REFORMATION
DAY CHALLENGE 2012:
Help
Write the 95 Theses of the Re:Reformation
By Thaddeus Williams
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October 31st is fast approaching—a
sacred day for costume stores trying to justify their ongoing existence and
dads looking to raid our kids’ plastic pumpkins for a sugar fix. It is also a
very special day for those of us who love the Gospel. Why? Because October 31st
is Reformation Day.
495 years ago this October 31st a young German theology professor
carried a hammer and parchment to the door of the Wittenberg Church and
hammered his 95 Theses into the wood. They were 95 points at which Martin
Luther questioned whether the church of his day was living in synch with the
Scriptures. With no Facebook or blog posts to get people thinking about life’s
big questions, Luther, like many professors in his day, posted on the next best
thing—a church door (Al Gore would not invent the internet for another 470
years!). Rather than opening an app and refreshing their News Feeds, people
would congregate around Europe’s church doors to read and discuss the latest
posts. Luther’s post got Wittenberg and (with help from the newly invented
printing press) most of Europe buzzing with questions about where the 16th
century church had veered off biblical course. The Reformation was in motion. Here’s some samples from Luther’s world-altering post:
“Thesis 27: There is no divine authority for preaching that the soul
flies out of the purgatory immediately when the money clinks in the bottom of the
chest…” (In response to John Tetzel selling indulgences with the catchphrase
‘”As soon as the coin in the coffer rings the soul from purgatory springs.”)
“Thesis 36: Any Christian whatsoever, who is truly repentant, enjoys
plenary remission from penalty and guilt, and this is given him without letters
of indulgence…” (Signaling Luther’s shift from understanding salvation as
something that could be purchased to a free gift from a gracious God.)
“Thesis 62: The true treasure of the church is the Holy gospel of the
glory and the grace of God…” (Luther’s response to the Roman Catholic notion of
a “Treasury of Merits,” a treasure chest in heaven full of the surplus good
deeds performed by Jesus, Mary, and the Saints that the pope could allegedly
reach into and credit to your spiritual account if you paid him.)
As we approach Reformation Day, let’s keep Luther’s
tradition alive. He had the cutting edge, world-shrinking technology of his
day—Gutenberg’s printing press—to help people seek biblical answers
to church problems. We have an internet to do the same. He lived with a church
in dire need of Reformation. We live with a church in dire need of
Re:Reformation.
So allow me to welcome you to the Reformation Day
Challenge 2012 to
help fuel urgently needed conversations about God and His mission in the
church world. Four quick guidelines:
1. Let’s
come up with at least 95 Theses by the time Reformation Day 2012 arrives
(October 31st).
2. The
core question you should try to answer in whatever theses you contribute is: What
ways has the 21st century church strayed most dangerously off course
from God’s Word and how can we get back on course?
3. Please
post your thesis or theses (you are NOT limited to just one) in the
comments sections under this post.
4. Let’s
keep ‘em biblical folks!
I’ll get our conversation started by offering a first
Thesis of Re:Reformation:
RR Thesis 1: As Re:Reformers let’s strive by the Spirit’s power to make
glorifying the enormously huge and incomparably worship-worthy God of the Bible
our most fundamental and driving passion in all things! (See Ps. 96:8a; Eph. 1:3-14; 2 Thes. 1:12a; Rom.
11:36b.) We confess letting relevance to culture replace reverence for God at the center of our church systems.
Now it’s your turn. 94 Theses to go! I’ll close with the opening line
penned by Luther over his 95 Theses. Luther began: “Out of love and concern for
the truth, and with the object of eliciting it…” So out of love for truth and
with the goal of eliciting truth in how we do church in the 21st
century, post away!
Viva Re:Reformation!
To stay connected to the conversation please follow on
Twitter (tap the icon on the left) and/or share this post with friends in your
network!
We need not subject the inexplicable works of our Lord in those records of him which are divinely inspired to any manner of reason which is positivistic or subject to any kind of justification that is only scientifically or mathematically legitimized. For the divine authority and power of our God is not contingent upon the philosophical or theoretical practices of the 21st Century. Neither are his divine qualities conditional on our own finite reasoning proficiencies, proficiencies which in fact were designed and bestowed upon us by the all-knowing, all-powerful, entirely and uninhibitedly capable One himself.
ReplyDeleteTruth is not relative. All truth is through God, because he is the Truth.
ReplyDeleteHi Thaddeus! Thanks for tagging me on Facebook with this post. I love this! Here's my first RR Thesis:
ReplyDeleteAs Re:Reformers, let our standard of truth be the Bible more than any dogma, thought, emotion, or cultural inclination we may have. We do this understanding that all parts of Scripture are authoritative (2 Tim 3:16), that all Scripture is profitable (Prov 6:23), that all Scripture is eternal and unchanging (Isa 40:8, Matt 24:35) & that all of Scripture is completely and fully the Word of God (1 Thess 2:13).
The 21st needs to feed the hungry, something to drink to the thirsty, be kind inviting to strangers, clothe the ones who need it, help the sick and visit those in prison.
ReplyDeleteFor I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'40"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'
The Church of the 21st Century (America/Commercialism)Don't chase after stuff ie; wealth, food beautiful clothes, etc.. seek His Kingdom 1st!
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?27Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life#
27 Or single cubit to your height
?28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.