Luther’s 95 Theses

Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther
on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences
by Dr. Martin Luther (1517)

Out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg, under the presidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology, and Lecturer in Ordinary on the same at that place. Wherefore he requests that those who are unable to be present and debate orally with us, may do so by letter.

In the Name our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.2. This word cannot be understood to mean sacramental penance, i.e., confession and satisfaction, which is administered by the priests.

3. Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is no inward repentance which does not outwardly work divers mortifications of the flesh.

4. The penalty [of sin], therefore, continues so long as hatred of self continues; for this is the true inward repentance, and continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

5. The pope does not intend to remit, and cannot remit any penalties other than those which he has imposed either by his own authority or by that of the Canons.

6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it has been remitted by God and by assenting to God’s remission; though, to be sure, he may grant remission in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in such cases were despised, the guilt would remain entirely unforgiven.

Is the Reformation Over?

by Dr. R.C. Sproul

Is the Reformation over? There have been several observations rendered on this subject by those I would call “erstwhile evangelicals.” One of them wrote, “Luther was right in the sixteenth century, but the question of justification is not an issue now.” A second self-confessed evangelical made a comment in a press conference I attended that “the sixteenth-century Reformation debate over justification by faith alone was a tempest in a teapot.” Still another noted European theologian has argued in print that the doctrine of justification by faith alone is no longer a significant issue in the church. We are faced with a host of people who are defined as Protestants but who have evidently forgotten altogether what it is they are protesting.

Contrary to some of these contemporary assessments of the importance of the doctrine of justification by faith alone, we recall a different perspective by the sixteenth-century magisterial Reformers. Luther made his famous comment that the doctrine of justification by faith alone is the article upon which the church stands or falls. John Calvin added a different metaphor, saying that justification is the hinge upon which everything turns.

John MacArthur Calls Obama a “Non-Christian”

Exposing the Paganism of Oprah

World Net Daily posts an article highlighting the new book by Josh McDowell titled “‘O’ God: A Dialogue on Truth and Oprah’s Spirituality.”

McDowell and his co-author, Dave Sterrett, contend that the “splintered belief” of Oprah and the advice of the colorful teachers she promotes are among today’s most relevant issues.

“The danger is that while appearing to use Christian and inclusive language that at first seems similar to that of Christianity, Oprah teaches a message that is radically different and absolutely contrary to the true teaching of Scripture and historic Christianity,” McDowell and Sterrett warn. Get your autographed copy of “O God” exclusively from the team that published it – WND Books and the WND Superstore.

The media’s portrayal of Oprah as a modern-day Billy Graham and her selection as master of ceremonies for the national memorial service at Yankee Stadium after the 9/11 attacks demonstrate her powerful influence, the authors note.

McDowell points out USA Today reporter Cathy Lynn Grossman discussed in a recent article the theological shift taking place.

“Religion today in the USA is a salad bar where people heap on upbeat beliefs they like and often leave the veggies – like strict doctrine – behind,” she wrote.

read the entire article…..

Do we need any more evidence?

Do we need any additional evidence of the apostasy of such groups as the Presbyterian Church USA, the United Methodist Church and others? While there are members of these groups, (and notice I dont desrcibe them as denominations) who are faithful and seek to be obedient, I cry to them to LEAVE…..NOW!

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A coalition of mainline Protestant church clergy have authored a letter promoting abortion. The group sponsoring it intends it to make a statement on abortion funding as members of Congress consider health care bills that fund abortions.

Baptist, Brethren, Lutheran, Methodist Clergy Promote Abortion in New Letter

LifeNews.com-The letter comes from a group of church clergy who have long advocated the pro-abortion position.

Under the umbrella of the Religious Institute, the more than 1,100 pastors and church staff from the denominations endorsed the letter.

The letter calls abortion a “morally justifiable decision” and opposed any amendments to the House and Senate bills, which current contain massive abortion funding, to strike that taxpayer-financing.

“Already, federal policy unfairly prevents low-income women and federal employees from receiving subsidized [abortions],” Rev. Debra W. Haffner, executive director of the Religious Institute complained.

The letter added that she doesn’t want more abortion funding bans in place and complained that additional “restrictions” on abortion funding constitute a “serious moral injustice.”

The denominations of the clergy who endorsed the letter include the American Baptist Churches, Church of the Brethren, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), United Church of Christ, and the United Methodist Church, and others.

read the entire article…

Does God have a wonderful plan for your life?

Yes sir we do miss you!!

Mark Driscoll-Filthy Roman Sponge

Barack Obama, another Neville Chamberlain

“When All Men Speak Well Of You”

This is a great article by Dr. David Berman poublished on Worldview Times. Dr. Bermans website is www.wakeupandsmellthetruth.com

What is your desire? Do you long to be accepted by those who hate Christ? Is your self esteem the main motivator of your existence? Is your goal to be liked and to have people “speak well of thee?” Remember this; befriending unbelievers to show Christ’s love is great,  being a friend to unbelievers as to influence them for the kingdom of God is laudable, but to be a friend of the world by compromising truth in order to have men speak well of you is made clear by the following words of James:

James 4:4 “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

This is the problem with making the Bible more palatable to the fallen human condition. There simply is no way to come to Jesus without being offended concerning one’s own sinful position before God. It is that conviction that brings a person to the place of true repentance. So Remember this:

Romans 9:33 “As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed”

Jesus is a stumbling stone for many. He is a rock of offence. To love the world and the opinion of the world more than Him is to be ashamed of Him.  Woe unto us when all men speak well of us!

