Did you know...
A growing number of evangelicals—younger evangelicals in particular—are maturing the movement in another way. They are taking their newfound love affair with Christian tradition and the early church beyond the realm of books and talk and into their churches and Christian lives…more and more traditionally evangelical congregations are now experimenting with advent candles, sampling practices associated with Lent, and marking Holy Week with special services like Tenebrae—an evening service featuring songs, readings, and the gradual extinguishing of lights to represent Christ's death.It’s definitely a puzzling thing to see all these liturgical practices and traditions from Roman Catholicism making a comeback as they are being (re)introduced into the protestant evangelical church. One friend I was talking with about these things said it like this…
This fascination with early liturgy has perhaps grown out of the recent trend toward what Richard Foster has called "the classic spiritual disciplines." In his 1993 book Devotional Classics, Foster argued that "pure modernity makes us parochial," so we need to return to practices "weaned from the fads of the marketplace" that will give us "perspective and balance."
-Monastic Evangelicals
The attraction of ancient spiritual disciplines.
@ www.christianitytoday.com
"Well, my friend, at least we know WHY its happening. Mother Rome beckons."
For further explanation on that, see Home to Rome.
I’m working on a post that I hope to have up soon about one of these traditions that is going to be happening in a local church this week. It’s called a Tenebrae service. Never heard of it before? Stay tuned...
(By the way, here are some interesting things about Roman Catholicism.)
4 comments:
These are people who love Jesus and show it in a different way.
I kindly ask you to stop your conspiracy theories and stop impeding others from loving Jesus in a way that you don't and therefore cannot understand.
Do you realize how much God just wanted people to love and worship him during the cycle of apostasy described in the OT? Do you honestly believe that those people have anyone else in their minds and hearts other than Jesus during those services? You've obviously never met one of those people before, and if you have, I have no doubt that when they tell you they love and worship only Jesus, you simply decide not to believe them. Convenient for you...nonsensical, but convenient.
You're complicating things too much. Your constant denouncement of people who love and worship Jesus is, frankly, somewhat irritating. And quite honestly, I question the person (you) who distrusts and condemns people who tell you straight to your face that their thoughts, heart, and motives are projected only toward Jesus. Have you examined yourself lately, because you seem to be burying yourself in a complicate mess of a mish-mash of internet theories that prohibit you from taking a break, a deep breath, and once again looking at things from a clear perspective. I encourage you to do so soon.
Thank you, Smallinator.
Smallinator,
I think you've missed the very obvious point of this blog post.
I believe the author of MB&T is doing an excellent job conveying the message that Mother Rome is opening doors and building bridges to all religions in order to unify all religions under her expansive spiritual umbrella.
I am certain that the author of MB&T does not doubt or question the devout sincerity of those who participate in such manmade traditions as Tenebrae. Rather it is being pointed out to the reader that the Church of Rome is enjoying tremendous success in drawing undiscerning evangelical Christians to the Catholic Jesus, not the Biblical Jesus.
The Catholic "Jesus" of the Eucharist. The Catholic Jesus who imparts righteousness rather than IMPUTES His righteousness, as the Bible teaches. And the Catholic Jesus who has an exalted mother called The Queen of Heaven, etc. etc.
The Jesus of Roman Catholicism is not the Jesus of the Bible. Rather, he is ANOTHER Jesus that Mother Rome has conceived - and the Scriptures condemn:
"For if someone comes and preaches ANOTHER Jesus than the one we preached; or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough..." 2 Corin. 11:4 (see also Gal. 1:6-8)
Call it a conspiracy theory if you like. But anyone who knows the Bible and sees what is happening in the world today, will understand the undeniable drifting of what was once solid evangelicalism, toward the Catholic Church and its false doctrines.
Personally, I pray that the author of MB&T takes a deep breath, as you recommend, and continues to shed light and expose error on such important issues, so that some may be awakened from their stupor, and yet be saved.
Thanks Dee.
You are right on.
There's only one way to look at things from a clear perspective amidst all this...
Isaiah 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
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