A Higher Orthodoxy

So, I’m suffering my way through John Owen’s book The Mortification of Sin.  It’s killing me.  Some PCA buddies of mine said the book made them wonder about their election.  The point of the book of course is sanctification.  Part of the proof of election is the desire toward good works.  So far it has been challenging.   I’ll keep you posted . . .

Rock Presbyterian Church voted this past Sabbath to join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church; I am already in the process of transferring into the Mid-Atlantic presbytery.  I have a mound-o-paperwork to finish, but it does not seem so difficult.  We are very happy with this situation.  The vote was unanimous.

I recently wandered into the local Catholic church for prayer; it was about mid-day and I was driving by.  I had the desire to go inside the beautiful church (Protestants are aesthetically challenged with our multi-purpose buildings, and coffee shops to boot; indeed, nothing about our houses of faith even resemble a church . . . I digress).  So I did.  I crossed myself out of respect, a rite even Luther employed, and sat down and prayed.  It was quiet in the massive ediface.  The statuary was immaculate–pardon the pun.  Yes, I know, someone will easily dismiss them as idols, but I don’t want to grace that ahistorical argument.  Anyhoo, while there, I took a gander through the prayerbook and there was an interesting affirmation of non-Catholic Christians as brothers and sisters in Christ, but separated because of impure worship.  Rome believes (and every one of us carry our theological snobbery into these discussions with our claims to exclusivity) that the Protestants because of a lack of apostolic succession do not possess the true Eucharist.  They acknowledge a common objective baptism, but not true Communion. 

I don’t hold that aaginst the Holy Father, Benedict XVI and His flock, we presbyterians would quickly awash his entire herd into the lowest part of hell claiming along with the Arminians that they cannot be saved precisely becuase they do not frame sola fide the same was the Synod of Dort.  The fact is as Rome’s subtle trajectory about Baptism is evident, they are justified because sola fide is true; we are not justified for having a right cerebral understanding of sola fide.  In essence, there will be plenty of presbyterians in hell, just like there will be plenty of the Roman stock in hell as well (only after a brief stint in purgatory obviously . . .).

To all those that care, little Benjamin Cooper, child of the covenant will be arriving July 10; please be praying for us!