J. Gresham Machen on the Internal Enemies of the Church

from Christian Research Network

“[W]hat is the trouble with the visible Church? What is the reason for its obvious weakness? There are perhaps many causes of weakness. But one cause is perfectly plain–the Church of today has been unfaithful to her Lord by admitting great companies of non-Christian persons, not only into her membership, but into her teaching agencies. It is indeed inevitable that some persons who are not truly Christian shall find their way into the visible Church; fallible men cannot discern the heart, and many a profession of faith which seems to be genuine may really be false. But it is not this kind of error to which we now refer. What is now meant is not the admission of individuals whose confessions of faith may not be sincere, but the admission of great companies of persons who have never made any really adequate confession of faith at all and whose entire attitude toward the gospel is the very reverse of the Christian attitude. Such persons, moreover, have been admitted not merely to the membership, but to the ministry of the Church, and to an increasing extent have been allowed to dominate its councils and determine its teaching. The greatest menace to the Christian Church today comes not from the enemies outside, but from the enemies within; it comes from the presence within the Church of a type of faith and practice that is anti-Christian to the core.” (spend the next six and a half minutes reading the rest here)

Moralism is not the Gospel!

“In our own context, one of the most seductive false gospels is moralism. This false gospel can take many forms and can emerge from any number of political and cultural impulses. Nevertheless, the basic structure of moralism comes down to this — the belief that the Gospel can be reduced to improvements in behavior.”
Dr. Albert Mohler, Why Moralism Is Not the Gospel — And Why So Many Christians Think It Is

Reflections on 9/11: Where was God?

by Dr. Thomas Ascol from Examiner.com

Where was God September 11, 2001? That question exploded into the minds of people of faith eight years ago and, though its urgency may have diminished over time, it reasserts itself each anniversary of that horrific day. Packed into it are numerous other questions, like “Why didn’t God stop this from happening?” “Could God have stopped it?” “What is God really like?” “How can we trust God anymore?”

The answers depend on which deity is in mind. The radical Muslims who celebrated the murderous terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington D.C. on that day tell us that their God, Allah, was smiling with great approval people were in killed that day by hijacked airplanes in New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania. OIt is true that others of the Islamic faith decry such portrayals of Allah but their answers in defense of a sovereign, detached, despotic ruler offer no comfort, either.

Principal bans Bible, suggests book about witches

World Net Daily.com-The U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to hear a case in which a kindergarten student, under an assignment in which parents were invited to read their child’s favorite book, was denied permission to share a Bible story and asked to read a book about witches instead.

 

As WND reported, Donna Busch accepted an invitation to visit her son Wesley’s kindergarten classroom at Culbertson Elementary School in Newtown Square, Penn., to read a passage of Wesley’s favorite book to his classmates in Oct 2004. Wesley’s teacher had invited Busch because the boy was the featured student of “All About Me,” a school event to feature a particular student and emphasize that student’s personal characteristics, preferences and personality in classroom activities.

During the “All About Me” activity, a child’s parent may read aloud from the student’s favorite book. In this case, Wesley, a Christian, chose the Bible. His mother planned to read from Psalm 118.

When Donna Busch prepared to read from the Bible, Wesley’s teacher instructed her not to do so until Principal Thomas Cook could determine whether it would be acceptable to read the Bible in class.

According to the Rutherford Institute, the principal “informed Mrs. Busch that she could not read from the Bible in the classroom because it was against the law and that the reading would violate the ’separation of church and state.’”

Then school administrators offered Wesley’s mother an opportunity to read from a book about witches, witchcraft and Halloween. She declined the invitation.

 

read the entire article….

Whats it going to take?

My fellow Americans, as many of us commemorate what happened to our nation eight years ago this day, I take time to reflect on why, how and what have we learned.

I was on the air doing a live radio program, about to interview an author to discuss her new book, when my broadcast partner yelled, “something just a building in New York!” Like most Americans, I couldn’t believe it; I couldn’t believe what I had seen. It was numbing. Ironically, the author we were about to interview was an executive producer for ABC News, in New York, and was blocks away from the World Trade Center. Even she was shocked and confused about what had happened. We took advantage of this opportunity to utilize her expertise and position to provide more information to our listeners.

For days we stayed on the air, providing live coverage of the events as they unfolded. My partner and I took turns monitoring the controls to make sure the public was informed.

What followed in the days and weeks ahead was a tremendous show of unity, determination and resolve, to bring the ones responsible for this horrific act to justice and to mourn for the ones who were killed. Prayer groups and meeting met everywhere. President Bush cried openly as he pledged to America that this act would not go unanswered. We all cried.

Since those days, eight years ago, there have been (and continue to be) wars battling terrorism, but thanks to the courage of President Bush and brave Americans, we have not been attacked since.

But what have we learned? Have we changed as a nation for the better? Do we as a nation continue to have the resolve to do whet right? In spite of the prayer meetings, the tears, the shouts, the efforts, it is my humble opinion that we have learned very little. At least we have not applied what we have learned.

Americans elected a compromising, passive Marxist as president.

We continue to maintain that Islam is not the problem, that its only the extremists within Islam that’s the problem. I have often wondered, if it hits the fan, and Muslim terrorists take over, who will the “peaceful Muslims” align with?

We have leaders and politicians travel to foreign soil to mock, ridicule and make apologies on behalf of America, most notable, the president.

Legislators openly commend and praise foreign dictators as being examples of right leadership.

American is turning into a socialist state and I fear, one day, may be a communist state, if we do nothing.

Spiritually, we are worse than we were on or before 9/11/2001. Far too much of the church maintains a complacent, lazy and selfish attitude; choosing to follow their own interpretations of the truth, rather than the Truth itself.

What is it going to take? What else has to happen for us to wake up? We have seen horrendous events take place before our eyes. Many of us have experienced these evils personally….and yet, by and large we remain silent and dormant.

What’s it going to take?

God have mercy!