coming soon, You see my spirit does "NOT" deliver fear, For I AM Salvation the Cross makes this clear! So instead speak life to these bones, For My eternal army is coming home, Continue to spread my love and Word, For there is no death in My Kingdom it is never heard, But a Life of Freedom and Hope ! My perpetual fire is what you stoke, So take up the coals of My testimony, Spread them wide for all to taste and see, I AM The True...

René Descartes intentionally doubted everything he could possibly doubt until he reached the point where he realized there was one thing he couldn’t doubt. He could not doubt that he was doubting. To doubt that he was doubting was to prove that he was doubting. No doubt about it. From that premise of indubitable doubt, Descartes appealed to the formal certainty yielded by the laws of immediate inference. Using impeccable deduction, he concluded that to be doubting required that he be thinking, since thought is a necessary condition for doubting. From there it was a short step to his famous...

Norway’s official statistics agency says the country’s Roman Catholic and Muslim communities have added tens of thousands of members in recent years while the state Lutheran Church is declining. Statistics Norway said Friday the number of Catholics has jumped 42 percent since 2012, to 145,000 this year. Membership in Islamic groups rose by 32 percent to 148,000 in the same period. Those figures were not broken down by denomination. …

Norwegian Church Denounces Luther’s Anti-Jewish Writings November 25 STOCKHOLM — Norway’s state Lutheran Church has condemned the anti-Jewish legacy of Martin Luther, the 16th century German theologian who started the Protestant Reformation. In a statement issued Friday ahead of next year’s 500-year anniversary of the Reformation, the Church of Norway’s General Synod said some of Luther’s writings were later used in anti-Semitic propaganda, including in Nazi Germany. Noting that such propaganda was also spread in Nazi-occupied Norway during World War II, the synod said that “in the Reformation anniversary year of 2017, we as a church must clearly distance ourselves...

(RNS) Tackling a delicate issue as it begins its yearlong celebration of the Reformation’s 500th anniversary, Germany’s main Protestant church has officially renounced its mission to convert Jews to Christianity. In practice, the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), made up of 20 regional Lutheran, Reformed and United churches, mostly gave up efforts to convert Jews in the decades after the Holocaust, and closing that chapter should have been a formality. But officially abandoning the “Judenmission,” or Mission to the Jews, turned out to be theologically complicated. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus gave his Apostles the Great Commission to “make disciples of...

Do you see my children I am shaking all that can be shaken in order to bring forth Holiness for as My Word "Be holy as I am holy" is an eternal Truth and this is what shall remain standing only those things that are eternal for all else will fail and is failing before your eyes even now ! Do not be caught up in the landslide for as we are one I shall lift you high above the turmoil and you shall not look back as you cast your eyes upon Me your Savior and King of kings...

An influential seminary affiliated with The Episcopal Church has announced that it will no longer issue degrees starting next year, and is reporting a net loss of $7.9 million in assets since last year. The Episcopal Divinity School of Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced in July that they will stop granting degrees at the end of the 2016-2017 academic year. Last week, the divinity school sent out an update to supporters and members of its campus community wherein they noted that the net assets of the seminary had declined rapidly over the past couple of years. "At our meeting, we also accepted...

Claims that the atrocities of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have “nothing to do with Islam” are harming efforts to confront and combat extremism, the Archbishop of Canterbury has insisted. Religious leaders of all varieties must “stand up and take responsibility” for the actions of extremists who profess to follow their faith, the Most Rev Justin Welby said. He argued that unless people recognise and attempt to understand the motivation of terrorists they will never be able to combat their ideology effectively. It follows calls from a series of high profile figures for people to avoid using the...