Tag Archives: protestant

What Does Lent Mean to You?

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[A previous post didn’t get the attention I’d hoped for, so I’m republishing it. – Funky]

"The Teutonic word Lent, which we employ to denote the forty days’ fast preceding Easter, originally meant no more than the spring season. Still it has been used from the Anglo-Saxon period to translate the more significant Latin term quadragesima (French carême, Italian quaresima, Spanish cuaresma), meaning the ‘forty days’, or more literally the ‘fortieth day’. This in turn imitated the Greek name for Lent, tessarakoste (fortieth), a word formed on the analogy of Pentecost (pentekoste), which last was in use for the Jewish festival before New Testament times. This etymology, as we shall see, is of some little importance in explaining the early developments of the Easter fast." – Catholic Encyclopedia

Lent starts early this year. Ash Wednesday is February 9. That’s less than a week away. Are you planning on performing any acts of penance? Being a Catholic convert from fairly high-church Lutheranism, I don’t know much about "low-church" Protestant observances of Lent or lack thereof. I’d like very much to know how non-Catholics, particularly Evangelicals and liberals/progressives, observe Lent.

If you are a Protestant (of any flavor), I have a mission for you, should you choose to accept it (queue Mission Impossible music). I’d like to know how you, your church, and/or your denomination observe (or don’t observe) Ash Wednesday and Lent. If you don’t have a blog, please consider leaving a comment to tell me what Lent means to you. If you do have a blog, please consider writing a post about what Lent means to you. Trackback this post and I’ll write a carnival-like post to tie the entries together. Also, please promote this meme on your blog. Thanks in advance. 🙂

Did Mary Have to be Sinless to Carry the Messiah?

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Thanks to some free advertising from RasorsKiss, Ed "What the" Heckman, of The Greatest Pursuits, found my response to Rand’s screed and tossed in his two cents. It’s an intelligent, thought-provoking response. Here’s a sample:

Is it unreasonable to think that if God/Jesus was in intimate contact with ‘sinners’ before the formal end of that separation then there would be no problem with intimate contact with Mary in spite of her own sins?

If anything, the Bible implies that it was necessary for Mary to be a sinner. Consider this passage in Galations:

But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

(Gal. 4:4-5, NASB)

I’m not sure when I’ll have time to respond, so I hope some of my readers will help me out.

Protestant Defends Purgatory

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Those following the discussion about purgatory, might find this Musings of a Pertinacious Papist post interesting.

"Jerry L. Walls is not a Catholic. He is professor of philosophy and religion at Asbury Theological Seminary, a conservative evangelical Methodist seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He teaches an annual C.S. Lewis seminar, which is one of the school's most popular offerings. Thirteen years ago he published a widely-discussed book entitled Hell: The Logic of Damnation (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1992). Ten years later, he has published Heaven: The Logic of Eternal Joy (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), which has also been receiving wide attention, among other things for his treatment of Purgatory."

Purgatory Pickle

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There is a very common misunderstanding among Evangelicals regarding purgatory.
This
Earnestly Contending (which, for reasons unknown has no commenting capability) post,
a quote from Charles Spurgeon, represents well.

“But shall I tell you who the gentlemen are who generally raise objections to the glorious privilege of assurance? There are, first of all, the adherents of the Pope of Rome. Of course, the Papist does not like full assurance. And why? The Pope and his priest would have a lean larder if full assurance were well preached. Only conceive my brethren, if the Roman Catholic could get the full assurance of salvation, surely the Cardinals would hardly find money enough to buy their red hats. For where were purgatory then? Purgatory is an impossibility, if full assurance be possible. If a man knows himself to be saved, then he is not to be troubled with a silly fear about waiting in the intermediate state, to be purified with fire, before he can enter into heaven. Purgatory is only acceptable to those poor trembling souls who know of no sure salvation here, and are glad of this deceptive hope of a salvation to be wrought in the world to come. Purgatory being thus builded upon a lying imposition — on the fears of ignorant consciences, becomes what brave old Hugh Latimer used to call it, ‘Purgatory Pick-purse,’ to the poor sinner, and ‘Purgatory Fillpurse’ to the vagabond priest. Once let full assurance be given to all Christian men — first make the Romanist a Christian, and then let him be fully assured of his interest in Christ, and away goes purgatory, and there will never be a soul found to tremble at it any more.” – Charles H. Spurgeon; from a sermon on Sunday, April 28th, 1861(emphasis mine)

There is no salvation to be wrought after death, in purgatory or elsewhere. Even if Catholics believed in full assurance, they could believe in purgatory. Purgatory is not a destination, but a lay-over. Only those who are saved experience purgation, i.e cleansing. Nothing imperfect can enter the presense of God in heaven. Humans are certainly far from perfect. By the end of our lives, we have accumulated spiritual scar tissue that sin produces. Also, even the most saintly of individuals is not entirely conformed to Christ and His commands at death. Therefore, all stain of sin and its waste products must be purged from us before we enter the beatific vision.

UPDATE: Steve, a faithful reader, has provided some Scripture to support the need purgation.

“As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. I tell you, you will never get out till you have paid the very last copper.” – Luke 21:58-59

“According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it. For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw — each man’s work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” – 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

“And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” – Philippians 1:6

“But nothing unclean shall enter [heaven], nor any one who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” – Revelation 21:27

Catholic Anwers has an excellent defense of purgatorian doctrine that readers might enjoy. Apologist Mark Shea (a former Evangelical) wrote one, too. C.S. Lewis, a Protestant author and a favorite of mine, tossed in his two cents as well.

Mysterious Ways

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The Lord works in mysterious ways. I have long suffered with frequent anxiety attacks brought on by fear of death. That fear has been a severe stumbling block to my faith. When I accepted Christ in my life again and went through RCIA, it wasn’t because I’d beaten my fears and doubts. It was because I learned that I could fight with doubt every day of my life and still be faithful. Faith is not giving up in the face of fear and doubt.

Recently I learned that my sister suffers from the same problem. She sometimes calls me because she needs to talk to someone who understands and shares her pain. It’s bitter-sweet for me when she calls. I’m glad she comes to me for help since we haven’t always gotten along. On the other hand, I’m also sad and scared because I have to walk through hell to pull her out.

I was watching a movie tonight when another anxiety attack hit. It wasn’t severe, but I knew getting to sleep would be difficult. I decided to do some blogging. As I was finishing up, my cell phone rang. It was my sister. She was having an anxiety attack, too.

I wanted so badly to help her. I told her that I wish I knew some good Protestant chants to soothe her and that if she were Catholic, I’d suggest that she pray the Rosary. She was bothered by my hesitancy and told me that she doesn’t feel bound by denominational boundaries and, while certainly not Catholic, she isn’t opposed to all things Catholic.

My heart skipped a beat and I nervously asked if I could teach her the Rosary. She said yes and for the next twenty minutes I taught her the Joyful Mysteries. I was so happy and nervous that I nearly broke down in tears as I read from my prayer book (I don’t pray it often myself – still lingering Protestant bias I guess). We were interrupted because her husband, who’s in the National Guard, called from Iraq. I’m sure she’ll sleep well after hearing from him. I’m glad I could comfort her until his call, though. She probably won’t remember all the prayers I taught her or necessarily even say them, but she listened and it helped her feel better.

I had expected to go to bed tonight feeling scared, helpless, and full of doubt. Instead, I may cry myself to sleep with tears of joy because my Protestant sister let me teach her the Rosary. The Lord certainly works in mysterious ways.