ClarkeComments.com

Clarke:

I bought a couple of books the other day; they were a present from my wife for Valentine’s day, which is quite amazing as she is always complaining that I have too many books!

The first book is God of Promise: Introducing Covenant Theology, by Michal Horton. The reason for my interest in and purchase of this book will become apparent in my next post that examines the Magisterium of Churches of Christ.

The second book I bought is The Mass of the Early Christians, by Mike Aquilina. Mr. Aquilina is a Catholic Apologist who is regularly heard on EWTN’s Catholic Answers Live. I listen to EWTN radio whenever my favorite Christian radio station plays music that doesn’t deserve to be aired…which in the last couple of months, has been quite alot. Quite a lot of the time Catholic Answers has quite contrived answers to the questions they recieve, but from time to time they do provide some great biblical insight. I bought Aquilina’s book because the Early Church Fathers hint of liturgical worship and hierarchy early in Church History, and while I’ve heard plenty of Catholic Eucharistic theology on the radio, I’m quite interested to read about it. I think it will be a fascinating read, and a good follow up to the book I’m reading right now, John Mark Hicks‘ Come to the Table: Revisioning the Lord’s Supper.

-Clarke

Hello everyone:

I finished up “Distant Voices” and I really enjoyed it….so, I picked up another of C. Leonard Allen’s (along with Richard Hughes, this time) books, “Discovering our Roots: The Ancestry of Churches of Christ.”

If you’ve not read this book, pick it up. It provides some really great backgound on Restorationist thought in Christianity that occured before our movement began and which had great influences on our movement.

The best irony I’ve found so far is that alot of our restorationist roots came from the Puritans…who were later known as Congregationalists….who later merged with some other churches and formed the United Church of Christ. Its quite amazing how belief changes over time.

-Clarke

Hello all:

I just finally finished reading The Fool of God by Louis Cochran. I started reading it a long time ago, and I’ve picked it up in spurts every once in a while.

My grandfather bought the book for me while we were visiting Bethany College back in the early 90’s. He bought it on the condition that I read it. It look a long time, but I finally fulfilled that promise.

While the book is written in novel form, its an eye-opening picture into the life and beliefs of Alexander Campbell. If you haven’t read it…give it a try.

-Clarke

Hello all:

Just over a year ago, I wrote a post asking what people though about the apocrypha. Since then, I’ve done a lot more thinking on the subject.

The Apocrypha, or the Deutero-Canonical books as the Catholics call them, was included in the Christian canon until Martin Luther excluded them in 1534. Luther also excluded Esther, Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation. Luther stated that he wished Esther had never been written, and he called James “an epistle of straw.”

I am not saying that apocrypha is scripture…and I am not saying that it is not; I am saying, however, that I think we should re-visit the apocrypha, that we should read it, and that we should carefully and prayerfully consider whether or not these writings hold a place as sacred scripture.

Some questions I have:

What gave Luther the right to remove these books from the canon?

The apocrypha was included in the canon for 1500 years. Would God allow these books to be considered scripture for such a long period of time if they did not belong in the canon?

What makes Esther, Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation acceptable, but the apocryphal books unacceptable?

Shouldn’t we, as a group of churches that values “Restoration,” consider whether or not the apocrypha is in need of restoration in the Protestant church?

-Clarke