Restitutio

Learn about the Swiss Reformation, spearheaded by Ulrich Zwingli in Zurich as well as the formation of the sect of Anabaptists known as the Swiss Brethren, including Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, and George Blaurock. Key events covered in this episode include: 1519 Ulrich Zwingli begins Reformation in Zurich 1529 Zwingli and Luther part ways over communion 1523 Conrad Grebel broke with Zwingli 1525 Founding of first Anabaptist house church 1527 Felix Manz martyred by Protestants 1529 George Blaurock burned at the stake This is lecture 3 of a history of Christianity class called Five Hundred: From Martin Luther to Joel Osteen. All the notes are available here as a pdf. —— Notes —— Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) “Zwingli’s reputation for biblical preaching led to his nomination for the post of people’s priest at the Great Minster in Zurich in 1518. Detractors raised the issue of Zwingli’s womanizing.  Zinwgli responded to the rumor that he had seduced the daughter of an influential citizen by admitting his struggle with sexual temptations but denying both the woman’s ‘purity’ and her father’s influence. ‘Some three years ago I firmly resolved not to touch a woman;…I succeeded poorly in this, however.  In Glarus I kept my resolution about six months, in Einsiedeln about a year,…That girl was a ‘virgin’ during the day and a ‘woman’ at night.  She was such a ‘day’ virgin, however, that everyone in Einsiedeln knew exactly her role…She had had affairs with many men, finally with me.  Or let me say it better: she seduced me with more than flattering words.’ The charge of immorality was finally ineffective since the other priest vying for the post lived openly in concubinage and had six children. In light of this specific example and the generally widespread practice of priestly concubinage in the late Middle Ages, it is not surprising that one of the first reforms initiated in the Swiss Reformation was the right of the clergy to marry.  …[Only months after the ‘Affair of the Sausages,’ Zwingli, then living with the widow Anna Reinhart, led ten other Swiss priests in a petition to the bishop of Constance To Allow Priests to Marry, or at Least Wink at their Marriages (July 1522).  The priests signing this petition declared that chastity is a rare gift of God, and that they hadn’t received it.  Zwingli married Anna in a public ceremony in 1524 shortly before the birth of their child.  In 1525 the Zurich magistrates instituted a marriage ordinance mandating clergy living in concubinage either to end the relationship or to marry.”[1] The following happened in 1519 Zwingli became leading priest in Zurich He preached from his own text rather than the church’s calendar He instituted Bible study groups He decided everything should be judged by Scripture He ministered during the plague 1522 – “Affair of the Sausages” 1523 – public disputation (Zwingli vs. Catholic Representative) 1525 – marriage required for priests/monks w/ concubines 1529 – Marburg Colloquy 1531 – died in battle   The Swiss Brethren Conrad Grebel (1498-1526), a scholarly aristocrat 1521 – came to Zurich and studied under Zwingli 1522 – experienced conversion 1523 – broke with Zwingli over the Mass issue “He [Zwingli] continued to defend the principle of the sole authority of Scripture; in practice he followed the wishes of the council, thus virtually committing the

On average, 121 people commit suicide per day in America. It is now the tenth leading cause of death in this country.  In this episode we discuss this phenomenon and seek to understand what the bible can teach us about this subject.  In addition, we wrestle with a number of hard questions about suicide such as: Is suicide a sin? Will suicide bar someone from eternal life? How do we explain God strengthening Samson to commit suicide at the end of his life? How can we show compassion and love to those with suicidal thoughts? Lastly, we consider how the bible provides hope for when we go through the darkest of times. —— Links —— Check out the other episodes in the series on Killing For more on Wendy Savage and her interlocutor, Hayood Robinson, check out this Unbelievable episode Intro music: “Protofunk” by Kevin MacLeod.  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

