Weekends are for Worship: Sunday in the Early Church

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church history, early Christianity, early church, History, justin martyr, weekends are for worship, worship

Flavius Justinus, the Philosopher and Martyr, was one of the early Christian apologists (second century).  He not only wrote and spoke in defense of Christianity, he ultimately laid down his life for his faith. In his appeal to the Roman Caesar, Titus, he described the Sunday worship of early Christians:

“And on the day called Sunday there is a meeting in one place of those who live in cities or the country, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read as long as time permits. When the reader has finished, the president in a discourse urges and invites [us] to the imitation of these noble things. Then we all stand up together and offer prayers. And, as said before, when we have finished the prayer, bread is brought, and wine and water, and the president similarly sends up prayers and thanksgivings to the best of his ability, and the congregation assents, saying the Amen; the distribution, and reception of the consecrated [elements] by each one, takes place and they are sent to the absent by the deacons. Those who prosper, and who so wish, contribute, each one as much as he chooses to. What is collected is deposited with the president, and he takes care of orphans and widows, and those who are in want on account of sickness or any other cause, and those who are in bonds, and the strangers who are sojourners among [us], and, briefly, he is the protector of all those in need. We all hold this common gathering on Sunday, since it is the first day, on which God transforming darkness and matter made the universe, and Jesus Christ our Saviour rose from the dead on the same day.”

Justin, the Martyr, First Apology, 67

Reading, exposition, and exhortation from Scripture, prayer, communion, generous care for one another . . . whenever I join in such common acts of worship I feel a sense of union and fellowship with believers throughout history who have engaged in the same acts for nearly two thousand years. The forms are as ancient as the church, but, when offered from a heart of worship, the spirit is as fresh as this Sunday.

Why Stop at Birth? The Chilling Logic of Abortion Rights

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abortion, after-birth abortion, infanticide, Journal of Medical Ethics, pro-choice, pro-life, progressive personhood

Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva believe in the moral defensibility of infanticide. Of course they don’t call it that. The prefer “to call this practice ‘after-birth abortion’, rather than ‘infanticide,’ to emphasize that the moral status of the individual killed is comparable with that of a fetus … rather than to that of a child.”

These two philosophers, writing in the Journal of Medical Ethics, present a chilling argument that:

Abortion is largely accepted even for reasons that do not have anything to do with the fetus’ health. By showing that (1) both fetuses and newborns do not have the same moral status as actual persons, (2) the fact that both are potential persons is morally irrelevant and (3) adoption is not always in the best interest of actual people, the authors argue that what we call ‘after-birth abortion’ (killing a newborn) should be permissible in all the cases where abortion is, including cases where the newborn is not disabled.

While most people will find this appalling, it is simply the logical conclusion of progressive personhood (“the value of the unborn human increases throughout its development.”) taken to its logical conclusion.

As I have noted before, this creates a subjective criteria for determining personhood. At what point does a “potential person” become an “actual person,” and who gets to decide?

Hence, Giubilini and Minerva can attest,

if the moral status of the newborn is the same as that of the infant and if neither has any moral value by virtue of being a potential person, then the same reasons which justify abortion should also justify the killing of the potential person when it is at the stage of a newborn.

But who determines who is a “potential person” and an “actual person?” If these authors have their way, personhood is not achieved until some time after birth.

[I]n order for a harm to occur, it is necessary that someone is in the condition of experiencing that harm. If a potential person, like a fetus and a newborn, does not become an actual person, like you and us, then there is neither an actual nor a future person who can be harmed, which means that there is no harm at all. … In these cases, since non-persons have no moral rights to life, there are no reasons for banning after-birth abortions. … Indeed, however weak the interests of actual people can be, they will always trump the alleged interest of potential people to become actual ones, because this latter interest amounts to zero.

Who are these “non-persons?” Those with disease, birth defects or any child who would place undue stress or burden (emotional, financial etc.) on the mother.

Abortions at an early stage are the best option, for both psychological and physical reasons. However, if a disease has not been detected during the pregnancy, if something went wrong during the delivery, or if economical, social or psychological circumstances change such that taking care of the offspring becomes an unbearable burden on someone, then people should be given the chance of not being forced to do something they cannot afford.

Though I have known this is the ultimate logic of the pro-choice arguments, this is still one of the most disturbing journal articles I have ever read. Murder by any other name — infanticide, after-birth abortion, neonaticide — is still murder. Even pro-choice advocates recognize the disturbing “morality” argued for here.

The early church had to stand and speak against the practice of infanticide in the Roman Empire. As we gradually regress to a pagan society, Christians are being called to do so once again.

Nephos 9

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Calvin and Hobbes, charity, entitlement, Greg Howlett, Politics, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, sound man, Tim Challies, Tim Hawkins

1. With advance apologies to my Paul-supporting friends (I’m sure he’s a fine man), this just makes me laugh – it’s the mental image I get every time I see him:

2. Greg Howlett draws attention to one of the church’s unsung heroes: About the Person Hiding in Your Church’s Back Closet.

