Posted on 10/15/2005 5:23:14 PM PDT by sionnsar
"Today October 16th is the 450th anniversary of the martyrdom of Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley in Broad Street Oxford, the old city ditch. They chose to die rather than renounce their beliefs. They had been asked to affirm "transubstantiation". The English Reformation substantially revolved around that question. Latimer was the great preacher of the English preacher and Ridley the great theologian. Latimer said to Ridley "Be of good cheer, Master Ridley play the man. We shall this day by God's grace light such a candle in England as shall never be put out."
The short term impact was to evoke great sympathy because Ridley's sufferings were very intense. In the long term the nation was sickened by the number of burnings and the ground was prepared for Elizabeth to reintroduce the reforms that Mary had tried to destroy. The implications for today are to remind us of the need to be faithful to our belief in the Christian gospel and the teaching of the Bible, not to hide our light under a bushel and to put this above questions of peace and a quiet life in the church."
Rev Roger Beckwith, Oxford Theologian.
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams.
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