In this episode, you’ll get a brief introduction to the contributions of Martin Luther and John Calvin to the initiation and spread of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, including these events: 1505 Martin Luther becomes a monk 1517 Martin Luther nails 95 Theses on Wittenberg church door 1524-5 Peasants War 1536 John Calvin publishes Institutes of the Christian Religion 1541 John Calvin returns to Geneva as leader This is lecture 2 of a history of Christianity class called Five Hundred: From Martin Luther to Joel Osteen. All the notes are available here as a pdf. —— Notes —— Martin Luther (1483-1546) An Augustinian Monk (1505) Professor of Bible at Wittenberg (1512) 95 Theses (October 31, 1517)[1] Debate with Johann Eck at Leipzig (1519) “On 4 July Luther came into the debate. Eck prodded him with charges of being a ‘Hussite’ and a ‘Bohemian.’  This was tantamount to being labeled a communist in the 1950s, because this area still recalled the numbers of Germans expelled from Bohemia during the Hussite revolt.  Luther protested Eck’s charges but finally went to the library and looked up Hus’s teachings.  When he returned, he stated that many of the condemned Hussite articles were truly Christian and evangelical, and ought not to be condemned by the church.  After a moment of shocked silence, there was uproar.  Eck pressed on and got Luther to state that both the papacy and councils may err.  This was an immediate triumph for Eck.  After this, Karlstadt returned to take up the debate again, but Duke George was anxious to bring the whole thing to a close.” (Lindberg, pp. 86-7) Three admissions Officially excommunicated (1521) Diet of Worms (April 16, 1521) “My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.  God, help me.” Translated New Testament into German at Wartburg Castle (1522) Marriage to Katharina von Bora (1523) Peasants’ War (1524-1525) Against the Murderous, Thieving Hordes of Peasants: “The peasants have taken upon themselves the burden of three terrible sins against God and man; by this they have merited death in body and soul… they have sworn to be true and faithful, submissive and obedient, to their rulers… now deliberately and violently breaking this oath… they are starting a rebellion, and are violently robbing and plundering monasteries and castles which are not theirs… they have doubly deserved death in body and soul as highwaymen and murderers… they cloak this terrible and horrible sin with the gospel… thus they become the worst blasphemers of God and slanderers of his holy name.” Finished translating Old Testament so complete Bible was in German (1534) Believed in the sleep of the dead John Calvin (1509-1564) Child prodigy (employed by bishop as clerk by age 12) Conversion experience (1533) “God by a sudden conversion subdued and brought my mind to a teachable frame, which was more hardened in such matters than might have been expected from one at my early period of life. Having thus received some taste and knowledge of true godliness, I was immediately inflamed with so intense a desire to make progress therein, that although I did not altogether leave off other studies, yet I pursued them with less ardour.”[2] Published I

Today we are beginning a new series on life and death, in which we’ll consider abortion, suicide, euthanasia, and capital punishment.  Our goal is to address each topic from a biblical framework in order to arrive at a Christian position.  At the outset, I’ll admit that we don’t know everything and could be wrong, so we appreciate your engagement in helping us arrive at a godly position. Today we’ll focus on abortion and consider whether it’s ever right for a Christian to have an abortion.  We’ll cover the scriptures that relate to this topic, the track record of early Christianity, and how this relates to our own time.  We discuss the major objections and consider the toughest cases like rape, incest, and when the mothers’ life is in danger. Please note that some of what we discuss here is probably inappropriate for children. —— Links —— Check out the other episodes in the series on Killing For more on Wendy Savage and her interlocutor, Hayood Robinson, check out this Unbelievable episode Intro music: “Protofunk” by Kevin MacLeod.  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

500 years ago, there was only one Christian denomination throughout most of the world. 500 years ago, the church and the government killed those who resisted tradition. 500 years ago, no one could read the bible in their own language. How did we get from there to here? Discover the wild and exciting story of Christianity for the last 500 years, so you can understand how the world ended up the way it is now, avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, and gain inspiration from heroic people who made a difference. In this first lecture, you’ll learn: 1. What the religious world was like 500 years ago in Europe 2. Precursors to the Reformation, including John Wycliffe and Jan Hus 3. The movement called humanism, including Gutenberg’s printing press and Desiderius Erasmus All the notes are available here as a pdf. —— Notes —— Three aims for this class: to understand why the world is the way it is now to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past to gain inspiration from heroic people who made a difference I want to talk about Martin Luther, but first need to do some background key person reason why this class if 500 instead of 600 or 400 on Oct 31st 1517 he started the Reformation (i.e. the changing of Christianity) before we can understand what he reformed, we have to understand what was already there Three points for today: Setting the Scene Precursors of the Reformation Humanism 1| Setting the Scene life and death no electricity, running water, indoor plumbing, gas heat, computers, phones, facebook, cars, postal service thinly populated (black death in 14th) high infant mortality 15-35% of infants died before first birthday 10-20% of children died before 10 agricultural subsistence 65-90% were peasants or small farmers suffering and death were pervasive (bad medical care, famine, epidemic disease, war) highly stratified society, most stay at same status they were born into towns had extreme differences in wealth beliefs/practices infant baptism church as God’s instrument of salvation on earth death => eternal torment in hell, purgatory, heaven needed right belief and right behavior, which was determined by church faith was not enough for salvation, needed concrete actions authority on the basis of apostolic succession and good standing with hierarchy hierarchy: pope, bishops, local priests religious orders: monks, nuns, contemplative orders: Benedictines, Cistercians, etc. cloistered lives of prayer and devotion mendicant orders: Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians, etc. served through preaching, teaching, missionizing, and hearing confessions weekly mass with Eucharist as weekly sacrifice to God (transubstantiation) priest’s words make bread and wine Christ’s actual body and blood sacraments: means by which God dispenses grace through priests who claimed authority on the basis of apostolic succession baptism, penance, communion, confirmation, matrimony, extreme unction, and holy orders communion was only once a year before which one did confession and penance to cleanse sins processions and pilgrimages (relics) vigorous practices books of hours were most common printed book 50 years before Reformation endowing masses, paying for urban preachers, paying for church upkeep many were taking their faith seriously anti-cler

