Roman Catholic doctrine continues to be seen in the presbyterian practice of repentance. Whereas presbyterians may preach biblical repentance, some presbyterian procedures involve Roman Catholic penance in practice. Whereas preaching may not be legalistic, practice can be. It reminds us of the Saviour's warning to do as authorised officialdom says, but not to do as …
Category: Roman Catholicism
Compounding one error with another
As if it was not bad enough to discover child abuse scandals in the Church of England, but its General Synod meeting in York has voted to formally recognise monks and nuns for the first time since the 16th-century European Reformation. These two errors are compounded by trying to justify one for the sake of …
Misreading public confession
The predictable media storm has erupted around the notable example of public confession by Liam Neeson that he once felt that he wanted to kill a black man and that he harboured the intent for about a week almost 40 years ago. The reaction on social and main stream media is predictable. The public opening …
How far does shame go?
Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, said that he has "learned to be ashamed again of the Church (of England)" after three weeks of studying the accounts of sexual abuse by Church of England clerics. How does this compare with Roman Catholic cardinal Joseph Ratzinger who regularly studied the accounts of abuse by Roman Catholic priests …
The Protestant reversal
The Protestant Reformation was a revival of biblical scholarship which led to the recovery of the Gospel. Nowadays things are not so clear. There are many documented examples of Roman Catholic clerics being ignorant of the Bible at the time of the 16th-century European Reformation, and in such an environment it was relatively easy for …
What is Islamic Reformation?
Tonight, 14 Feb 2017, BBC Newsnight's Viewsnight carried an opinion that Islamic State is a Reformation in islam. Canadian author Graeme Wood compared the similarities of the rise of Islamic State (ISIS) with the Protestant Reformation under Martin Luther, pointing to 1. the call to return to the original sources (the Bible and Quran) to …
Patrick’s Places – the difference between Law and Gospel
Patrick’s Places – the difference between Law and Gospel by Patrick Hamilton, 1527. We are not saved by keeping rules but Jesus Christ shows us that the way to heaven is by following Him. Patrick Hamilton laid out this contrast in two lists given below in the language of his times. Patrick Hamilton was Scotland’s …
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Pope Francis’ defective theology
In his inaugural address on 19/3/2013, the new pope of Rome Francis finished by praying to the dead. He said: "I implore the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul, and Saint Francis that the Holy Spirit may accompany my ministry..." So he thinks that the Holy Spirit is in their …
Roman pontiff Francis true to type
The new pope of Rome's reforms do not include the doctrine of purgatory. The Vatican offers 'time off purgatory' to followers of Roman pope Francis' tweets. Purgatory is a figment of the Roman Catholic imagination and is not found in the teaching of Scripture. Its practice and teaching contributed to the Protestant Reformation when Martin …
New pope of Rome answers questions
I used to say that the pope of Rome never answers questions, and is not accountable to others. At least, he now answers questions. During the resignation of Ratzinger from the Roman papacy, a discussion on BBC Scotland asked the question whether the job was too much for one man. A papal advisor, Professor John …
