Ft. Worth is a great place to camp out for a few days during a tournament. The last two mornings I’ve had incredible bike rides along the Trinity River. If it was just a little closer to Abilene, I think I’d drive over once a week to make that ride — just for the beauty.
We won game two against the winner of the Waco district last night, 6-1. Tonight we play the host team from Ft. Worth in the finals of the winners’ bracket. Either late tonight or early tomorrow morning, I’ll hustle back to Abilene to preach. My guess is that the preaching will be a bit blurry-eyed tomorrow. (Note: I’ll just be underscoring the text about how this treasure comes in jars of clay!)
Today: lunch at Pappasito’s. Yes, fajitas, guacamole, and salsa are in my immediate future.
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Is the Pope stealing his speech material from Churches of Christ? (See this article entitled “Pope: Other Denominations Not True Churches.”) Makes a Protestant really miss John Paul 2.
There’s really no need to be offended by the Pope’s statement that isn’t actually the Pope’s statement, but rather a statement from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Defense of the Faith (though it was approved by the Pope). Rather, it is essential to honest and open communication. This is an important issue, and pretending that the RCC does not actually believe this does only harm (and it has for a long time — this is, in short, not news).
The Reformers and their heirs put their lives on the line in order to stake this claim. In this era of confusion and theological laxity we often forget that this was one of the defining issues of the Reformation itself. Both the Reformers and the Roman Catholic Church staked their claim to be the true church — and both revealed their most essential convictions in making their argument. As Martin Luther and John Calvin both made clear, the first mark of the true Church is the ministry of the Word — the preaching of the Gospel. The Reformers indicted the Roman Catholic Church for failing to exhibit this mark, and thus failing to be a true Church. The Catholic church returned the favor, defining the church in terms of the papacy and magisterial authority. Those claims have not changed.
(Source
What J said.
The Catholic commentator on FoxNews.com, Father What’s-his-name, has written a very thoughtful article on Benedict’s statement, and it’s worth reading for the nuance. It’s too easy to caricature a statement like this. Heaven knows *I’d* wish for people to read between the lines of my work a little more instead of taking potshots at a caricature or trivialization of what I actually intended to convey. We do well to extend the same favor to others, including a thoughtful guy like Benedict. After all, it’s not as if he’s a theological lightweight.
qb
What do they know? ““Christ ‘established here on earth’ only one church,†the document said. The other communities “cannot be called ‘churches’ in the proper sense†because they do not have apostolic succession — the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ’s original apostles.”
Everybody knows that the true church is marked by immersion done the “right way” and lack of musical instruments.
Unless you’re into that know them by their lover thing.
Just ended our winners’ bracket finals game. We beat the Ft. Worth team, 15-5. We’ll be back on Monday night to play for the Sectionals Championship.
Here’s the photo of our team that last year won District and Sectionals and then went on to Waco:
Awesome Mike! I was checking in to see if you guys had won. Blessings on your sermon and travel today.
Woo-hoo!
Here in the middle part of the Razorback state, it’s a constant challenge for the sportswriters and editors at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette to figure out ways not write headlines like “Central Arkansas Christian trounces Christ the King,” and “Baptist beats up Christian on the courts.”
They’re really not up to the challenge at the newspaper.
So I’m not gonna go there except to point out - as I’m sure many others will - that no church in particular has a patent on the “salvation through us only” system, yet a lot of them think they do.
As a former Catholic (sheesh…seems like another life) none of this really surprises me. Honestly, I’ve wondered for years what Protestants in the ecumenical movement thought they were going to accomplish where the Roman communion is concerned. Unless the RCC abandons the concept of the primacy of the papacy and admits that other churches have valid sacraments, it will go nowhere.
Hey Mike,
First of all, congrats on the win. Secondly, I wanted to tell you about a burger I had the other night. I went to “Alcatraz” in Indianapolis with some friends and had the “California Burger” - hamburger, avocado, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and wasabi. They were generous with the avocado and it was incredible.
Yay! For the lunch and the victory!
I dare say that the pope is being more generous than most Churches of Christ that I’ve experienced. Anyway, this is not news. This is exactly what they’ve been saying all along. Ignorant journalists are twisting the statement to say something that it doesn’t. Whatever.
I loved the dueling headlines last week. “Pope - Only one True Church”… and, “Catholic Church to pay $600 Million Settlement”.
Couldn’t decide which one was sadder.
It would seem this Pope is more of a Pius XII than a John XXIII.
I will be listening to Dennis Prager’s live stream this morning from Los Angeles at noon CST. Being a front runner in promoting mutual respect and acceptance between Jews and Christians, his insight can’t help but be of interest on this pronouncement from Benedict.
A slight edit - Dennis is on the air now, 11am CST, not noon. There goes that human trait again, making mistakes. LOL
While living in Neuchatel, Switzerland I usually attended a Protestant church down the street (the official kind). A couple of occasions while there they would forgo usual Sunday morning services for joint unity meetings. The first at the Methodist and second at the Catholic church. I almost dropped my jaw at the later when they starting serving communion to everyone. Never thought I would see that.
