But first, remind yourself that the Reformation started because Martin Luther questioned the powers-that-be, and his movement really got traction when he was excommunicated and declared a heretic by the Diet of Worms and the resultant Edict of Worms in 1521.
Here's a sampling of the Edict's pronouncements about Martin Luther:
To put an end to the numberless and endless errors of the said Martin, let us say that it seems that this man, Martin, is not a man but a demon in the appearance of a man, clothed in religious habit to be better able to deceive mankind, and wanting to gather the heresies of several heretics who have already been condemned, excommunicated, and buried in hell for a long time. Let us add to this all the heresies recently brought in by him to be the source of all iniquity and rubbish and to destroy the Catholic faith. As an evangelical preacher he labors to trouble and demolish all religious peace and charity and all order and direction in the things of this world. And finally, he brings dishonor upon all the beauty of our Holy Mother Church.Now, before you read some of these blog snippets, hear me well: I am not comparing myself to Martin Luther. Instead, I'm trying to absorb the irony that some of those who consider themselves theological heirs of Luther, Calvin, et al, use the same language against their opponents that was used against their theological heroes.
1517 blog: Even though I have come to expect these
kinds of statements from Jones, MacLaren [sic], Pagett [sic], etc. I still am
stunned by their bold heresy.
Justin Taylor: Let me just offer one encouragement: pray. Pray that God would open Tony's eyes. He does not know the good news of Christ bearing the curse and drinking the cup... Second, pray that God would thwart this false teaching and that others would not be drawn to this non-gospel.
The Voyages...: Well if that's not throwing the apostle Paul under the bus, I don't know what is.
Echoes in Eternity: If it sounds like a heretic...
Keep Thou My Feet: Tony Jones, of emergent-fame, flatly denies the Gospel.
Pyromaniacs: Be sure to add Tony Jones to your list o' heretics.
Can you smell the irony?!?
Justin Taylor: Let me just offer one encouragement: pray. Pray that God would open Tony's eyes. He does not know the good news of Christ bearing the curse and drinking the cup... Second, pray that God would thwart this false teaching and that others would not be drawn to this non-gospel.
The Voyages...: Well if that's not throwing the apostle Paul under the bus, I don't know what is.
Echoes in Eternity: If it sounds like a heretic...
Keep Thou My Feet: Tony Jones, of emergent-fame, flatly denies the Gospel.
Pyromaniacs: Be sure to add Tony Jones to your list o' heretics.
Can you smell the irony?!?
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My response: http://johnmulholland.blogspot.com/2009/04/thanks-to-my-blogging-conspirator-kevin.html
Wow, first time I've ever posted here, and it got deleted!
"welcome to the conversation!"
In Tony's most recent blog post, "The Irony of the Young, Restless Reformers" he mentions that in his aforementioned blogs, that while he "affirmed a traditional and orthodox understanding of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.", he is against penal substitutionary atonement, which he refers to as "PSA." What is "PSA"? It's the old, and apparently incorrect old chestnut that that Jesus, by his own sacrificial choice, was punished (penalised) in the place of sinners (substitution), so that God can forgive sins. Historically, criticism of PSA has come in several ways, from the anti-trinitarian Socinus who denied the deity of Jesus (which, tony does not), to the differing ideas of justice between the Hebrews (Old Testament) and the Roman (New Testament-Paul especially) to the post-modern idea that Christ on the cross is "cosmic child abuse."
Tony's understanding is that the real purpose of the cross and resurrection is that so God can really understand humanity. The only REAL way to do so would be to experience death.
Final comments:
Tony affirms "a traditional and orthodox understanding of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ."
Does he want a cookie? Are we supposed to applaud? He is, after all, a Christian. (Well, he claims to be). Should we expect less?
In the latest blog post, "The Irony..." he posted a quote from the Edict of Worms from 1521 that blasted Martin Luther for straying from orthodoxy. In his next breath, Jones has the audacity to write, "Now, before you read some of these blog snippets, hear me well: I am not comparing myself to Martin Luther."
Good, because you're not Martin Luther. And the church of today is not the Roman Catholic Church of 1521. Penal Substitutionary Atonement is not even in the same ball park as ANY of Lutherr's 95 Theses. It's not even the same sport.
Mr T -
There's not one single, imperial understanding of "netiquette." Everyone has a different understanding of that word from their own context, culture, upbringing, etc. Let's not colonize one another with false universal definitions. One person's netiquette, is another person's silliness. One person's silliness is another person's netiquette. And on and on we go. Language is symbolic.
Meaning is in the eye of the beholder. For example, when I see the name "Mr. T," I think of Laurence Tureaud who appeared in the show A-Team. I can't say for sure, but I bet you're a different person than the "Mr. T" I'm thinking about. Language is symbolic.
Ah, the paradox of postmodernity!
Hey Postmodern "A-Team" Fan!
Quit'cho Jibba Jabba.
Hi Tony,
Thank you for defending a Kuyperian Calvinism to Doug Pagitt on the audio/video recorded program recently. It's sad that my Reformed tradition of Kuyper and Bavinck has been hijacked by these others using the title "Reformed." Rather than being the "Neo-Reformed," I think this group should more rightly be called the "Paleo-Reformed," because theirs is a stream that tries to live in the 16th century in the modern day.
As far as human beings being "cracked icons," etc., this actually goes all the way back to Augustine. Augustine said that all creation is inherently good, and is meant to point toward God. When used correctly, it glorifies God. Humans are made in the imago dei--image of God--but have been cracked by the Fall. This is his sharp distinction in his "City of God" between the words "use" and "enjoy," in the Latin.
Not surprisingly, the Kuyperian tradition (Jesus as lord of all spheres) similarly affirms very strongly the inherent goodness of creation and even humanity, as "cracked icons," of sorts.
Every metaphor/parable can be broken if pressed too hard, but it's a suitable metaphor.
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