Ever since the Reformation, the question of authority in the Church has often been reduced to a fight between Scripture and Tradition. But this is not an obvious battle — Indeed, proponents of Tradition affirm Scripture very strongly, but as something that exists within Tradition, not apart from it. But even if we accept this … Continue reading Who Do We Trust?: The Authority of Creed and Canon
[[NOTE: As much as I don't like reposting old material, I continue to think that the Epistle reading assigned to today is one of the most undervalued in all of Scripture and I don't think I have much more to add about it from what I wrote the last time it came up in the … Continue reading Everything is Permissible: A Reflection on 1 Corinthians 6.12-20 (Re-Post)
The other day I introduced a new series about the nature of authority in Christianity, specifically in matters of theology or belief. Today I’m going to start with the source of authority officially shared by all Christians: Sacred Scripture, what we call the Bible. This book, or better, this library of books, has inspired Christians … Continue reading Who Do We Trust?: The Authority of Scripture
In the relatively short period between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, Western culture experienced a series of shocking revolutions in thought: The Renaissance with its clarion call ‘Ad fontes!’ — ‘Back to the sources!” — wanted to re-found European society on ancient Greco-Roman principles and philosophy. The Reformation applied this spirit of returning to the … Continue reading Who Do We Trust?: The Question of Authority in Christian Faith and Life
Yesterday was the great feast of Epiphany, which is celebrated on the thirteenth day after Christmas. It’s a feast with a strange and murky history, but I think it’s instructive for this whole midwinter season. It seems that Epiphany, which means ‘shining forth’, was originally a general midwinter feast that, at the darkest time of … Continue reading God’s Shining Forth: A Reflection on Epiphany and Genesis 1.1-5
Matthew Root 