I have met a few catholics as commited to the Word as we are. They sometimes admit that they don’t neccesarily agree with the Pope.
Makes you think about putting everyone in the box we usually paint them in.
Just wanted to share that we just got back from a mission trip to Hungary, an english camp put on by Debresen Calvary Chapel. !50 kids attended, from well to do to a number from two orphanages. The crescendo of the camp was 12 baptisms on friday. It was wonderful being a part of something bigger than ourselves. I am going to try and obtain free english Bibles for the kids next year. They were given Hungarian new testaments but I think many would have more interest in a modern english version. If anyone knows of sources please contact me here or the blog has my permision to give my email address our for this purpose, Kent
I’m Roman Catholic (yep, there are variations of Catholicism, just as there are versions of the Church of Christ) and a long-time reader of this site. I enjoy not only what Mike writes, but also the thoughtful, intelligent, often inspiring comments. Until today, that is. My father was a Campbellite (a name I know many of you detest) and I spent years attending and learning about your more “primitive” brethren of the non-cups and classes sect. (By the way, they don’t think your prospects for the after life are very good.) Mention Catholicism, though, and the smart remarks aren’t far behind. Keep in mind, however, that basing what you know and believe on what you hear on Fox News or Weekly World News (or whatever other overly simplistic source you care to name), or what you proclaim from ignorance or fear to each other in private or at worship, does not impart to you the right to defame an entire system of belief. The Pope’s reiteration of a long-standing position of the RCC is no different from what I’ve heard a hundred times when attending Churches of Christ, whether your version or any of the other several versions. (My hometown has at least three Churches of Christ, and they each detest the others near as I can tell. How’s that for ecumenicalism?) I personally disagree with the one-true-church belief, whether held by my own church or by any other, and yes, I am free to do so and remain in good standing. I believe Christ when he said, and I’m paraphrasing (you know us Catholics), “In my house there are many mansions.” So please refrain from the ad hominem (priest sex abuse cases, etc.), lest the same be done to you (a Nexis search and a little math might do the trick, but I’d be casting the same stone back at you). Having said all that, I am curious to know the thoughts of members of your faith on the subject of one true Church, especially as it pertains to your own beliefs. Having experienced your church for several years, it strenthened my own faith to witness that of so many of you, and I do truly believe we have far more in common than we generally are willing to admit.
kla,
Unfortunately, what you write is true for so many denominations, and even for what happens within denominations. It would be funny if it were not so sad. It is so easy for us to hold to a doctrine and then forbid anyone from disagreeing at the peril of their souls.
You asked about the subject of the one true Church, and I can give you just my opinion, which is that just as there was one Israel with many tribes, there is one church with many tribes, and the Catholic church is one of those tribes. We can disagree about which tribe holds doctrines that are closer to the truth of Scripture, but I think (I hope) we can agree that we very likely are wrong on at least a few points.
My wife was raised Catholic, and many in her family are still of that tribe. I have seen the fruit of their lives, and am not about to consign any of them to the abyss, nor make smart-aleck comments about their beliefs.
I was raised Catholic & now attend a Church of Christ. I do NOT believe in “one true church” , if that means 1 denomination has it “right” over the others - all miss the mark in my opinion.
Thanks Jonathan, and I must apologize for being a bit smart in my original comment. I didn’t mean to paint with so broad a brush. I’ve often thought that some Church of Christ services are very much like a Catholic mass, if you get rid of the pomp. Mind you, I often enjoy the pomp, but I also enjoy daily mass at 7 a.m., when it’s just a few people gathered with a priest. Quiet, simple, three Bible readings, eucharist (communion), and fellowship after. It takes all of twenty minutes or so, and is a wonderful way to start the day. It’s much closer to the practice of the earliest Christians than what most churches offer today, Catholicism included. As for the one-true-church thing, surely we all must believe that to some extent, else why be whatever we are? If John Doe’s Baptist Church down on the corner doesn’t reflect the true vision of Christ, then he should find the one that does, right?. But he doesn’t, because he obviously believes it does. The argument often offered to explain why he doesn’t is that Mr. Doe is simply a doof, who has been led astray. I grew up “unchurched,” in predominantly non-Catholic (dare I say anti-Catholic?) area, so when I made my inquiry of faith, it was with far more knowledge of protestantism than anything else. I made my choice based on faith and reason, just like most people do. Rumors to the contrary notwithstanding, I’m no doof.
I think it’s silly to believe that Christ didn’t foresee that over 2,000 years there would be disagrements and schisms within His church. What I regret is that Benedict seems to have a tin ear on this and other matters. Not every teacher is meant to be a school superintendent, and while Catholics believe that he was chosen to be the Vicar of Christ, it doesn’t mean he’s infallible. That concept only applies when the Pope speaks ex cathedra (literally from the chair of St. Peter). And that’s been done only a handful of times through history. He can be as lousy a PR person as anyone. So yes, I do miss JPII as well, as do many.
Sorry to be so disjointed with my thoughts.