Have you ever read about the time Uzzah touched the ark and God struck him down? When’s the last time you heard a sermon preached on this text? Anytime I’ve reflected on this passage, I’m so focused on trying to explain how God could be just in carrying out this judgment that I’ve missed the point for my own life. In this rousing sermon, Victor Gluckin argues that we often commit the same sin as Uzzah. We reject God’s good way of doing life and prefer instead to “put it on a cart,” that is, come up with our own easier way of handling the situation. —— Notes & Links —— Listen to more Restitutio podcasts with Victor Gluckin Get info about Revive 2018 (Jan 5-7) at Woodstock, CT To stay up to date with Revive (any year), like the Revive facebook page Watch or listen to Victor Gluckin’s sermons delivered at Living Faith Christian Church Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.    

Divorce is a painful and complicated subject to talk about in America today where about half of all marriages end in divorce. Our laws have changed to accept “no-fault” divorce and many of us are unaware of what the bible teaches on this critical subject. To figure out the biblical perspective on divorce and remarriage, we will consider three scriptures from the Old Testament (Mal 2.13-16; Deut 22.13-21; 24.1-4) and three from the New (Mat 5.31-32; 19.3-12; 1 Cor 7.10-40). We’ll give particular focus to the reasons that allow for divorce both in Deuteronomy as well as how Jesus interpreted it when he was asked about it. —— Notes —— To figure out the biblical perspective on divorce and remarriage, we will consider three Scriptures from the Old Testament (Mal 2:13-16; Deut 22:13-21; 24:1-4) and three from the New Testament (Mat 5:31-32; 19:3-12; 1 Cor 7:10-40).  Although other verses touch on this subject, the constraints of time limit what we can consider here.  Other texts include: Lev 21:7, 14; 22:13; Num 30:9; Is 50:1; Jer 3:8; Hos 2:2; Mat 1:19; Mark 10:2-12; Luke 16:18. Malachi 2:13-16 13   In antiquity, divorced women had limited options.  A man could get rid of “the wife of his youth” and upgrade to a younger wife.  God takes a strong stand on this.  He will not accept the offerings of a man who has done this.  He hates divorce.[1] Deuteronomy 22:13-21   This law protects the virtuous woman from getting divorced.  If her husband falsely accuses her of pre-marital sex, he will get whipped, fined, and barred from divorcing her henceforth.  If she’s guilty, she’ll suffer capital punishment, a harsh ruling by our standards.  Even so, this shows how seriously they treated pre-marital sex and virginity. Deuteronomy 24:1-4   Providing a divorced woman with a certificate of divorce (today called “a get”) was a huge step forward for women.  It meant she was legally free and could remarry.  This law specifically prohibited remarrying a woman who had an intervening marriage with someone else, but our interest is more on the reason for the initial divorce. The Hebrew word in question is עֶרְוַת (ervat), the word for “nakedness.”[2] Translation ervat davar ESV/NASB some indecency JPS (1988) something obnoxious KJV some uncleanness NET something offensive NRSV something objectionable The rabbis argued over what ervat precisely meant.  From the Babylonian Talmud, we gather three perspectives: Hillel, Shammai, and Akiva.  Hillel (110 – 10 BC) died before Jesus was born, Shammai (50 BC – AD 30) overlapped with Jesus, and Akiva (AD 50 – 132) was born a generation after Jesus.  Here are their positions on divorce: Tractate Gittin 90a Mishnah.  The house of Shammai says: a man should not divorce his wife unless he has found her guilty of some unseemly conduct, as it says, because he has found some unseemly thing in her.  The house Hillel, however, says [that he may divorce her] even if she has merely spoiled his food, since it says, because he hath found some unseemly thing in her.  Rabbi Akiva says, [he may divorce her] even if he finds another woman more beautiful than she is, as it says, it comes to pass, if she find no favor in his eyes. Shammai some unseemly conduct Hillel spoiled his food Akiva finds another more attractive How did Jesus compare to these other rabbis from this period? Matthew 5:31-32 31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’  32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits

