Why Mary Matters: Part One

Yesterday (Mother's Day), the boys and I fixed French toast smothered in syrup, covered in peaches and sprinkled with powdered sugar, and an omelet filled with chopped onions, ham and cheese and brought it to my wife in bed.  A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, a flower from our garden, a pecan pie scented candle, a hot cup of coffee, a gift certificate for a pedicure, and some heartfelt cards for Mother's Day also accompanied our entourage. She was blessed, not because she thought she deserved it, but because we chose to honor her for her role in our lives and in our home.

Of all the mothers who were honored amongst Protestant Evangelicals this past Sunday, I cannot help but think of one mother who was most likely ignored on this special day set aside to honor those who bring us into this life, who nourish us as tender shoots, and help carry us through this thorny trek we call life.... Mary...the mother of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

To mention her name among most evangelical Christians, conjures a variety of mixed thoughts and emotions; unfortunately, many of them are negative. Almost immediately, our "anti-catholic" radars are set off like air-space defense alarms in our fundamentalist minds to quickly shoot down any proposition that may cause us to think anything but suspicious thoughts about this woman we often ignore in Scripture. As evangelical Bible-believing Christians, we have oft been guilty of bearing an almost haughty attitude towards all things Mary, going so far as to highlight the times when Jesus supposedly rebuked his mother as our only recollection of this woman in Scripture. Because of our ignorance of, and lack of due-diligence in researching more "catholic" expressions of Christianity, we quickly assume that these "sub-Christians" are engaging in some sort of perverted pagan or tribal goddess worship when Mary is given a place of honor in their church experience. While, some extremes do and will always exist, we can no longer immaturely ignore 2,000 years of Church tradition or certain Biblical mandates to venerate Mary. It is much to my chagrin that I myself, in the past could even imagine an afterlife where Mary did not exist, or was somehow hidden away in some distant corner of heaven so that I would not have to deal with her in the eternal reality. Oh how foolish I was!

On Tradition: Part Three

Tradition is giving your ancestors a vote.

~G.K. Chesterton

As we conclude our discussion On Tradition, it might do us well to refer back to part one and part two so that we don't get lost in the questions that have already been addressed in the previous posts.  With that said, let us dive right into the matter of Holy Tradition. 

As stated in the previous post, I wish to remind you that the only way to combat the traditions of men, is to apply the traditions of God.  But how do we do this? And how do we determine if a tradition is of God?  Most Protestant Evangelicals will answer with the simple assumption that if it's in the Bible, then it's God's tradition, and if it's not, then it's man's tradition.  Although sincere, this statement cannot fully safeguard the church from heresy and doctrines of demons that so often deceive the faithful.

For example, the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses also believe that the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God, yet most Evangelical Christians would label them as cults, and rightly so.  History has taught us, that the written Word or logos, alone, is insufficient as a defense for correct doctrine and theology because Scripture can be wrongly interpreted by anyone who can read.

Book Release!

Our journey toward a new monasticism often requires tools and resources to help us along this thorny trek.  i cannot begin to tell you how books and other multi-media resources have helped to light my path and encourage me to continue on this narrow road we walk in the Kingdom of God.  It's been nearly two years since i began re-monk.com, and it is now my great privilege to offer you a tool that has come to life as a result of my decision to "re-monk" my life.  Part of my calling and the primary purpose of this site is to encourage and equip other whole-hearted believers on their journey with Jesus.  With that said, i am humbled to announce the release of my third book of centering prayers, called Song of Songs: Centering Prayers for the Bride of Christ.

After more than ten years of studying, preaching, and praying through the Song of Songs, i wrote this  book of centering prayers to coincide with each chapter and verse of the Biblical book written by King Solomon. Now, i'm inviting you to experience its passion and power through the poetic prayers of Song of Songs: Centering Prayers for the Bride of Christ.  This book is about three times the length of my other two books for sale on the side bar------->, and by far my favorite of the three.

For a donation of $10.00 or more to Eleventh Hour Mission, we will send you a signed copy of the book as our gift to you (Don't forget to mention offer SOS). Should you prefer to order online, we are offering a discounted price through the months of February and March in honor of Saint Valentine and Saint Patrick. Click here to order your discounted copy directly from our distributor! You can also order on Amazon at full retail price by clicking here.

I want to personally thank each of you who have read the articles, listened to sermons, ordered books, prayed for this ministry, and/or have taken the challenge to re-monk urselves!  May God richly bless you and continue to assist you in your journey toward a new monasticism by the power of the Holy Spirit!

In the Lion, In the Lamb,

Mark

On Tradition: Part Two

In our last post, we discussed how the Protestant Church essentially divorced itself from the traditions of the ancient Church by throwing anything that resembled the Roman Catholic Church away, and by doing so, also discarded many of the rich, historical, mystical, and meaningful worship patterns established by the early church.  As a result of the abuses and errors promulgated by the Roman Church from 1200-1500 A.D., we can understand the reasoning, and perhaps even the felt need for the reformers to throw out the proverbial "dirty bathwater." However, the splintery, factions, divisions and violence that erupted as a result of the reformation are still being imitated by her evangelical children.

We spoke of how most protestant, evangelical, independent, and/or charismatic believers today recoil at any hint of ancient tradition because it has been programmed in us to associate it with Roman Catholicism.  We balk, "Tradition is man-made!" or counter traditional arguments with statements like, "Jesus was against traditions." or "All that religious stuff came in after Constantine and made Christianity into an institution."  My friends, if you will take the time to journey with us, you may be surprised by the truth you encounter,with a careful examination of the Scripture and historical reference.

Feast of the Holy Innocents

The Feast of the Holy Innocents, also known as Childermas, is a high holy day in the liturgical church year set aside to remember the innocent boys of Bethlehem who were murdered by King Herod around the time of Jesus' birth.  Along with Saint Stephen's feast and the feast of Saint John, the Holy Innocents are honored during the season of Christmastide, or the twelve days of Christmas.   

The western church celebrates the feast on the 28th of December while much of the eastern church venerates the innocents on the 29th.  It is important to note that the universal church began to honor the memory of the slaughtered innocent sometime between the fourth and fifth century.  They did this not only to decry the senseless act of infanticide that Herod ordered and to remind the church that such atrocities should never be allowed to happen again under her prayerful watch, but to re-present the reality that there is always a cost associated with following Christ.