Amen Jeana. I hope one day to enter into the Vision of Heaven and meet Ghandi, Billy Graham, and John Paul II (along with Thomas Jefferson, but I’m not holding my breath on that one).
kla–
I certainly can’t speak for all members of the Church of Christ, but for what’s it’s worth, here are my thoughts on the Pope’s statement.
The nut does not fall far from the tree.
Just to update, Mike’s team won game two last night, beating Ft. Worth, to win the sectional championship. Next stop is the state tournament in Waco. This will be the second year in a row that Mike, Chris and my son Hunter have gone to the state tournament. Quite an accomplishment.
(I realize you think this may be off subject, but Hunter’s mother was raised Catholic and is now CofC, at Highland. I guess that makes it O.K. to put this comment in in the middle of this discussion!)
Anyone that hasn’t made their way over to “Mike the Eyeguy”’s blog really needs to make it a point to get there. It’s one of the best responses I’ve seen to the Pope’s statement. Amen, brother!
Oh, and I should probably note that I was raised Roman Catholic, but have Church of Christ theological training… Just in the interest of transparency. It’s probably also significant, and telling, that I’m now a photographer with an incredible background in theology.
Welcome back to Waco!!!! Willtry to catch one of your games!
And on the subject, the other day a woman I really respect asked me what church I “belong to”. I said “Crestview.” And like something caught my voice I just didn’t say “Church of Christ.” It was like something in me didn’t want to say it and I didn’t. I told her where the building is located. When she still looked blank, I finally said “Crestview Church of Christ” and wondered, some what fearfully, if she knew anything about the “churches of Christ.”
I love my church family at Crestview and am not at all ashamed of them, but my feelings about the name “c/Church of Christ” have really changed over the years. Admittedly I used to feel pride in saying I was a memeber of the Church of Christ because I had this notion that we did have “it” right. I never believed we were the only ones, but I still found security in the fact thet we were one of the ones. I don’t feel that way so much these days. I think there is one true church but the building and the body you worship with has nothing to do with whether you are a member of it. I don’t care what the sign out front of the building says, I don’t like it when any Christ loving group professes to be the only one group who will be in heaven or who has dibs on God’s grace, Christ’s blood and the Spirit’s guidance.
For many years I had difficulty telling someone about my church affiliation. Others had such easy identifiers, such as:
A Baptist, a Methodist, a Catholic, a Pentecostal, a Mormon, et al - but how do you say it for our fellowship? Church of Christer??
So I stopped trying to identify by church fellowship name and have begun using the individual congregation’s name rather than by organizational title: Highland, or Scott Memorial, or wherever I happen to be [Highland, at the moment]. They can usually guess what the organizational affiliation is.
Actually, there are several Christian-claiming groups that think they are the only ones in the “true” church. I know Baptists who think that, Pentecostals, Assembly of God members and I know there are others out there. Churches of Christ certainly have their flaws, but most of those flaws exist in other church groups as well.
Dear Mr. Cope or anyone who is a member of the church of Christ:
What would be the best way to respond to this question?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvLbTcSdz.lUheBPWSs9JDMjzKIX?qid=20070718145452AAl6eOj
I really would like to respond but I want to use my words carefully.
Thanks for any help!!!!!
I hope your lack of posting means your team is winning!
Rumor has it they are playing in the state tournment in Waco this Sunday!
Way to go Abilene South and Coach Cope!
I was saved in a Baptist church at the age of 15, baptised in a very chilly river on Easter Sunday morning right after sunrise. I have helped to plant churches, was educated in a Southern Baptist school, preached across North Carolina, had great friends in both independent and Southern Baptist churches, have been a member of at lest 5 Baptist churches, (about 40 years), before coming to the church of Christ over seven years ago, and not one time ever, have I said, nor have I ever heard a Baptist preacher claim the Baptist church is the “only true church” or that no one else was going to heaven.
The first time I heard that claim, it was in the church of Christ. (Not considering almost all of the cults who make the same claim)
Over the almost 50 years since I became a Christian I have had dear friendships and wonderful fellowship with believers from the Christian Missionary Alliance church, Assembly of God, Church of God, Freewill Baptists, Independent Baptists, Southern Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Bible churches, Community churches, Christian, Seventh Day Adventist, and church of Christ. Each of those people clearly was depending on Christ alone for salvation and we had warm unity based on our common faith.
Shame on anyone or on any church who thinks they have a monopoly on God.
Grace to you,
Royce Ogle
There is only one cure for ignorance, good teaching.
Grace to you,
Royce Ogle
I found the URL where you can keep track of Mike’s team. They play tomorrow morning (Sunday 7/22) at 9am. qb heard a rumor that Mike will be preaching from the dugout via satellite uplink, but that’s just a rumor, so don’t repeat it.
http://eteamz.active.com/abilenesouth/news/index.cfm?cat=248680
qb
Thanks, QB. Here are the brackets for the tournament. (SG, we’d love to see you again this year!)
This is really exciting. From an Amarillo boy to the Abilene boyz: anytime you take down a Lubbock team, qb will rejoice. And if it’s by a factor of 5.67 or so, so much the better. (For those of you in Rio Linda: That’s 17/3, plus or minus a repeating decimal.)
Go AS!
qb