Stanley Chee of the Christian Disciples Church in Toronto, Canada shares a brief overview of how the doctrine of the trinity developed in the first four centuries.  Pulling on the work of Eric Chang, Bentley Chan, Hans Kung, and Richard Rubenstein, Chee explains four major factors that played a role in this process: The church’s gradual separation from its Jewish roots The subtle exaltation of Jesus towards deity Worldly and political motivations The introduction non-biblical words and concepts Chee delivered this message at LHIM‘s annual 2017 Kingdom Fest. —— Links —— Information about Stan Chee and the college outreach he does at the University of Toronto available here Books referenced in this message: The Only True God by Eric Chang The Only Perfect Man by Eric Chang and Bentley Chan Christianity: Essence, History, and Future by Hans Kung When Jesus Became God by Richard Rubenstein More biblical unitarian podcasts Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.  

We all get beaten down in life. Whether it’s catastrophes like hurricanes, shootings, or economic meltdowns, or just dealing with the day to day demands and responsibilities of life, we all go through periods of dryness, feeling like we aren’t making a difference. This is where Elijah’s example is particularly pertinent. Having reached the peak of his influence and achieved a mighty victory over the prophets of Baal and Ashera, Elijah still found himself on the run from the government, hunted like an animal. In the deepest time of despair and discouragement, we encounter a message that can help us today as well. God told Elijah that he wasn’t done with him yet. I believe God’s not done with you yet either. He has work for you to do. —— Notes —— 1 Kings 17:1 Elijah’s name means “Yahweh is my God.” He wants to attack Baal directly, by undermining his alleged weather powers. It will not rain until Yahweh’s prophet says so. 1 Kings 18:5-18 After 3 1/2 years (James 5:17), Elijah meets Ahab again who hasn’t repented or turned away from supporting Baal worship in the land. 1 Kings 18:19-22 Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal and Asherah to a contest. Whoever answers by fire is the true God. This occurs before an assembly of Israelites who stand as witnesses. 1 Kings 18:27 Elijah mocks Baal publicly. He’s certainly not holding back here. 1 Kings 18:36-39 Yahweh comes through, and the people say, “Yahweh, He is God; Yahweh, He is God.” 1 Kings 18:46 Elijah ran before Ahab’s chariot for 17 miles while the rain storm approached. Upon arrival, Elijah’s heart must’ve thought, “This is it! Revival at last!” 1 Kings 19:1-4 However, Jezebel, undaunted by her god’s obvious inferiority to Yahweh, vows to capture and execute Elijah. He’s ready to quit. 1 Kings 19:9-18 Elijah speaks to God at Mount Horeb, where Israel first became a nation when they left Egypt. God asks him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He is worn out; he needs a word from the Lord. 1 Kings 19:13-18 God doesn’t spend much time comforting Elijah, but gives him important work to do. He assures him that he’s not alone, but that 7,000 others are faithful as well. God’s not done with him yet. Is God done with you, or does He still have more work for you to do? What’s God calling you to do? Is it to volunteer here on Sundays, invite your neighbors over for dinner, invite your coworker to church, start teaching your kids the Bible, go to a foreign land as a missionary, serve the poor, feed the hungry, or clothe the naked? Whatever God’s calling you to do, it’s time to do it. —— Links —— Listen to other sermons by Sean Finnegan Watch or listen to a message on St. Patrick Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

The first verse of John’s Gospel reads: “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.” Typically, Christians understand the Word to refer to the Son and God to refer to the Father. However, as John Schoenheit explains, this reading owes more to later trinitarian theology than the native biblical context. Instead of assuming the Word just is the Son, Schoenheit carefully shows how God’s word is his plan for salvation. In fact this is what became incarnate in Jesus in verse 14. Here’s a link to John Schoenheit’s slideshow Links: Listen to my interview with Schoenheit, called Word of Faith vs. Trusting God More on John 1.1 from a biblical unitarian perspective available at ChristianMonotheism.com Check out videos of the other presentations from KingdomFest 2017 Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.