How The Renaissance Led to The Reformation

The Reason For My Faith ^ | 1/13/21 | Chuck Ness

[patriot torch]

I hated history in school and now I love it. At 60 years old I am trying to put a jig saw puzzle together. I don’t always place the proper pieces in their perspective place but I make the attempt nonetheless.

Having never really studied the reformation in its fullness I know many say it never went far enough and Rome is now bringing her children back under her wing. We read of this in Johns writing in the Book of Revelations chapters 2 and 3. Primarily the message to the church of Thyratira.

I think her fate is already determined knowing that the revised Roman empire is being reconstructed as we speak.

I was never raised in the bondages of false doctrine, in fact I was never brought up in any religion.

But the first thing I was taught was to never receive any Biblical Doctrine unless it could be supported by the Scriptures.

When I read the words “ Come out of her my people” as well as the words “Study to show thyself approved unto God,” it provoked my attention.

We know time is drawing near and time is of the essence to look up as we see these things come to pass for our Redemption draweth neigh.

Thanks again for helping to finish that jig saw puzzle.

[OneVike]

You are much welcomed.

As to those who claim the reformation never went far enough. Well, I would say that it indirectly led to the creation of the greatest experiment in liberty the World ever saw, The United States.

Nothing can alter the course of history God desires this World to reach.

I have always thought that those who think great moments in history never went far enough, are not truly looking at What God has in mind.

I’m sure some think Moses screwed up by killing the Egyptian who was beating the Israeli slave. Mainly because they think Moses could have done more for God’s people if he became Pharaoh.

Yet, the prophecy from God to Abraham had to be fulfilled, and thus Moses was moved to do that which he did. Not saying God wanted Moses to murder the guy, but that God knew long before Abraham had Issac, that Moses would. Some find that thought to be absurd, but when you think of How God always did things, it makes sense, because God uses the weaknesses of men to move mountains so His desires can be fulfilled.

I think the reformation was the second fulness of times, and that we are now in the last. I’m 64, and worry I will be persecuted in America one day, but I do not fear the outcome if I am. God gave me a job, and I am doing it, in the best way I know how. By writing, and sharing the truth.

To me, Scripture is all breathed by the Holy Spirit, every jot and title is sacred, and I preach it as I read it, the way God meant it to. He never changes, we do. He gave us Christ so we do not need the Law, nor the ceremonies of Moses, but everything else is still in play.

God bless you brother.

[Mad Dawg]

I skimmed the whole thing.
I didn't mull over every word.

I was schooled at a Calvinwards leaning Episcopal seminary and later became a Catholic. So it's not a new question for me, like, not at all.

I think the rise of Nominalism is an under- appreciated aspect of, first, the line of thought that supported the Reformation, second, the decline of morality and moral thought in the west, and, third, the miscommunication among Protestants and the more interesting Catholic thinkers, especially J2P2 as he wrote in Veritatis Splendor and Fides et Ratio.

[OneVike]

When you speak of the decline of morality in the West, do you mean within the Church itself at the time or since?

I guess I could agree to a certain extent that nominalism had a part in the reformation, but just a part.

As I stated, I wrote this 16 years ago, and since I wrote I have edited some, but not a lot.

I have mentioned elsewhere that I should add a chapter to cover the way the church had allowed much Greek philosophy into their doctrine.

I could list the problems, but this point just shows you I do have problems with the Catholic doctrine on quite a few subjects.

I took Catechism classes as a young boy and, while I do think those classes grounded me, I thank God I was not fully educated by the Catholic Church.

However, I do plan to one day revise my Thesis and add a chapter on the way the Catholic Church went wayward in it’s theology, which is why God used all these events which I stated to set free the Gospel.

[Mad Dawg]

I srsly hope you add the chapter.

I think, as a major airhead, that Nominalists think of any law, even God’s as a constraint on will. Realists think that the will finds itself in knowing and choosing what it ought to choose.

When Augustine says that God is he to serve whom is to be free, that means something like the will is most as it ought to be and WHAT it ought to be when it wills the Good.

(Then we, or I, would go on to say that without God’s renewing, even reconstituting, grace the will is helpless, dead. But with his grace, we work out our own salvation in fear and trembling because God is at work in us both to will and to do. etc. etc.)

[OneVike]

Coming from a Catholic, that I should have put other things in my thesis I wrote 15 years ago, a thesis covering what set things in motion for a movement that set free men from the lies and subjugation of a Catholic Church/State system which held people in slavery to the Monarchs while threatening death to anyone illegally in possession of Scriptures, is leudicrous.

[Mad Dawg]

When I doubt, as I often do, the validity of the Catholic Church, such rage (see Psalm 2) makes me sadly more confident that this stinking, purulent, leprous wreck of a body is indeed the locus of the plene esse of the Church.

And such abuse persuades me neither that I am mistaken about the sad sequels to the rise of Nominalism nor wrong to say so.

The question of the relationship between Athens and Jerusalem is always relevant. And when Λόγος is too carelessly rejected, passionate anger often follows.

But you'll get no argument from me if your assertion is that the Catholic Church is made up of a bunch of crooks and dolts.

[OneVike]

And you will get no argument from me that after the reformation, many heretical movements began under the guise of freeing the Gospel for all to hear.

However, as we look at what transpired since 1500, I am sure you will agree, that with the expansion of the Known World, many new false Christian movements would have begun eventually, even if the Reformation never happened.

My thesis did not touch on the reformation of England, which the King was responsible for just so he could get a divorce. (Interesting, it didn’t take long for the King to remove the head of the woman he so desperately wanted a divorce so he could marry Ann.)

In time, England would visit an even harsher persecution at the hands of Bloody Mary, who wanted to put an end to the English Reformation and return the radicals to the Catholic Faith. Yet even her replacement Elizabeth, was not much kinder to those not wanting anything to do with the Church of England.

All the persecution created even more resistance and new faiths all of which started exiting Europe for freedom of Religion. Many of which came to the New World where the Bible was the most read book, and thus became the language of America.

However, my leaving the English reformation out was solely based upon the fact that the Reformation sparked by Luther’s match, was solely the blame of the Catholic Church, regardless of what problematic teaching one wishes to dwell upon.

All this to say, regardless he Church in whole was corrupt, and God used the Swan to ignite the fireworks which had been set in place by many events, the ones I chose to dwell upon being preeminent, but obviously not solely by themselves.

I guess I could have, as my instructor told me, written a 500 page thesis that contained 21,000 words. However, we were limited on time for thesis. He was impressed, and to my grade that is all that mattered.