3. Tim Challies discusses this generation’s sense of entitlement: Entitlement.

4. Southern Gospel Yankee shares Tim Hawkin’s view on long songs. I tend to agree: Tim Hawkins on Overly Long Songs.

5. Apologia and the Occident addresses who’s at fault for the Dark Ages in this intriguing book recommendation: So who is at fault?

6. This is so true:

via Escaworks

7. Denny Burk shares a perceptive article about the double standard in politics: Sex Lies and Rick Santorum.

8. Christians want to help the poor, but what are the best ways? Bruce Wydick evaluates the most effective: Cost-Effective Compassion: The 10 Most Popular Strategies for Helping the Poor.

9. This is one of the most amazing things I’ve seen in a while. Pure genius: How plastic bottles are lighting homes in the Philippines.

Some blogs (not this one of course) are this way:

Book Review: Reading Scriptures with the Reformers

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Bible, Book Reviews, History, Reading Scriptures with the Reformers, Reformation, Timothy George

Why should I care what men who lived centuries ago believed?

The “imperialism of the present” would tell me they are irrelevant. It would, however, also blind me to the benefit of those who have traveled the road of faith before me. In Reading Scripture with the Reformers Timothy George argues there is legitimate and substantial benefit in understanding the Scriptures through the eyes of the Reformers.

George guides the reader through the twists and turns of the Reformation. Along the tour he introduces the leading (often little-known) figures of this period. Their distinct and occasionally conflicting approaches to the Scriptures provide the thematic understanding of its history.

What becomes evident through this historical excursion is the centrality of Scripture to this era. From leader to layman, Protestant to Catholic, saint to sinner, new-found access to the Bible opened up opportunities and influences. The author shows the influence of what the Reformers read, how they interpreted their reading, and how their influence shaped how subsequent generations viewed Scripture.

The contemporary church has much to learn from those who have journeyed ahead of us. For those seeking to explore the benefits of this section of the road, Reading Scripture with the Reformers is an excellent guide-map.

Weekends are for Worship: Worship and Praise Choruses

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Humor, praise and worship, worship

Praise and worship music is wide open for humor and parody. I don’t dislike praise choruses, but this has enough accuracy to make me laugh.

Book Review – Patrick Henry: First Among Patriots

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biography, Book Review, History, Patrick Henry, Thomas S. Kidd

Patrick Henry: First Among Patriots

Thomas S. Kidd

Patrick Henry was devoted to liberty, patriotism, and public moral virtue.  These three threads are important to understanding his life and impact.

In First Among Patriots, Thomas Kidd examines the man known as the “Voice of the American Revolution.”  Most Americans know Henry only for his “Give me liberty” speech.  Many, through history and in contemporary culture, try to claim him as a patron saint for their own political positions. Henry, however, is much more than any popular conception.

A native of what was then the “back-woods” region of Virginia, Henry achieved prominence as a lawyer and eventually as a representative in the colonial legislature.  It was there that his oratorical skills would help rouse the nation to the cause of Independence.  Considered a radical by some, a patriot by others, Henry would become a controversial figure in both Virginia and national politics.

He would serve as the state’s war-time governor and repeatedly in the state legislature.  His legendary oratorical skills were not matched by political aptitude, and he often grew impatient with extended deliberation.  This was to his detriment – on more than one occasion, he would lose a battle he thought already won.

Henry’s passion for liberty would rouse a nation to independence.  His passion for limited government would pit him against the architects of the new American government.  It was his role as a leader of the anti-Federalists, those who opposed the adoption of the Constitution, that earned him the animosity of many of the founding fathers and his former friends.

Kidd makes note of the influence of faith in Henry’s life.  Much of his thinking, including his views on an established church, was shaped by a firm belief in the necessity of public morality to the stability of a nation. Siding against his one-time friend Thomas Jefferson and the Baptists of Virginia, he believed that the government should encourage morality through support of churches.

The author notes that Henry believed the government should promote morality. “Two primary ways of doing this were punishing immorality under the law, and encouraging morality through churches and schools.”  He continues, “Jefferson and Madison cooperated with many evangelical dissenters, especially Baptists, in arguing that religion would survive, and even thrive, on a purely voluntary basis.”

Henry was no saint.  His flaws include inconsistency on the issue of slavery, a tendency to bend principle for the sake of profit, and occasional lapses in his characteristic frugality are evident. Kidd highlights these, but frames them charitably in their proper context.

I found this book enjoyable to read. It provides a more accurate portrait of the man I consider one of the most underrated of the founding fathers.  The author strikes a proper balance between the subject and the historical setting without getting either out of focus.  He gives insight into an important period of our history through the life of a man who was “first among patriots.”

You can preview a portion of Patrick Henry: First Among Patriots at Amazon.

Why History Encourages Me (Contemplation on the Upcoming Year)

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History, new year, optimism

It reminds me this is not the first time for nasty politics, weak economy, discouraging war, inept leaders, and inferior candidates. Things have been this bad before and have gotten better.

History makes me an optimist.

of course some say . . .