Monday, October 30, 2023

It is the 30th of October 2023. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org, I’m Dan van Voorhis.

A happy Monday to you- to me, it’s a Saturday, and I have just returned from the Here We Still Stand Conference- My talk was live-streamed and will be part of the full suite of videos you can find soon at 1517.org. It was so nice to meet so many of you- I believe John from Rhode Island came from the farthest away. And so many of you- just next to me in the dining line would say, “I listen to you every morning,” and I couldn’t be more humbled to be a part of your day. I hope I wasn’t too awkward when you met me.

We will be taking a moratorium from C.S. Lewis-related topics and subjects for the time being. And it was Victoria from Lansing, Michigan, who sent me a fine question- she also told me that Lansing is the home to the original REO Speedwagon- the car, not the band. But if you wonder if the band will work its way into the end of the show- you would be correct.

Victoria asks, “What do you think about the succession of the Bishops in the Roman Catholic Church…[explains something about a family member and wonders if this is the historical position of the church- this has been edited for space].  

Victoria- the thing that comes to mind for me, right off the bat, is why is this an important and contentious issue? For some churches- mostly Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox and sometimes Anglicans and some Lutherans the question boils down to: how do I know I am in the right church? How do I know if my church is actually a true church?

There’s a distinction that goes back to the church fathers speaking of the “visible” and “invisible” church. The visible church is that which we can see. It has altars and crosses and pews of some sort. Real people are in these churches. But, being a member of a “visible” church doesn’t mean you are a member of the true “invisible church” of those united to Christ by the Holy Spirit.  

This is tough to swallow, perhaps. But as Jesus says, “Not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” is truly Christian. So how can we know who is a Christian and which church is the true church? If it was the case that Bishops, from the time of the apostles, played hands and consecrated the next generation, and this was an unbroken line of faithful Bishop, we might have reason to say, “Whichever church has that is probably closer to the historic faith.” Two problems: there is no reliable historical record of an unbroken line. And even if we do have lines, sometimes these Bishops turn out to be heretics- beyond the pale of faith.

It is for this reason that Christians, since the early church, have taught of succession not by office (or a person) but rather by doctrine. What do we read about the earliest church in Acts 2? They were devoted to the apostles' teaching! And yes, not all teaching has been the same- but, broken record alert: the question: who is Jesus is central to the historic church, unbroken in apostolic teaching. The teaching of God the Father, Christ the Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit, who unites us to Christ, dwells within us and unites us to the invisible church (usually in a visible church). I get the angst- I lived with it for a time. What if I’m doing it wrong? What if my church isn’t the “true” church? What if an office and authority could claim its historical validity? I could understand following that- unfortunately, it doesn’t exist in any historical record but instead exists in a line of apostolic teaching. A good work on this is Thomas Oden’s “Justification” Reader and his “Good Works” Reader, showing a historical lineage of teachings on central doctrines.

Thanks, Victoria from Lansing- home of both Steven Seagal and Burt Reynolds.

The last word for today is from the daily lectionary, which takes us to the book of James and a word on judgment and mercy.

12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 30th of October 2023, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who’s gone keep on loving you- cause it’s the only thing he wants to do- he doesn’t want to sleep- he just wants to keep on loving you- He is Christopher Gillespie

The show is written and read by a man who can’t fight this feeling anymore/ I’ve forgotten what I started fighting for/it’s time to bring this ship into the shore/ and throw away the oars, forever- I’m Dan van Voorhis

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be OK.