Always Reforming

Originally written 1/19/16. Why is it so hard to say I love you ? After all, you already know that I do, Some things are presumed, but never expressed, Our grandparents told us that was best. Why is it so hard to share emotions? You are well aware of my devotion, We share blood, but not our inmost feelings, Unaware that silence is revealing. Why is it so hard to say I love you ? After all, I know that you know it's true, Those closest to us are often furthest, Why use words when words alone are worthless? Why is it so hard to bare our hearts? Familiarity keeps us apart, Can we overcome the precedent set? I'll keep trying, but it hasn't worked yet.

What is the Gospel ? That is such a simple question, and, yet, it has received so many different answers. The Evangelical American preaches the Gospel as the Good News that the blood of Jesus, shed on the Cross on that old rugged hill, cleanses us from the guilt of sin, allowing us to go to Heaven when we die. The Eastern Orthodox believer tells us that Gospel is all about Deification--God became man that man might become god. The Magisterium in Rome declares that the Gospel concerns prevenient grace offered in the Sacraments, which frees us from the guilt and power of sin. The Pentecostalist says, and rather boisterously, that the Gospel is all about the Holy Spirit mystically working in our lives. Others, like Anglican N.T. Wright, insist that the Gospel is the proclamation that the King has come and established His Kingdom. We could continue  ad nauseam  listing various denominations, traditions, and theologians and their unique perspectives, but, since I'm sure I have already

There's nothing quite like the death of a Pope to bring out the ugly side of some Reformed folks. In case you hadn't heard, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, passed away  recently.  If you're friends on Facebook with a certain type of Presbyterian, you would have been informed by the gleeful declaration that another antichrist had been taken from the Earth.  No, I'm not joking...I had multiple Facebook friends confidently declaring, and reveling in the fact, that the deceased Pope is currently burning in the fires of Hell. Now, just to be clear, my view of the Roman Catholic Church is that it is a valid Christian tradition that has fallen into significant theological error (the same could, of course, be said about many or all Christian traditions).  I would not personally be comfortable joining a Roman Catholic parish.  However, I would also not be comfortable declaring that all members of that tradition are unsaved.  There is a huge difference between a Christian tradition