-
Pope Francis on Luther on June 26, 2016
Pope Francis was interviewed aboard an airplane on June 26, 2016. In that interview he expressed the position that Luther was right about justification. Before we get too excited, though, please consider the statement in its full context: Kleinjung: Holy Father, I wanted to ask you a question. Today you spoke of the gifts of…
-
And the Difference Between This and Simony is …
The German bishops are demanding that German members of the Roman Catholic Church either pay a tax or forego the sacraments, including absolution – as explained at the linked report. Naturally, the tax goes to the German churches. (American) Roman Catholic, Jimmy Akin, has a variety of thoughts on the matter, but his defense to…
-
Response to Roman Apologetic Comment …
This comes from the comment box of Mark Shea’s post regarding Augustine, Scripture, and Nicaea. It’s not him commenting (as far as I know), but another member of his religion. Here’s the quotation: The Catholic (i.e. Universal) Church has Taught, and never wavered from [its] teaching on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist…
-
Luther and the Bible in the Common Tongue
One of the things that was important to the Reformers (as it was to the early church) was that the Word of God be available to people in a language they could understand. This is famously seen in the translational works of Wycliffe and Tyndale, but also in the work of Luther: Luther began his…
-
Quick Response to Windsor on Luther and Mary
One of my comments has been addressed by Scott Windsor (of the Roman communion) in a post that is mostly addressed to my friend, James Swan (link to SW’s post). I’m just responding to the portion of Mr. Windsor’s post that relates to what I said. Mr. Windsor’s comments are as follows (his block quotations…
-
>Observe the Similarities: Luther 1540 – Luther 1544
>Reading through James Swan’s latest quotations from Luther (contra the Immaculate Conception), one particular line caught my eye: But in the moment of the Virgin’s conception the Holy Spirit purged and sanctified the sinful mass and wiped out the poison of the devil and death, which is sin. This reminded me of a similar line…
-
>Immaculate Conception in Later Luther?
>Over at the Beggars All Reformation blog, in the comment box, a Roman Catholic layman had posted several quotations from Luther allegedly showing that Luther held to the Immaculate Conception later in his life: 1540: “In his conception all of Mary’s flesh and blood was purified so that nothing sinful remained . . . Each…
-
Response to Rev. Paul T. McCain regarding Smalcald Articles
Rev. Paul T. McCain (a Lutheran [LCMS] pastor) wrote: Don’t misunderstand. Luther is perfectly clear elsewhere that he does not deny that Roman Christians are still Christians; the question is whether the Roman Pontiff is the voice of the Church and whether the curia and bishops submissive to him are the voice of the Church.…
-
The real Francis Turretin on: Centrality of Justification
John Fonville, of the Paramount Church, has kindly selected as his weekly quotation a nice selection from Francis Turretin on the importance of justification (although the quotation includes the questionable attribution of a particular quotation to Luther that may only be a paraphrase of Luther). (source) To God be the Glory!
-
Luther: Justification is a Stand-or-Fall Article of the Christian Faith
David Waltz has sparked my interest afresh in the quotation allegedly from Luther that Justification is a doctrine upon which the church stands or falls (link to Waltz’s article). I agree that the expression may not be Luther but is easily derivable from Luther’s teachings. Waltz has traced it back to Valentin E. Löscher in…